# Allen Daviau

John Allen Daviau (June 14, 1942 – April 15, 2020) was an American cinematographer known for his collaborations with Steven Spielberg on E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), The Color Purple (1985), and Empire of the Sun (1987). He received five Academy Award nominations and two British Academy Film Award nominations, with one win. In addition to his work in film, Daviau served as Cinematographer-in-Residence at UCLA.

## Career

Daviau was born on June 14, 1942, in New Orleans, and raised in Los Angeles. He graduated from Loyola High School in 1960.
He was introduced to Steven Spielberg in the late 1960s and the two went on to work together on two early short films. They continued their professional working career by collaborating on E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982); "Kick the Can," a segment from Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983), The Color Purple (1985), an episode of the NBC anthology series Amazing Stories titled "Ghost Train" (1985), and Empire of the Sun (1987).
Daviau's work also includes John Schlesinger's The Falcon and the Snowman (1985), the Spielberg-produced Harry and the Hendersons (1987), Albert Brooks' Defending Your Life (1991), Barry Levinson's Avalon (1990) and Bugsy (1991), Peter Weir's Fearless (1993), Frank Marshall's Congo (1995), Rand Ravich's The Astronaut's Wife (1999) and Stephen Sommers' Van Helsing (2004), his final feature.
He received lifetime achievement awards from the Art Directors Guild in 1997 and the American Society of Cinematographers in 2007.
Daviau shot thousands of commercials, documentaries, industrials and educational films, and created psychedelic special-effects lighting for Roger Corman's The Trip (1967) before he gained entry into the International Photographers Guild.

### E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

While doing a lawnmower commercial in Arizona, Daviau learned that Spielberg was looking for a cinematographer for E.T. and sent the director a tape of The Boy Who Drank Too Much, a 1980 telefilm that he shot. "It had a lot of mood, and it's about kids, so I knew Steven would watch it!" Daviau said. Spielberg stated that he contacted Daviau for his next feature, saying, "I did something I rarely do. I didn't think twice; I picked up the phone and asked Allen if he would photograph my next feature."

## Personal life and death

Following a surgical procedure in 2012, Daviau was confined to a wheelchair. He died on April 15, 2020, at the age of 77, as a result of complications from COVID-19 at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital.

## Filmography

Short film
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
| 1968 | Amblin' | Steven Spielberg | |
| 1975 | Names of Sin | Rolf Forsberg | |
| 1983 | Kick the Can | Steven Spielberg | Segments of Twilight Zone: The Movie |
| 1983 | It's a Good Life | Joe Dante | Segments of Twilight Zone: The Movie |
| 2000 | The Translator | Leslie Anne Smith | |
| 2001 | Sweet | Elyse Couvillion | |
| 2002 | The Routine | Bob Giraldi | |
| 2004 | ASC-DCI StEM | | Also writer |
| 2004 | How to Be a Hollywood Player in Less Than Ten Minutes | Joe Hudson | |
| 2010 | The Caretaker 3D | Sean Isroelit | With Svetlana Cvetko |
Documentary film
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
| 1971 | Say Goodbye | David H. Vowell | |
| 1973 | New Gladiators | Bob Hammer | With John Hora |
| 2004 | Olive or Twist 2004 | Peter Moody | With Tchell De Paepe, Joachim Hanwright and Michael Knight |
Feature film
| Year | Title | Director |
| 1973 | The Brothers O'Toole | Richard Erdman |
| 1974 | Mother Tiger Mother Tiger | Rolf Forsberg |
| 1982 | Harry Tracy, Desperado | William A. Graham |
| 1982 | E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial | Steven Spielberg |
| 1985 | The Falcon and the Snowman | John Schlesinger |
| 1985 | The Color Purple | Steven Spielberg |
| 1987 | Empire of the Sun | Steven Spielberg |
| 1987 | Harry and the Hendersons | William Dear |
| 1990 | Avalon | Barry Levinson |
| 1991 | Defending Your Life | Albert Brooks |
| 1991 | Bugsy | Barry Levinson |
| 1993 | Fearless | Peter Weir |
| 1995 | Congo | Frank Marshall |
| 1999 | The Astronaut's Wife | Rand Ravich |
| 2004 | Van Helsing | Stephen Sommers |
TV movies
| Year | Title | Director |
| 1974 | Mooch Goes to Hollywood | Richard Erdman |
| 1979 | The Streets of L.A. | Jerrold Freedman |
| 1980 | The Boy Who Drank Too Much | Jerrold Freedman |
| 1980 | Rage! | William Graham |
| 1983 | Legs | Jerold Freedman |
TV series
| Year | Title | Director | Episode |
| 1982 | McDonaldland | Lee Chapman | "Skating" |
| 1985 | Amazing Stories | Steven Spielberg | "Ghost Train" |
| 1996 | International Cinematographer's Guild Heritage Series | Jay Nefcy | "Vittorio Storaro" |

## Awards and nominations

Academy Awards
| Year | Title | Category | Result |
| 1982 | E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial | Best Cinematography | Nominated |
| 1985 | The Color Purple | Best Cinematography | Nominated |
| 1987 | Empire of the Sun | Best Cinematography | Nominated |
| 1990 | Avalon | Best Cinematography | Nominated |
| 1991 | Bugsy | Best Cinematography | Nominated |
BAFTA Awards
| Year | Title | Category | Result |
| 1982 | E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial | Best Cinematography | Nominated |
| 1987 | Empire of the Sun | Best Cinematography | Won |
American Society of Cinematographers
| Year | Title | Category | Result |
| 1987 | Empire of the Sun | Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography | Won |
| 1990 | Avalon | Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography | Nominated |
| 1991 | Bugsy | Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography | Won |
Other Awards
| Year | Title | Award | Result |
| 1982 | E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial | Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Cinematography | Won |
| 1987 | Empire of the Sun | New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Cinematography | Nominated |
| 1991 | Bugsy | Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Cinematography | Nominated |
| 1991 | Bugsy | National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Cinematography | Nominated |