Mikhail Petrovich Suslov (; 23 March 1939 – 5 March 2024), also known as Misha Suslov (), was a Russian cinematographer.

Life and career

Suslov was born in the

USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

. In 1962 he graduated from the camera department of VGIK (workshop of Leonid Kosmatov). For three years he worked on Moscow television, where the creative association "Ekran" was being created. He filmed pop performances by

Joseph Kobzon Joseph Davydovich Kobzon (11 September 1937 – 30 August 2018) was a Soviet-born Russian singer, known for his crooner style. Early life Kobzon was born to History of the Jews in the Soviet Union, Jewish Ukrainians, Ukrainian parents in the ...

Maya Kristalinskaya Maya Vladimirovna Kristalinskaya (; 24 February 1932, Moscow – 19 June 1985, Moscow) was a Soviet-Russian singer. In 1957 she performed at the 6th World Festival of Youth and Students in Moscow with an amateur ensemble under the direction of Y ...

, and Muslim Magomayev. He mastered the production of short feature films and television programs. Then he moved to the

Mosfilm Mosfilm (, ''Mosfil’m'' , initialism and portmanteau of Moscow Films) is a film studio in Moscow which is among the largest and oldest in the Russian Federation and in Europe. Founded in 1924 in the USSR as a production unit of that nation's fi ...

studio. He participated in the creation of several films, among which the historical-revolutionary film '' The Sixth of July'', directed by

Yuli Karasik Yuli Yurievich Karasik () (August 24, 1923 – January 23, 2005) was a Soviet film director, screenwriter, and film arts educator. Awards *1968: Special prize at the XVI Karlovy Vary International Film Festival for '' The Sixth of July'' *1969: M ...

, which stands out for its strict

ascetic Asceticism is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from worldly pleasures through self-discipline, self-imposed poverty, and simple living, often for the purpose of pursuing spiritual goals. Ascetics may withdraw from the world for their pra ...

style. Moving to the United States in 1976, in Hollywood, he worked mainly in the genres of action and crime drama, including

Black Moon Rising ''Black Moon Rising'' is a 1986 American science fiction action thriller film directed by Harley Cokliss, written by John Carpenter, and starring Tommy Lee Jones, Linda Hamilton, Robert Vaughn, Keenan Wynn, and Richard Jaeckel. The plot revol ...

and ''Champion''. Suslov worked with director

John Hancock John Hancock ( – October 8, 1793) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father, merchant, statesman, and prominent Patriot (American Revolution), Patriot of the American Revolution. He was the longest-serving Presi ...

for ''

Steal the Sky ''Steal the Sky'' is a 1988 HBO movie directed by John D. Hancock and starring Mariel Hemingway and Ben Cross. The film is based on the true story of an Iraqi Assyrian fighter pilot Munir Redfa, who defected by flying a MiG-21 fighter jet to Is ...

'', ''Prancer'', '' A Piece of Eden'', ''Suspended Animation'', ''The Looking Glass'', and ''The Girls of Summer.'' Suslov's camerawork in the drama film ''Prancer'' added sincerity to the story of a girl finding a reindeer she believes is

Santa Santa Claus (also known as Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle or Santa) is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring gifts during the late evening and overnight hours on Christma ...

's. From the late 1990s, he worked regularly in Russia, including fruitfully collaborating with director

Sergei Ursuliak Sergei Vladimirovich Ursuliak (; born 10 June 1958) is a Russian film director and screenwriter. He is known for the films ''Composition for Victory Day'' (1996) and ''Long Farewell'' (2004), and the TV series ''Liquidation (miniseries), Liquida ...

, filming ''

Long Farewell ''Long Farewell'' () is a 2004 Russian drama film directed by Sergei Ursuliak based on the story of the same name by Yuri Trifonov. Plot The film tells about a love triangle. Actress Lyalya loves her husband, an unsuccessful writer, and she is ...

'', ''Poirot's Failure'', ''Liquidation'', ''Isaev'', ''Life and Fate,'' and ''And Quiet Flows the Don''. Suslov died on 5 March 2024, at the age of 84.

Filmography

Awards

* 2005 – Moskvin Prize at the film festival "Literature and Cinema" in

Gatchina Gatchina (, ) is a town and the administrative center of Gatchinsky District in Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It lies south-south-west of St. Petersburg, along the E95 highway which links Saint Petersburg and Pskov. Population: It was pr ...

for the film ''

'' * 2008 –

TEFI TEFI () is an annual award given in the Russian television industry, presented by the Russian Academy of Television. It has been awarded since 1994. TEFI is presented in various sectors (up to 50 nominations in 2008), such as television shows ...

Award in the nomination the cinematographer of a television feature film/series for ''Liquidation'' * 2013 – Professional award of the Association of Film and Television Producers in the field of television cinema in the nomination ''For the best camera work'' (TV series ''Life and Fate'') * 2015 – Professional award of the Association of Film and Television Producers in the field of television cinema in the nomination ''For the best camera work'' (TV series ''Quiet Don'')

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Suslov, Misha 1939 births 2024 deaths American cinematographers Russian cinematographers Soviet emigrants to the United States Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography alumni