Phedon Papamichael, ASC (, ''Faidon Papamihail''; born February 1962) is a Greek

cinematographer The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the recording of a film, television production, music video or other live-action piece. The cinematographer is the chief of the camera ...

and

film director A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, vision. The director has a key role ...

, known for his collaborations with directors

James Mangold James Allen Mangold (born December 16, 1963) is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Noted for his versatility in tackling a range of genres, Mangold made his debut as a film director with ''Heavy (film), Heavy'' (1995), and gai ...

and

Alexander Payne Constantine Alexander Payne (born February 10, 1961) is an American film director, screenwriter and producer. He is noted for his satire, satirical depictions of contemporary American society. Payne has received List of awards and nominations rec ...

. He has been 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 ...

since 2000.

Early life and education

Papamichael was born in Athens, Greece in 1962 to a Greek father and a German mother. When he was six years old, his family relocated to the United States, as his father, a well-known artist and set designer, was offered a job as a production designer for

John Cassavetes John Nicholas Cassavetes (December 9, 1929 – February 3, 1989) was an American filmmaker and actor. He began as an actor in film and television before helping to pioneer modern American independent cinema as a writer and director, often self- ...

. He studied photography and art at the

University of Munich The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (simply University of Munich, LMU or LMU Munich; ) is a public university, public research university in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Originally established as the University of Ingolstadt in 1472 by Duke ...

and received his Bachelor in Fine Arts in 1982.

Career

Papamichael's first job as a cinematographer was in the 1988 film ''

Dance of the Damned ''Dance of the Damned'' is a 1989 American film directed by Katt Shea and executive produced by Roger Corman. Cast * Starr Andreeff as Jodi Hurtz * Cyril O'Reilly as The Vampire * Debbie Nassar as La Donna * Maria Ford as Teacher * Athena Wor ...

'', directed by

Katt Shea Kathleen Ann Shea (born October 9, 1959) is an American actress, film director, and acting teacher. She is best known for directing the erotic thriller ''Poison Ivy (1992 film), Poison Ivy'', which was nominated for the 1992 Sundance Grand Jury P ...

. He would go on to make several future collaborations with director Shea and producer

Roger Corman Roger William Corman (April 5, 1926 – May 9, 2024) was an American film director, producer, and actor. Known under various monikers such as "The Pope of Pop Cinema", "The Spiritual Godfather of the New Hollywood", and "The King of Cult", he w ...

, making him a member of the so-called "Corman Film School", much like his contemporary

Janusz Kamiński Janusz Zygmunt Kamiński (; born June 27, 1959) is a Polish cinematographer and director. He established a partnership with Steven Spielberg, working as a cinematographer of all of his films since 1993, winning one Academy Award for Best Cine ...

. As a director, he made his debut as a director with the film ''

Sketch Artist ''Sketch Artist'', also known as ''The Sketch Artist'', is a 1992 American Television film, made-for-television Crime film, crime-thriller film written by Michael Angeli and directed by Phedon Papamichael and starring Jeff Fahey, Sean Young an ...

'', and later directed ''Dark Side of Genius'', '' From Within'' and '' Arcadia Lost''. In 2000, he was awarded the Prix Vision of the

Avignon Film Festival {{unreferenced, date=November 2021 The Avignon Film Festival (created 1984), also known as the Avignon/New York Film Festival or Rencontres Cinématographiques Franco-Américain d'Avignon, took place every year in Avignon, France along with a twin ...

for his cinematography in '' 27 Missing Kisses''.

Personal life

He spends his time between Los Angeles and

Leonidio Leonidio (, Katharevousa: Λεωνίδιον, Tsakonian: Αγιελήδι) is a town and a former municipality in Arcadia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality South Kynouria, of which it i ...

, Greece. In an interview with

Greek Reporter Greek Reporter is a news organization for Greek people around the world. It functions as a news agency and online portal consisting of a collection of internet news web sites for Greek people and people of Greek descent who live and work in and ...

, Papamichael said, ”I want to spend more time in Greece from next year. My parents live there and my home is also there. I visit Los Angeles regularly just for my job. Obviously, I will move permanently to Leonidio some time in the future. It’s unlikely to live the twilight of my life in the United States.” He also has a wife and two children.

Filmography

Cinematographer

Film

Television

Director

Awards and nominations

Other awards

As cinematographer As director

References

External links

*
Phedon Papamichael at the Internet Encyclopedia of Cinematographers
* Phedon Papamichael at th
Ellines.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Papamichael, Phedon Greek emigrants to the United States Film people from Athens 1962 births Living people Greek cinematographers Greek film directors Greek people of German descent