# Donald McAlpine

Donald M. McAlpine ACS, ASC is an Australian cinematographer.

## Early life and education

Donald McAlpine was born in Quandialla, New South Wales.

## Career

McAlpine was a physical education teacher in Parkes, New South Wales, Australia. He began using a 16mm camera to film athletes preparing for the Melbourne Olympic Games.
In 1962 he resigned from his teaching job and joined ABC Television as a camera assistant, and was promoted to cameraman in 1965. In 1968 he left the ABC to take up a position at the Commonwealth Film Unit (later Film Australia). There, he started to learn that there was art in cinematography and filmmaking, and was soon promoted to chief cameraman.
In Australia, from 1972 to 1981, McAlpine collaborated with Bruce Beresford. In 1974 he left Film Australia to work as a freelance DOP. McAlpine filmed many of Beresford's early films, including The Adventures of Barry McKenzie, Barry McKenzie Holds His Own, Don's Party, The Getting of Wisdom, Money Movers, Breaker Morant and The Club. McAlpine also worked with director Gillian Armstrong on My Brilliant Career.
Paul Mazursky offered McAlpine work on the film Tempest, released in 1982, and after that, his career took off.

## Recognition and awards

McAlpine is a member of both the Australian Cinematographers Society (ASC) and the American Society of Cinematographers. In 1997, the ASC inducted him into its hall of fame, and in 2009 honoured him with its International Achievement Award.
In 2001, he was awarded the Australian Centenary Medal for his service to Australian society and Australian film production. In the same year, he was nominated for an Academy Award for his work in Moulin Rouge!.
In 2011, he was honoured with the AACTA Lifetime Achievement Award, the Longford Lyell Award.
In 2016 McAlpine received an honorary doctorate in arts from Edith Cowan University in Perth, Western Australia.
In October 2024, he received the Adelaide Film Festival's Don Dunstan Award.

## Filmography

Short film
| Year | Title | Director |
| 1969 | Leonard French's Stained Glass Screens | Michael Thornhill |
| 1970 | No Roses for Michael | Chris McGill |
| 1973 | Irrigation: The Ord River Scheme and the M.I.A. | Oliver Howes Meg Stewart |

### Feature film

| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
| 1972 | The Adventures of Barry McKenzie | Bruce Beresford | |
| 1972 | Gentle Strangers | Cecil Holmes | With Kerry Brown, Bruce Hillyard, David Sanderson and Mick von Bornemann |
| 1974 | Barry McKenzie Holds His Own | Bruce Beresford | |
| 1976 | Surrender in Paradise | Peter Cox | |
| 1976 | Don's Party | Bruce Beresford | |
| 1978 | The Getting of Wisdom | Bruce Beresford | |
| 1978 | Patrick | Richard Franklin | |
| 1978 | Money Movers | Bruce Beresford | |
| 1979 | The Odd Angry Shot | Tom Jeffrey | |
| 1979 | My Brilliant Career | Gillian Armstrong | |
| 1979 | The Journalist | Michael Thornhill | |
| 1980 | Breaker Morant | Bruce Beresford | |
| 1980 | The Earthling | Peter Collinson | |
| 1980 | The Club | Bruce Beresford | |
| 1981 | Puberty Blues | Bruce Beresford | |
| 1982 | Don't Cry, It's Only Thunder | Peter Werner | |
| 1982 | Tempest | Paul Mazursky | |
| 1983 | Now and Forever | Adriane Carr | |
| 1983 | Blue Skies Again | Richard Michaels | |
| 1984 | Harry & Son | Paul Newman | |
| 1984 | Moscow on the Hudson | Paul Mazursky | |
| 1985 | King David | Bruce Beresford | |
| 1985 | My Man Adam | Roger L. Simon | |
| 1986 | Down and Out in Beverly Hills | Paul Mazursky | |
| 1986 | The Fringe Dwellers | Bruce Beresford | |
| 1987 | Predator | John McTiernan | |
| 1987 | Orphans | Alan J. Pakula | |
| 1988 | Moving | Alan Metter | |
| 1988 | Moon over Parador | Paul Mazursky | |
| 1989 | See You in the Morning | Alan J. Pakula | |
| 1989 | Parenthood | Ron Howard | |
| 1990 | Stanley & Iris | Martin Ritt | |
| 1991 | The Hard Way | John Badham | With Robert Primes |
| 1991 | Career Opportunities | Bryan Gordon | |
| 1992 | Medicine Man | John McTiernan | |
| 1992 | Patriot Games | Phillip Noyce | |
| 1993 | The Man Without a Face | Mel Gibson | |
| 1993 | Mrs. Doubtfire | Chris Columbus | |
| 1994 | Clear and Present Danger | Phillip Noyce | |
| 1995 | Nine Months | Chris Columbus | |
| 1996 | Romeo + Juliet | Baz Luhrmann | |
| 1997 | The Edge | Lee Tamahori | |
| 1998 | Stepmom | Chris Columbus | |
| 2001 | Moulin Rouge! | Baz Luhrmann | |
| 2002 | The Time Machine | Simon Wells | |
| 2003 | Anger Management | Peter Segal | |
| 2003 | Peter Pan | P. J. Hogan | |
| 2005 | The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe | Andrew Adamson | |
| 2009 | X-Men Origins: Wolverine | Gavin Hood | |
| 2010 | Main Street | John Doyle | |
| 2012 | Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu | Shakun Batra | With David MacDonald |
| 2012 | Mental | P. J. Hogan | |
| 2013 | Ender's Game | Gavin Hood | |
| 2015 | The Dressmaker | Jocelyn Moorhouse | |
| 2016 | Kapoor & Sons | Shakun Batra | With Jeffery F. Bierman |
| 2017 | Ali's Wedding | Jeffrey Walker | |
| 2018 | Rajma Chawal | Leena Yadav | |
| 2022 | A Stitch in Time | Sasha Hadden | |
| 2022 | Black Site | Sophia Banks | |
| 2023 | The Portable Door | Jeffrey Walker | |

### Television

TV movie
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
| 1980 | The Children of An Lac | John Llewellyn Moxey | |
| 2009 | Mega Piranha | Eric Forsberg Stuart Gillard | With Bryan Olinger |
TV series
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
| 2019 | Lambs of God | Jeffrey Walker | Episode "The Devil into Paradise" |
| 2022 | Savage River | Jocelyn Moorhouse | Mini-series |

### Documentary works

Film
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
| 1970 | Or Forever Hold Your Peace | | |
| 1974 | Whatever Happened to Green Valley? | Peter Weir | With Nick Ardizzone |
Short film
| Year | Title | Director |
| 1974 | Play Safe | Dennis Hill |
Television
* Our Asian Neighbours: Indonesia (1973)

## Awards and nominations

Academy Awards
| Year | Category | Title | Result |
| 2001 | Best Cinematography | Moulin Rouge! | Nominated |
BAFTA Awards
| Year | Category | Title | Result |
| 2001 | Best Cinematography | Moulin Rouge! | Nominated |
Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts
| Year | Category | Title | Result |
| 1979 | Best Cinematography | My Brilliant Career | Won |
| 1980 | Best Cinematography | Breaker Morant | Won |
| 2001 | Best Cinematography | Moulin Rouge! | Won |
Satellite Awards
| Year | Category | Title | Result |
| 1996 | Best Cinematography | Romeo + Juliet | Nominated |
| 2001 | Best Cinematography | Moulin Rouge! | Nominated |