# Dante Spinotti

Dante Spinotti, ASC, AIC is an Italian cinematographer.
He is known mostly for his collaborations with directors Michael Mann and Brett Ratner.
He received Academy Award nominations for L.A. Confidential (1997) and The Insider (1999), and won a BAFTA Award for The Last of the Mohicans (1992). He has also won two Italian David di Donatello Awards and two Nastro d'Argento Awards.

## Biography

Spinotti was born in the commune of Tolmezzo, in Northern Italian region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, near the Austrian border. At the age of 11, he began experimenting with still photography with a camera inherited from his uncle, a cinematographer and director who specialized in documentaries and newsreels. He left high school early to work in the film industry in Kenya, driven by his skills in freehand drawing.
His first work as a cinematographer was the 1972 television drama I Nicotera. His first film was Il minestrone (1981), directed by Sergio Citti. His early work included collaborations with noted Italian directors Lina Wertmüller (Softly, Softly) and Liliana Cavani (The Berlin Affair). He moved to the United States in 1986, entering a highly competitive Hollywood environment.
Among the more notable films he has worked on are The Last of the Mohicans, Heat, L.A. Confidential, The Insider, Public Enemies, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, I Saw the Light, and Ant-Man and the Wasp. Spinotti also was the cinematographer for many of Brett Ratner's films, such as Red Dragon (2002), After the Sunset (2004), X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), and Hercules (2014).
Spinotti was the cinematographer on both adaptations of the novel Red Dragon by Thomas Harris: Michael Mann's 1986 adaptation, Manhunter, and Brett Ratner's 2002 adaptation.
Spinotti has highlighted the meticulous preparation and collaborative spirit essential to his work, particularly with director Michael Mann. He also discussed the process of remastering classics like Heat and adapting to new technologies, such as using digital cinematography and even iPhones for certain shots to enhance storytelling.
He is a member of the board of governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He won the Golden Camera 300 award at the Manaki Brothers Film Festival in North Macedonia for lifetime achievement. In 2012, he received the American Society of Cinematographers's Lifetime Achievement Award.

## Filmography
### Film

Key :
| † | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
| 1981 | Il minestrone | Sergio Citti | |
| 1981 | La disubbidienza | Aldo Lado | |
| 1982 | Basileus Quartet | Fabio Carpi | |
| 1983 | Dream of a Summer Night | Gabriele Salvatores | |
| 1983 | Hearts and Armour | Giacomo Battiato | |
| 1984 | Cinderella '80 | Roberto Malenotti | |
| 1984 | Softly, Softly | Lina Wertmüller | |
| 1984 | Così parlò Bellavista | Luciano De Crescenzo | |
| 1985 | The Dark Side of Love | Salvatore Samperi | |
| 1985 | The Berlin Affair | Liliana Cavani | |
| 1986 | Choke Canyon | Charles Bail | |
| 1986 | Manhunter | Michael Mann | 1st collaboration with Mann |
| 1986 | Crimes of the Heart | Bruce Beresford | |
| 1987 | From the Hip | Bob Clark | |
| 1987 | Aria | Bruce Beresford | Segment Die tote Stadt |
| 1988 | Illegally Yours | Peter Bogdanovich | |
| 1988 | The Legend of the Holy Drinker | Ermanno Olmi | |
| 1988 | Fair Game | Mario Orfini | |
| 1988 | Beaches | Garry Marshall | |
| 1989 | Torrents of Spring | Jerzy Skolimowski | With Witold Sobociński |
| 1990 | A Violent Life | Giacomo Battiato | |
| 1990 | The Comfort of Strangers | Paul Schrader | |
| 1991 | True Colors | Herbert Ross | |
| 1991 | Hudson Hawk | Michael Lehmann | |
| 1991 | Frankie and Johnny | Garry Marshall | Also made a cameo as "Man on Bus" (Uncredited) |
| 1992 | The Last of the Mohicans | Michael Mann | |
| 1992 | The End Is Known | Cristina Comencini | |
| 1993 | The Secret of the Old Woods | Ermanno Olmi | |
| 1993 | Blink | Michael Apted | |
| 1994 | Nell | Michael Apted | |
| 1995 | The Quick and the Dead | Sam Raimi | |
| 1995 | The Star Maker | Giuseppe Tornatore | |
| 1995 | Heat | Michael Mann | |
| 1996 | The Mirror Has Two Faces | Barbra Streisand | With Andrzej Bartkowiak |
| 1997 | L.A. Confidential | Curtis Hanson | |
| 1998 | Goodbye Lover | Roland Joffé | |
| 1999 | The Other Sister | Garry Marshall | |
| 1999 | The Insider | Michael Mann | |
| 2000 | Wonder Boys | Curtis Hanson | |
| 2000 | The Family Man | Brett Ratner | 1st collaboration with Ratner |
| 2001 | Bandits | Barry Levinson | |
| 2002 | Red Dragon | Brett Ratner | |
| 2002 | Pinocchio | Roberto Benigni | |
| 2004 | After the Sunset | Brett Ratner | |
| 2006 | X-Men: The Last Stand | Brett Ratner | |
| 2006 | The Contract | Bruce Beresford | |
| 2007 | Slipstream | Anthony Hopkins | |
| 2008 | Deception | Marcel Langenegger | Also acted as Herr Kleiner/Mr. Moretti |
| 2008 | Flash of Genius | Marc Abraham | |
| 2009 | Public Enemies | Michael Mann | |
| 2010 | The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader | Michael Apted | |
| 2011 | Tower Heist | Brett Ratner | |
| 2013 | ReWined | Ferdinando Vicentini Orgnani | |
| 2014 | Hercules | Brett Ratner | |
| 2015 | I Saw the Light | Marc Abraham | |
| 2017 | Freak Show | Trudie Styler | |
| 2018 | Traffik | Deon Taylor | |
| 2018 | Ant-Man and the Wasp | Peyton Reed | |
| 2019 | Black and Blue | Deon Taylor | |
| 2019 | Where Are You | Valentina De Amicis Riccardo Spinotti | Also credited as producer |
| 2020 | Elyse | Stella Hopkins | |
| 2020 | Fatale | Deon Taylor | |
| 2025 | The Alto Knights † | Barry Levinson | Post-production |
| TBA | That's Amore! † | Nick Vallelonga | Post-production |
Documentary film
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
| 2008 | Visual Acoustics: The Modernism of Julius Shulman | Eric Bricker | With Aiken Weiss |
| 2023 | Posso entrare? An ode to Naples | Trudie Styler | |

