# Caleb Deschanel

Joseph Caleb Deschanel (born September 21, 1944) is an American cinematographer and director of film and television. He has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography six times. He is a member of the National Film Preservation Board of the Library of Congress, representing the American Society of Cinematographers. He has been married to actress Mary Jo Deschanel since 1972, with whom he has two daughters, actresses Emily and Zooey Deschanel.

## Early life and professional education

Deschanel was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Ann Ward (née Orr) and Paul Jules Deschanel. His father was French, from Oullins, Rhône, and his mother was American. Deschanel was raised in his mother's Quaker religion.
He enrolled in Severn School for his high school. He attended Johns Hopkins University from 1962 to 1966, where he met Walter Murch, with whom he staged "happenings," including one in which Murch sat down and ate an apple for an audience. Murch graduated a year ahead of him and encouraged Deschanel to follow him to the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts, where he graduated in 1968. During this time, Deschanel was a member of a band of film students called "The Dirty Dozen;" this group attracted attention from the Hollywood system. Following his graduation, he attended the American Film Institute (AFI) Conservatory and graduated in 1969 as a member of its first class.

## Personal life

Deschanel joined the American Society of Cinematographers (A.S.C.) in 1969, the year of his graduation from the AFI Conservatory. In 1972, three years later, he married actress Mary Jo Weir. They have two daughters, actresses Emily and Zooey.

## Filmography
### As director

Film
* The Escape Artist (1982)
* Crusoe (1988)
Music video
* Rhythm of My Heart (1991)
Television
| Year | Title | Episode(s) |
| 1990-91 | Twin Peaks | "Realization Time" |
| 1990-91 | Twin Peaks | "Drive with a Dead Girl" |
| 1990-91 | Twin Peaks | "The Black Widow" |
| 2005 | Law & Order: Trial by Jury | "41 Shots" |
| 2005 | Law & Order: Trial by Jury | "Bang & Blame" |
| 2005 | Law & Order: Trial by Jury | "Day" |
| 2006 | Conviction | "Savasana" |
| 2006 | Conviction | "Madness" |
| 2007 | Bones | "The Glowing Bones in the Old Stone House" |

### As cinematographer

| Year | Title | Director |
| 1979 | Being There | Hal Ashby |
| 1979 | More American Graffiti | Bill L. Norton |
| 1979 | The Black Stallion | Carroll Ballard |
| 1982 | Let's Spend the Night Together | Hal Ashby |
| 1983 | The Right Stuff | Philip Kaufman |
| 1984 | The Natural | Barry Levinson |
| 1985 | The Slugger's Wife | Hal Ashby |
| 1994 | It Could Happen to You | Andrew Bergman |
| 1996 | Fly Away Home | Carroll Ballard |
| 1998 | Hope Floats | Forest Whitaker |
| 1999 | Anna and the King | Andy Tennant |
| 1999 | Message in a Bottle | Luis Mandoki |
| 2000 | The Patriot | Roland Emmerich |
| 2003 | The Hunted | William Friedkin |
| 2003 | Timeline | Richard Donner |
| 2004 | National Treasure | Jon Turteltaub |
| 2004 | The Passion of the Christ | Mel Gibson |
| 2006 | Ask the Dust | Robert Towne |
| 2008 | Killshot | John Madden |
| 2008 | The Spiderwick Chronicles | Mark Waters |
| 2009 | My Sister's Keeper | Nick Cassavetes |
| 2011 | Dream House | Jim Sheridan |
| 2011 | Killer Joe | William Friedkin |
| 2012 | Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter | Timur Bekmambetov |
| 2012 | Jack Reacher | Christopher McQuarrie |
| 2014 | Winter's Tale | Akiva Goldsman |
| 2016 | Rules Don't Apply | Warren Beatty |
| 2017 | Unforgettable | Denise Di Novi |
| 2018 | Never Look Away | Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck |
| 2019 | The Lion King | Jon Favreau |
| 2025 | Wildwood | Travis Knight |
Additional photography credits :
| Year | Title | Director | Cinematographer | Notes |
| 1971 | Angels Hard as They Come | Joe Viola | Stephen M. Katz | |
| 1971 | THX 1138 | George Lucas | David Myers Albert Kihn | Uncredited |
| 1972 | The Godfather | Francis Ford Coppola | Gordon Willis | Newspaper sequence |
| 1974 | A Woman Under the Influence | John Cassavetes | Mitch Breit Al Ruban | |
| 1979 | Apocalypse Now | Francis Ford Coppola | Vittorio Storaro | Insert photography |
| 1983 | The Black Stallion Returns | Robert Dalva | Carlo Di Palma | |
| 1997 | Titanic | James Cameron | Russell Carpenter | Halifax contemporary shoot |
| 2013 | Gangster Squad | Ruben Fleischer | Dion Beebe | |
| 2019 | Ad Astra | James Gray | Hoyte van Hoytema | |

## Awards and nominations

Academy Awards :
| Year | Title | Category | Result |
| 1983 | The Right Stuff | Best Cinematography | Nominated |
| 1984 | The Natural | Best Cinematography | Nominated |
| 1996 | Fly Away Home | Best Cinematography | Nominated |
| 2000 | The Patriot | Best Cinematography | Nominated |
| 2004 | The Passion of the Christ | Best Cinematography | Nominated |
| 2018 | Never Look Away | Best Cinematography | Nominated |
BAFTA Awards :
| Year | Title | Category | Result |
| 1979 | The Black Stallion | Best Cinematography | Nominated |
American Society of Cinematographers :
| Year | Title | Category | Result |
| 1996 | Fly Away Home | Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography | Nominated |
| 2000 | The Patriot | Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography | Won |
| 2004 | The Passion of the Christ | Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography | Nominated |
National Society of Film Critics :
| Year | Title | Category | Result |
| 1979 | Being There | Best Cinematography | Won |
| 1979 | The Black Stallion | Best Cinematography | Won |
Satellite Awards :
| Year | Title | Category | Result |
| 1999 | Anna and the King | Best Cinematography | Nominated |