# William H. Clothier

William H. Clothier (February 21, 1903 – January 7, 1996) was an American cinematographer.

## Biography

Born in Decatur, Illinois, Clothier entered the film industry painting sets at Warner Bros., and at the end of the silent era began photographing such films as Wings (1927) and Ernst Lubitsch's The Patriot (1928). Between 1933 and 1938, he worked in Spain, where he was imprisoned during the Spanish Civil War. In August 1943, he became the first commanding officer of the new 4th Combat Camera Unit 4th Combat Camera Squadron (4th CCU). He advanced to a lieutenant colonel in the United States Air Force during World War II, and flew seventeen missions on the Memphis Belle.
In 1955, Clothier filmed The Sea Chase, his first project as Director of Photography with John Wayne, after which the actor signed him to a contract with his Batjac Productions. The two went on to collaborate on 21 more films, including John Ford's The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. He retired in 1972 after filming The Train Robbers for Burt Kennedy.
Clothier was nominated for two Academy Awards for Best Cinematography for The Alamo (1960) and Cheyenne Autumn (1964). His work on numerous Westerns earned him the 1973 Heritage Award from the Cowboy Hall of Fame, and he received the American Society of Cinematographers President's Award in 1995.

## Filmography
### Cinematographer

| Year | Title | Director |
| 1936 | Corner in Madrid | León Artola |
| 1948 | Fort Apache | John Ford |
| 1950 | Once a Thief | W. Lee Wilder |
| 1954 | Track of the Cat | William A. Wellman |
| 1955 | The Sea Chase | John Farrow |
| 1955 | Blood Alley | William A. Wellman |
| 1956 | Gun the Man Down | Andrew V. McLaglen |
| 1956 | Man in the Vault | Andrew V. McLaglen |
| 1956 | Good-bye, My Lady | William A. Wellman |
| 1956 | Seven Men from Now | Budd Boetticher |
| 1957 | Dragoon Wells Massacre | Harold D. Schuster |
| 1958 | China Doll | Frank Borzage |
| 1958 | Darby's Rangers | William A. Wellman |
| 1959 | Escort West | Francis D. Lyon |
| 1959 | The Horse Soldiers | John Ford |
| 1960 | The Alamo | John Wayne |
| 1961 | The Deadly Companions | Sam Peckinpah |
| 1961 | The Comancheros | Michael Curtiz |
| 1962 | Merrill's Marauders | Samuel Fuller |
| 1962 | The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance | John Ford |
| 1963 | Donovan's Reef | John Ford |
| 1963 | McLintock! | Andrew V. McLaglen |
| 1964 | A Distant Trumpet | Raoul Walsh |
| 1964 | Cheyenne Autumn | John Ford |
| 1965 | Shenandoah | Andrew V. McLaglen |
| 1966 | The Rare Breed | Andrew V. McLaglen |
| 1966 | Stagecoach | Gordon Douglas |
| 1967 | The Way West | Andrew V. McLaglen |
| 1968 | The Devil's Brigade | Andrew V. McLaglen |
| 1968 | Firecreek | Vincent McEveety |
| 1968 | Bandolero! | Andrew V. McLaglen |
| 1968 | Hellfighters | Andrew V. McLaglen |
| 1969 | The Undefeated | Andrew V. McLaglen |
| 1970 | The Cheyenne Social Club | Gene Kelly |
| 1970 | Chisum | Andrew V. McLaglen |
| 1970 | Rio Lobo | Howard Hawks |
| 1971 | Big Jake | George Sherman |
| 1973 | The Train Robbers | Burt Kennedy |
* ↑ with Archie Stout

### Other

| Year | Title | Role |
| 1927 | Wings | Camera operator |
| 1932 | The Big Stampede | Camera operator |
| 1933 | King Kong | First assistant camera |
| 1953 | Island in the Sky | Aerial cameraman |
| 1954 | The High and the Mighty | Aerial cameraman |
| 1957 | Jet Pilot | Aerial cameraman |
* ↑ Originally filmed in 1949 but not released until 1957

### TV

* Cheyenne - episode - Fury at Rio Hondo - Director of Photography (1956)
* Gang Busters - 4 episodes - Director of Photography (1952-1955)

## Other works

* The Hollywood Greats - episode - John Wayne - Himself (1984)
* John Wayne's The Alamo - Video Documentary - Himself (1992)