Gordon Willis
Gordon Willis is one of the great American cinematographers whose use of light, shadow, and texture have made an indelible mark on classic American movies. Willis was born in 1931 in Queens, New York. Although he was an actor in summer stock theatre, Willis moved to the visual possibilities after a stint as an Air Force cameraman. Films with his cinematography include: The Paper Chase (1973), The Parallax View (1974), The Drowning Pool (1975), and All the President's Men (1976). In 1972, he began his collaboration with Francis Ford Coppola on The Godfather (1972), which continued through the next two Godfather movies. For Godfather Part III, Willis received his second Academy Award nomination. His first nomination was for the film with his other great collaborator, Woody Allen, on Zelig (1984). Willis was also the cinematographer for Allen's Annie Hall (1977), Interiors (1978), Manhattan (1979), Stardust Memories (1980), A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy (1982), Broadway Danny Rose (1984), and The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985). Other Willis films include Perfect (1985), Bright Lights, Big City (1988), and The Devil's Own (1997). Willis won the American Society of Cinematographer's Lifetime Achievement Award in 1995.
