Samuel Leavitt, A.S.C (February 6, 1904 March 21, 1984), was an American cinematographer who was nominated for three

Academy Awards 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 ...

, winning one for ''

The Defiant Ones ''The Defiant Ones'' is a 1958 American adventure drama film which tells the story of two escaped prisoners, one white and one black, who are shackled together and who must co-operate in order to survive. It stars Tony Curtis and Sidney Poitier. ...

'' (1958). Leavitt began his career as an assistant camera operator working on 1930s films. Leavitt was a camera operator on films including ''

Rancho Notorious ''Rancho Notorious'' is a 1952 American Western film directed by Fritz Lang and starring Marlene Dietrich as the matron of a criminal hideout called ''Chuck-a-Luck''. Arthur Kennedy and Mel Ferrer play rivals for her attention in this tale of fr ...

'' (1952) and on TV's ''

I Love Lucy ''I Love Lucy'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes, spanning six seasons. The show starred Lucille Ball, her husband, Desi Arnaz, along with ...

'' in the early 1950s before becoming a director of photography in films. Leavitt was nominated for Academy Awards for ''

Exodus Exodus or the Exodus may refer to: Religion * Book of Exodus, second book of the Hebrew Torah and the Christian Bible * The Exodus, the biblical story of the migration of the ancient Israelites from Egypt into Canaan Historical events * Exo ...

'' (Best Cinematography Color) (1960)and ''

Anatomy of a Murder ''Anatomy of a Murder'' is a 1959 American courtroom drama and crime film produced and directed by Otto Preminger. The screenplay by Wendell Mayes was based on the 1958 novel of the same name written by Michigan Supreme Court Justice John D. ...

'' (1959) (Best Cinematography Black and White) in the two years following his Oscar win for ''The Defiant Ones''.IMDB awards
/ref> Leavitt was born in New York City, New York and died in Woodland Hills, California.

Filmography

Feature films * '' The Thief'' (1952) * '' China Venture'' (1953) * '' Mission Over Korea'' (1953) * '' A Star Is Born'' (1954) * ''

Carmen Jones ''Carmen Jones'' is a 1943 Broadway musical with music by Georges Bizet (orchestrated for Broadway by Robert Russell Bennett) and lyrics and book by Oscar Hammerstein II which was performed at The Broadway Theatre. Conceptually, it is Bizet's o ...

'' (1954) * '' Southwest Passage'' (1954) * '' An Annapolis Story'' (1955) * '' The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell'' (1955) * ''

The Man with the Golden Arm ''The Man with the Golden Arm'' is a 1955 American drama film with elements of film noir directed by Otto Preminger, based on the novel of the same name by Nelson Algren. Starring Frank Sinatra, Eleanor Parker, Kim Novak, Arnold Stang and ...

'' (1955) * '' The Bold and the Brave'' (1956) * '' Crime in the Streets'' (1956) * '' Hot Rod Girl'' (1956) * '' The Wild Party'' (1956) * '' The Careless Years'' (1957) * '' Eighteen and Anxious'' (1957) * '' Hell Ship Mutiny'' (1957) * ''

Time Limit A time limit or deadline is a narrow field of time, or a particular point in time, by which an objective or task must be accomplished. Once that time has passed, the item may be considered overdue (e.g., for work projects or school assignments). In ...

'' (1957) * ''

'' (1958) * '' The Fearmakers'' (1958) * ''

'' (1959) * '' The Crimson Kimono'' (1959) * '' Five Gates to Hell'' (1959) * '' Pork Chop Hill'' (1959) * ''

'' (1960) * ''

Seven Thieves ''Seven Thieves'' is a 1960 American film noir heist crime drama film shot in CinemaScope. It stars Edward G. Robinson, Rod Steiger, Joan Collins and Eli Wallach. Directed by Henry Hathaway and produced by Sydney Boehm, it was adapted for the ...

'' (1960) * '' The Right Approach'' (1961) * '' Advise & Consent'' (1962) * '' Cape Fear'' (1962) * '' Diamond Head'' (1963) * ''

Shock Treatment ''Shock Treatment'' is a 1981 American musical comedy film directed by Jim Sharman, and co-written by Sharman and Richard O'Brien. It is a follow-up to the 1975 film ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show''. While not an outright sequel, the film doe ...

'' (1964) * '' Brainstorm'' (1965) * '' Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine'' (1965) * ''

Major Dundee ''Major Dundee'' is a 1965 American Western film directed by Sam Peckinpah and starring Charlton Heston, Richard Harris, Jim Hutton, and James Coburn. Written by Harry Julian Fink, the film is about a Union cavalry officer who leads a contenti ...

'' (1965) * '' My Blood Runs Cold'' (1965) * '' Two on a Guillotine'' (1965) * '' An American Dream'' (1966) * ''

I Deal in Danger ''I Deal in Danger'' is a 1966 American DeLuxe Color spy film compiled from the first four episodes of a television series, ''Blue Light'', which aired on ABC-TV in early 1966. Directed by Walter Grauman, it starred Robert Goulet as David Mar ...

'' (1966) * ''

Murderers' Row Murderers' Row were the baseball teams of the New York Yankees in the late 1920s, widely considered some of the best teams in history. The nickname is in particular describing the first six hitters in the 1927 team lineup: Earle Combs, Mark K ...

'' (1966) * ''

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner ''Guess Who's Coming to Dinner'' is a 1967 American romantic comedy-drama film produced and directed by Stanley Kramer, and written by William Rose. It stars Spencer Tracy (in his final role), Sidney Poitier, and Katharine Hepburn, and feature ...

'' (1967) * ''

Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows ''Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows'' is a 1968 American comedy film directed by James Neilson and starring Rosalind Russell, Stella Stevens and Binnie Barnes. Written by Blanche Hanalis, the film is based on a story by Jane Trahey about an old-l ...

'' (1968) * '' The Wrecking Crew'' (1968) * '' The Desperados'' (1969) * ''

The Man in the Glass Booth ''The Man in the Glass Booth'' is a 1975 American drama film directed by Arthur Hiller. The film was produced and released as part of the American Film Theatre, which adapted theatrical works for a subscription cinema series. The screenplay was ...

'' (1975) Short films * '' Goof on the Roof'' (1953) Television films * '' Evil Roy Slade'' (1972) * '' The Longest Night'' (1972) * '' The Screaming Woman'' (1972)

References

External links

* American cinematographers Best Cinematographer Academy Award winners 1904 births 1984 deaths {{US-cinematographer-stub