# Adrian Biddle

Adrian Biddle, BSC (20 July 1952 – 7 December 2005), was an English cinematographer.

## Early life

Biddle was a talented swimmer in his youth, and it was through this that he broke into the film industry. In 1967 the underwater photographer Egil Woxholt hired him to be his apprentice. Uncredited, he worked in this capacity on both the James Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) and Murphy's War (1971).

## Career

After this, Biddle worked for Ridley Scott's advertising company R.S.A., where he worked on many advertisements with Scott; and, when Scott moved into films, Biddle followed him.
He worked as a clapper loader on The Duellists (1977) before advancing to the position of focus puller on Alien (1979).
Following Alien, Biddle returned to working as a cinematographer on advertisements. During this time he developed some new lighting techniques and worked on several famous campaigns, most notably 1984 (1984), directed by Ridley Scott, for Apple. The advert's photography, combined with a personal recommendation from Scott, prompted James Cameron to hire Biddle for Aliens (1986) after the original cinematographer Dick Bush left over creative differences with Cameron. This marked Biddle's first credit as cinematographer in a feature film.
Biddle was a cinematographer on another 25 feature films, including Thelma & Louise (1991), for which he received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography. In 1997, he was voted European Cinematographer of the Year for his work on The Butcher Boy.

## Death

On December 7, 2005, Biddle died from a heart attack while being driven by his wife to shoot a commercial in Central London. He was 53 years old. V for Vendetta, which he had finished filming, was dedicated to his memory.
He was survived by his wife Mo and his three children, Alice, Esther and Alfie, who is also a cinematographer.

## Filmography

Film
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
| 1986 | Aliens | James Cameron | |
| 1987 | The Princess Bride | Rob Reiner | |
| 1988 | Willow | Ron Howard | |
| 1988 | The Dawning | Robert Knights | |
| 1989 | The Tall Guy | Mel Smith | |
| 1991 | Thelma & Louise | Ridley Scott | |
| 1992 | 1492: Conquest of Paradise | Ridley Scott | |
| 1994 | City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold | Paul Weiland | |
| 1995 | Judge Dredd | Danny Cannon | |
| 1996 | 101 Dalmatians | Stephen Herek | |
| 1997 | The Butcher Boy | Neil Jordan | |
| 1997 | Event Horizon | Paul W. S. Anderson | |
| 1997 | Fierce Creatures | Robert Young Fred Schepisi | With Ian Baker |
| 1998 | Holy Man | Stephen Herek | |
| 1999 | The World Is Not Enough | Michael Apted | |
| 1999 | The Mummy | Stephen Sommers | |
| 2000 | The Weight of Water | Kathryn Bigelow | |
| 2000 | 102 Dalmatians | Kevin Lima | With Roger Pratt |
| 2001 | The Mummy Returns | Stephen Sommers | |
| 2002 | Reign of Fire | Rob Bowman | |
| 2003 | Shanghai Knights | David Dobkin | |
| 2004 | Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason | Beeban Kidron | |
| 2004 | Laws of Attraction | Peter Howitt | |
| 2005 | An American Haunting | Courtney Solomon | Posthumous release |
| 2005 | V for Vendetta | James McTeigue | Posthumous release |
Television
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
| 1989 | Smith and Jones in Small Doses | Paul Weiland | Episode "Second Thoughts" |

## Accolades

| Year | Award | Category | Title | Result |
| 1991 | Academy Awards | Best Cinematography | Thelma & Louise | Nominated |
| 1991 | BAFTA Awards | Best Cinematography | Thelma & Louise | Nominated |
| 1991 | British Society of Cinematographers | Best Cinematography | Thelma & Louise | Nominated |
| 1992 | British Society of Cinematographers | Best Cinematography | 1492: Conquest of Paradise | Nominated |