Robert Richardson (cinematographer) : biography
Robert Bridge Richardson, ASC (born August 27, 1955) is an American cinematographer. He has won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography three times, for his work on JFK, The Aviator, and Hugo. Richardson is and has been a frequent collaborator for several directors, including Oliver Stone, John Sayles, Errol Morris, Quentin Tarantino, and Martin Scorsese. He is one of two living persons who won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography three times, the other being Vittorio Storaro.
Life and career
Richardson was born in Hyannis, Massachusetts. He graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design with a BFA in Film/Animation/Video and received his MFA from AFI Conservatory. Richardson worked as a camera operator and 2nd unit photographer on such features as Alex Cox’s Repo Man, Dorian Walker’s Making the Grade and Wes Craven’s A Nightmare on Elm Street (all in 1984). He also served as cinematographer on TV documentaries and docudramas such as America, America for The Disney Channel, God’s Peace for the BBC and PBS’ The Front Line: El Salvador. His work in El Salvador led to his meeting Oliver Stone, who hired him to "shoot" Salvador (1986).
Oliver Stone’s major motion picture debut was also Richardson’s first film as director of photography. Salvador was also filmed the same year as Stone’s Platoon. Platoon would earn Richardson his first Oscar nomination for Best Cinematography. In 1987, Richardson reteamed with Stone on Wall Street. In 1988, he filmed Eight Men Out for John Sayles. In 1989, he earned his second Best Cinematography Oscar nomination for Stone’s Born on the Fourth of July.
In 1991, Richardson won the first of his Best Cinematography Academy Awards for his work on Stone’s JFK; he also shot Stone’s The Doors that same year. He worked with Sayles again in 1991 for City of Hope. In 1992, he worked as director of photography on Rob Reiner’s A Few Good Men and served as a 2nd unit photographer for Haskell Wexler on To the Moon, Alice, a "Showtime 30-Minute Movie" (for which he was also credited as visual consultant). He began a long working relationship with Martin Scorsese in 1995, beginning with Casino. In 1995, he was cinematographer on Stone’s Nixon. In 1997, Richardson photographed Errol Morris’s documentary Fast, Cheap and Out of Control as well as filming the majority of Stone’s U Turn and serving as director of photography for Barry Levinson’s Wag the Dog.
He is married to Stephanie Martin with three children from previous relationships, named Kanchan, Maya and BB. His matriarchal family currently runs the Cape Cod Sea Camps situated on the Cape Cod Bay.
Filmography as cinematographer
Year | Film | Director | Other notes |
---|---|---|---|
1982 | An Outpost of Progress | Dorian Walker | |
1986 | Salvador | Oliver Stone | Nominated: Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography |
Platoon | Oliver Stone | Won: Independent Spirit Award for Best CinematographyNominated – Academy Award for Best CinematographyNominated – BAFTA Award for Best Cinematography | |
1987 | Dudes | Penelope Spheeris | |
Wall Street | Oliver Stone | ||
1988 | Eight Men Out | John Sayles | |
Talk Radio | Oliver Stone | Nominated: Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography | |
1989 | Born on the Fourth of July | Oliver Stone | Nominated: Academy Award for Best CinematographyNominated: ASC Award |
1991 | The Doors | Oliver Stone | |
City of Hope | John Sayles | ||
JFK | Oliver Stone | Won: Academy Award for Best CinematographyNominated: ASC Award | |
1992 | A Few Good Men | Rob Reiner | Nominated: ASC Award |
1993 | Heaven & Earth | Oliver Stone | Nominated: ASC Award |
1994 | Natural Born Killers | Oliver Stone | |
1995 | Nixon | Oliver Stone | |
Casino | Martin Scorsese | ||
1997 | U Turn | Oliver Stone | |
Fast, Cheap and Out of Control | Errol Morris | ||
Wag the Dog | Barry Levinson | ||
1998 | The Horse Whisperer | Robert Redford | Nominated: ASC Award |
1999 | Snow Falling on Cedars | Scott Hicks | Nominated: Academy Award for Best CinematographyNominated: ASC Award |
Bringing Out the Dead | Martin Scorsese | ||
2001 | Powder Keg | Alejandro González Iñárritu | short film |
2002 | The Four Feathers | Shekhar Kapur | |
2003 | Kill Bill: Vol. 1 | Quentin Tarantino | |
2004 | Kill Bill: Vol. 2 | Quentin Tarantino | |
The Aviator | Martin Scorsese | Won: Academy Award for Best CinematographyNominated: ASC AwardNominated: BAFTA Award for Best Cinematography | |
2006 | The Good Shepherd | Robert De Niro | Nominated: ASC Award |
2008 | Shine a Light | Martin Scorsese | |
Standard Operating Procedure | Errol Morris | ||
2009 | Inglourious Basterds | Quentin Tarantino | Nominated – Academy Award for Best CinematographyNominated – ASC AwardNominated – BAFTA Award for Best Cinematography |
2010 | Shutter Island | Martin Scorsese | |
Eat Pray Love | Ryan Murphy | ||
2011 | Living in the Material World: George Harrison | Martin Scorsese | |
Hugo | Martin Scorsese | Won – Academy Award for Best CinematographyNominated – ASC AwardNominated – BAFTA Award for Best Cinematography | |
2012 | Django Unchained | Quentin Tarantino | Nominated – Academy Award for Best Cinematography |