Jordan Scott Cronenweth, (February 20, 1935 – November 29, 1996) was an American cinematographer based in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. A contemporary of

Conrad Hall Conrad Lafcadio Hall, (June 21, 1926 – January 4, 2003) was a French Polynesian-born American cinematographer. Named after writers Joseph Conrad and Lafcadio Hearn, he was best known for photographing such films as ''In Cold Blood'', ''Co ...

, he was recognized for his distinctive style of heavily textured, '' film noir''-inspired photography, seen in numerous classic films, including ''

Zandy's Bride ''Zandy's Bride'' is a 1974 American Western film directed by Jan Troell and starring Gene Hackman and Liv Ullmann. The film is also known as ''For Better, for Worse'' in the United States (TV title). It was filmed on location near Big Sur, ...

'', ''

Gable and Lombard ''Gable and Lombard'' is a 1976 American biographical film directed by Sidney J. Furie. The screenplay by Barry Sandler is based on the romance and consequent marriage of screen stars Clark Gable and Carole Lombard. The original music score was ...

'', ''

Altered States ''Altered States'' is a 1980 American science fiction body horror film directed by Ken Russell and based on the novel of the same name by playwright and screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky. The film was adapted from Chayefsky's 1978 novel and is his fi ...

,'' and ''

Peggy Sue Got Married ''Peggy Sue Got Married'' is a 1986 American fantasy comedy-drama film directed by Francis Ford Coppola starring Kathleen Turner as a woman on the verge of a divorce, who finds herself transported back to the days of her senior year in high sch ...

''. He is perhaps best remembered for his

BAFTA Award The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTA Film Awards is an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to film. The cer ...

-winning work on the groundbreaking science fiction film ''

Blade Runner ''Blade Runner'' is a 1982 science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott, and written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples. Starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, and Edward James Olmos, it is an adaptation of Philip K. Dick' ...

,''Lightman, Herb A. and Richard Patterson (March 1999)
Cinematography for Blade Runner.
''American Cinematographer'' which is credited as codifying the

cyberpunk Cyberpunk is a subgenre of science fiction in a dystopian futuristic setting that tends to focus on a "combination of lowlife and high tech", featuring futuristic technological and scientific achievements, such as artificial intelligence and c ...

aesthetic, and is lauded by some as among the best cinematographers of all time. He was nominated for an

Academy Award for Best Cinematography The Academy Award for Best Cinematography is an Academy Award awarded each year to a cinematographer for work on one particular motion picture. History In its first film season, 1927–28, this award (like others such as the acting awards) w ...

and received an ASC Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Theatrical Releases, and he is widely considered one of the most influential cinematographers of all time. He was a member of the

American Society of Cinematographers The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC), founded in Hollywood in 1919, is a cultural, educational, and professional organization that is neither a labor union nor a guild. The society was organized to advance the science and art of cinem ...

(ASC).

Life and career

Born in Los Angeles, California on February 20, 1935, Cronenweth attended

North Hollywood High School North Hollywood High School (NHHS) is a public high school in the North Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. It is located in the San Fernando Valley and enrolls approximately 2,500 students. Several neighborhoods, in ...

and later

Los Angeles City College Los Angeles City College (LACC) is a public community college in East Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. A part of the Los Angeles Community College District, it is located on Vermont Avenue south of Santa Monica Boulevard on the former campu ...

, majoring in Engineering. While in college he interned as a film lab assistant at

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

and acted as a cameraman on the 1955 musical film ''Oklahoma!''. His widely acclaimed work on the science fiction-noir ''

'' won the Best Cinematography Award from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and got a BSC Award nomination and

BAFTA Film Award The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTA Film Awards is an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to film. The cere ...

. He won a 1987 ASC Award and earned an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

nomination for ''

''. Cronenweth was initially hired as the director of photography for ''

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension ''The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension'', often shortened to ''Buckaroo Banzai'', is a 1984 American science fiction film produced and directed by W. D. Richter and written by Earl Mac Rauch. It stars Peter Weller in the ti ...

'', but halfway through production producers replaced him with Fred J. Koenekamp. He was also replaced two weeks into the production of ''

Alien 3 ''Alien 3'' (stylized as ''A''LIEN³) is a 1992 American science fiction horror film directed by David Fincher and written by David Giler, Walter Hill, and Larry Ferguson, from a story by Vincent Ward. It stars Sigourney Weaver, reprising her ...

'' after falling ill, and died in 1996 at the age of 61.Staff report (December 25, 1996). Memorial Service Set for Cronenweth. ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

'' The cause of death was

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...

. A 2003 poll of his peers conducted by the International Cinematographers Guild placed Cronenweth among the ten most influential cinematographers of all time.Staff report (October 17, 2003). Cinematographers pick their Top 11. ''

Personal life

He and his first wife Carol had three children, Christie Cronenweth, Tim Cronenweth, and two-time

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology) ...

-nominated cinematographer

Jeff Cronenweth Jeffrey Scott Cronenweth, (born January 14, 1962) is an American cinematographer based in Los Angeles, California who is known for his role as the director of photography on the David Fincher films ''Fight Club'', ''The Social Network'', ''The ...

. He was later married to Shane Cronenweth for 17 years. Cronenweth was originally misdiagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1978, and correctly diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1981. He continued working in film and commercials as a cinematographer, and in several commercials as director/cameraman, for another 13 years despite considerable physical challenges.

Filmography

Concert films

References

External links

*
BRmovie.com
– Jordan Cronenweth Profile {{DEFAULTSORT:Cronenweth, Jordan 1935 births 1996 deaths American cinematographers Best Cinematography BAFTA Award winners Deaths from Parkinson's disease Film people from Los Angeles Los Angeles City College alumni Neurological disease deaths in California North Hollywood High School alumni