Phedon Papamichael, ASC ( el, Φαίδων Παπαμιχαήλ, ''Faidon Papamihail''; born 10 February 1962) is a Greek

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

and

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, ...

, known for his collaborations with directors

James Mangold James Allen Mangold (born December 16, 1963) is an American filmmaker. He is best known for the films '' Cop Land'' (1997), ''Girl, Interrupted'' (1999), '' Walk the Line'' (2005), '' 3:10 to Yuma'' (2007), '' The Wolverine'' (2013) and '' Logan' ...

Alexander Payne Constantine Alexander Payne (; born February 10, 1961) is an American film director, screenwriter and producer. He is best known for the films '' Citizen Ruth'' (1996), ''Election'' (1999), '' About Schmidt'' (2002), '' Sideways'' (2004), '' The ...

and

Wim Wenders Ernst Wilhelm "Wim" Wenders (; born 14 August 1945) is a German filmmaker, playwright, author, and photographer. He is a major figure in New German Cinema. Among many honors, he has received three nominations for the Academy Award for Best Doc ...

. He has twice been nominated for the

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) ...

and twice also for the

BAFTA Award for Best Cinematography This is a list of winners and nominees for the BAFTA Award for Best Cinematography, which is presented to cinematographers, given out by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts since 1963. Winners and nominees 1960s ; Best Cinematography ...

. 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 cine ...

since 2000.

Early life and education

He was born in Athens, Greece in 1962 to a Greek father and a German mother. When Papamichael 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. From an early age, he was involved in cinema. He studied photography and art at the

University of Munich The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (simply University of Munich or LMU; german: link=no, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München) is a public research university in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Originally established as the University of ...

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'', directed by Katt Shea. He would go on to make several future collaborations with director Shea and producer

Roger Corman Roger William Corman (born April 5, 1926) is an American film director, producer, and actor. He has been called "The Pope of Pop Cinema" and is known as a trailblazer in the world of independent film. Many of Corman's films are based on works t ...

, 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 of film and television. He has established a partnership with Steven Spielberg, working as a cinematographer on his films since 1993. He won the Academy A ...

. As a cinematographer, he has shot nearly fifty films, including ''

Phenomenon A phenomenon (plural, : phenomena) is an observable event. The term came into its modern Philosophy, philosophical usage through Immanuel Kant, who contrasted it with the noumenon, which ''cannot'' be directly observed. Kant was heavily influe ...

'', '' America's Sweethearts'', '' Sideways'', ''

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'', ''

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'', ''

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'', and ''

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'', for which he received an Academy Award nomination. He has worked with directors

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and

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, and many others, and has also directed films, such as Sketch Artist, Dark Side of Genius, '' From Within'', '' Arcadia Lost''. He has worked with Hollywood stars

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Will Smith Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968), also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor and rapper. He began his acting career starring as a fictionalized version of himself on the NBC sitcom '' The Fresh ...

John Travolta John Joseph Travolta (born February 18, 1954) is an American actor. He came to public attention during the 1970s, appearing on the television sitcom '' Welcome Back, Kotter'' (1975–1979) and starring in the box office successes ''Carrie'' (1 ...

Tom Cruise Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (born July 3, 1962), known professionally as Tom Cruise, is an American actor and producer. One of the world's highest-paid actors, he has received various accolades, including an Honorary Palme d'Or and three Go ...

Nicolas Cage Nicolas Kim Coppola (born January 7, 1964), known professionally as Nicolas Cage, is an American actor and film producer. Born into the Coppola family, he is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Nicolas Cage, various ac ...

Russell Crowe Russell Ira Crowe (born 7 April 1964) is an actor. He was born in New Zealand, spent ten years of his childhood in Australia, and moved there permanently at age twenty one. He came to international attention for his role as Roman General Max ...

Cameron Diaz Cameron Michelle Diaz (born August 30, 1972) is an American actress. With a variety of works in film, she is widely recognised for her work in romantic comedies and animation. Diaz has received various accolades, including nominations for ...

and others, and maintains a long-term friendship with

Joaquin Phoenix Joaquin Rafael Phoenix (; né Bottom; born October 28, 1974) is an American actor. He is known for playing dark and unconventional characters in independent films. He has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Acad ...

and

Dustin Hoffman Dustin Lee Hoffman (born August 8, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker. As one of the key actors in the formation of New Hollywood, Hoffman is known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and emotionally vulnerable characters. He is ...

. He later made his debut as a director in the film Showtime’s ''Sketch Artist'' in 1992 and two years later he directed ''Dark Side of Genius''. In 2000, he was awarded the Prix Vision of the Avignon Film Festival for his cinematography in '' 27 Missing Kisses''.

Personal life

He spends his time between Los Angeles and Leonidio, 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

Film

Television

Short films

Directorial works

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 American cinematographers Greek film directors American film directors