### Television

Miniseries
| Year | Title | Director |
| 1972 | I Nicotera | Salvatore Nocita |
| 1979 | Paura sul mondo | Domenico Campan |
| 1982 | Colomba | Giacomo Battiato |
TV movies
| Year | Title | Director |
| 1975 | Tracce sulla neve | Alessandro Cane |
| 1980 | La signorina Else | Enzo Muzii |
| 1981 | Fosca | Enzo Muzii |
| 1983 | Le ambizioni sbagliate | Fabio Carpi |
| 2008 | Blue Blood | Brett Ratner |
| 2012 | Rogue | Brett Ratner |
| 2015 | Edge | Shane Black |
TV series
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
| 1982 | La pietra di Marco Polo | Aldo Lado | |
| 2005 | Prison Break | Brett Ratner | Episode "Pilot" |
| 2007 | Women's Murder Club | | |
| 2011 | CHAOS | Brett Ratner | Episode "Pilot" |

## Awards and nominations

Academy Awards
| Year | Title | Category | Result |
| 1997 | L.A. Confidential | Best Cinematography | Nominated |
| 1999 | The Insider | Best Cinematography | Nominated |
BAFTA Awards
| Year | Title | Category | Result |
| 1992 | The Last of the Mohicans | Best Cinematography | Won |
| 1997 | L.A. Confidential | Best Cinematography | Nominated |
American Society of Cinematographers
| Year | Title | Category | Result |
| 1992 | The Last of the Mohicans | Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography | Nominated |
| 1997 | L.A. Confidential | Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography | Nominated |
| 1999 | The Insider | Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography | Nominated |
Los Angeles Film Critics Association
| Year | Title | Category | Result |
| 1997 | L.A. Confidential | Best Cinematography | Won |
| 1999 | The Insider | Best Cinematography | Won |
Satellite Awards
| Year | Title | Category | Result |
| 1997 | L.A. Confidential | Best Cinematography | Nominated |
| 2006 | X-Men: The Last Stand | Best Cinematography | Nominated |
| 2009 | Public Enemies | Best Cinematography | Nominated |
Chicago Film Critics Association
| Year | Title | Category | Result |
| 1995 | Heat | Best Cinematography | Nominated |
National Society of Film Critics
| Year | Title | Category | Result |
| 1997 | L.A. Confidential | Best Cinematography | Nominated |