# Alex Thomson (cinematographer)

Alexander Thomson BSC (12 January 1929 – 14 June 2007) was a British cinematographer.

## Biography

Born in London, England, he was first offered a job by Bert Easey (1901-1973), who was head of cameras at Denham and Pinewood Studios. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography for Excalibur (1981).
His other films included Year of the Dragon (1985), Legend (1985), Labyrinth (1986), The Krays (1990), Alien 3 (1992), Cliffhanger (1993), Demolition Man (1993), Executive Decision (1996) and two of Kenneth Branagh's Shakespeare adaptations, Hamlet (1996) and Love's Labour's Lost (2000).
After beginning his film career in the late 1940s, he went on to serve as a camera operator under cinematographer Nicolas Roeg on twelve films between 1961 and 1966. In 1998 he shot the Royal Premiered CinemaScope short "The Troop" (dir: Marcus Dillistone) An interview with Alex Thomson appears in a new book Conversations with Cinematographers by David A Ellis, published by Scarecrow Press. Thompson was an avid user of Joe Dunton's custom-built Xtal Xpress lenses, shooting many of his more high-profile projects such as Labyrinth, Legend, The Keep, Year of the Dragon and The Sicilian with them.
He was married to the sculptor Diana Thomson, and they had a daughter. Thomson died on 14 June 2007, at the age of 78, in Chertsey, Surrey.

## Filmography

Film
| Year | Title | Director |
| 1967 | Ervinka | Ephraim Kishon |
| 1968 | Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush | Clive Donner |
| 1968 | The Strange Affair | David Greene |
| 1969 | The Best House in London | Philip Saville |
| 1969 | Alfred the Great | Clive Donner |
| 1969 | I Start Counting | David Greene |
| 1970 | The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer | Kevin Billington |
| 1971 | The Night Digger | Alastair Reid |
| 1972 | Dr. Phibes Rises Again | Robert Fuest |
| 1972 | Death Line | Gary Sherman |
| 1972 | Fear Is the Key | Michael Tuchner |
| 1978 | Rosie Dixon – Night Nurse | Justin Cartwright |
| 1978 | The Cat and the Canary | Radley Metzger |
| 1978 | The Class of Miss MacMichael | Silvio Narizzano |
| 1979 | Game for Vultures | James Fargo |
| 1979 | Follow That Rainbow | Louis Burke |
| 1981 | Excalibur | John Boorman |
| 1983 | Eureka | Nicolas Roeg |
| 1983 | Bullshot | Dick Clement |
| 1983 | The Keep | Michael Mann |
| 1984 | Electric Dreams | Steve Barron |
| 1985 | Year of the Dragon | Michael Cimino |
| 1985 | Legend | Ridley Scott |
| 1986 | Raw Deal | John Irvin |
| 1986 | Labyrinth | Jim Henson |
| 1986 | Duet for One | Andrei Konchalovsky |
| 1987 | The Sicilian | Michael Cimino |
| 1987 | Date with an Angel | Tom McLoughlin |
| 1988 | Track 29 | Nicolas Roeg |
| 1988 | High Spirits | Neil Jordan |
| 1989 | Leviathan | George P. Cosmatos |
| 1989 | The Rachel Papers | Damian Harris |
| 1990 | Wings of Fame | Otakar Votocek |
| 1990 | The Krays | Peter Medak |
| 1990 | Mr. Destiny | James Orr |
| 1992 | Alien 3 | David Fincher |
| 1993 | Cliffhanger | Renny Harlin |
| 1993 | Demolition Man | Marco Brambilla |
| 1994 | Black Beauty | Caroline Thompson |
| 1995 | The Scarlet Letter | Roland Joffé |
| 1996 | Executive Decision | Stuart Baird |
| 1996 | Hamlet | Kenneth Branagh |
| 2000 | Love's Labour's Lost | Kenneth Branagh |
| 2000 | A Shot at Glory | Michael Corrente |
Short film
| Year | Title | Director |
| 1972 | LHR | Mike Fox |
| 1981 | The Last of Linda Cleer | Bob Mahoney |
| 1998 | The Man Who Couldn't Open Doors | Paul Arden |
| 1999 | The Troop | Marcus Dillistone |
| 2003 | Listening | Kenneth Branagh |
| 2004 | Der letzte Flug | Roger Moench |
TV movies
| Year | Title | Director |
| 1973 | The Going Up of David Lev | James F. Collier |
| 1981 | Skokie | Herbert Wise |
TV series
| Year | Title | Director | Note |
| 1980 | ABC Weekend Special | Robert Fuest | Episode "The Gold Bug" |

## Awards and nominations

Academy Awards
| Year | Category | Title | Result |
| 1981 | Best Cinematography | Excalibur | Nominated |
British Society of Cinematographers
| Year | Category | Title | Result |
| 1981 | Best Cinematography | Excalibur | Nominated |
| 1983 | Best Cinematography | Eureka | Nominated |
| 1985 | Best Cinematography | Legend | Won |
| 1996 | Best Cinematography | Hamlet | Won |
| 2002 | Lifetime Achievement Award | Lifetime Achievement Award | Won |
Camerimage
| Year | Category | Title | Result |
| 1996 | Golden Frog | Hamlet | Nominated |
Satellite Awards
| Year | Category | Title | Result |
| 1996 | Best Cinematography | Hamlet | Nominated |