# Dean Semler

Dean William Semler AM ACS ASC (born 26 May 1943) is an Australian cinematographer and film director.
He is a three-time recipient of the AACTA Award for Best Cinematography and an Academy Award winner.
In 2002 he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM).

## Life and career
### Early years

Semler was born in Renmark, South Australia. His first work in the production industry was as a camera operator at a local television station. Later, he began making documentary and educational films for Film Australia. He was the cinematographer for A Steam Train Passes (1974), Moving On (1974), Let the Balloon Go (1976), and A Good Thing Going (1978).

### 1980s

His first film was Stepping Out, in 1980. Allmovie praised his "stunning work" on the film Hoodwink (1981) with a screen play by Ken Quinnell. Semler was also the cinematographer for Mad Max 2 (1981). Semler's vast panoramic shots of the Australian Outback's deserts "...convincingly conveyed a parched, dusty, post-apocalyptic world" and led to international attention for his work. Semler also acted as cinematographer for the follow-up film to The Road Warrior, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985). Semler was also a cinematographer for the acclaimed Australian miniseries Bodyline (1984). In the late 1980s, Semler was the cinematographer for several popular films, such as Cocktail (1988) and Young Guns (1988).

### 1990s

In 1989, Semler was hired as cinematographer for Kevin Costner's Dances with Wolves (1990), for which he won an Academy Award for Best Cinematography. Semler lensed the comedy City Slickers (1991) and the action film Last Action Hero (1993) in the early 1990s. In 1995, Semler again worked with Costner on his film Waterworld. In 1992 Semler was the cinematographer of The Power of One.

### 2000s

In the 2000s, Semler was the cinematographer for a range of movies that included comedies (Nutty Professor II: The Klumps from 2000, and Bruce Almighty from 2003), action films (XXX from 2002 and The Alamo from 2004). In the mid-2000s, Semler was the cinematographer for the football comedy The Longest Yard (2005) and Just My Luck (2006). In 2006, Semler worked with Mel Gibson again for the film Apocalypto. Semler's camera work conveyed the beauty of the lush Mesoamerican jungle setting in Apocalypto.

## Filmography
### Short film

| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
| 1971 | Where Dead Men Lie | Keith Gow | With Jon Rhodes |
| 1973 | I Need More Staff | Donald Crombie | With Jon Rhodes |
| 1973 | One Good Reason | Donald Crombie | Also camera operator |
| 1977 | Outback Supply | David Haythornwaite | Also camera operator |
| 1979 | Saturday | Himself | |
| 1980 | War Without Weapons | Curtis Levy | With Geoff Burton and Malcolm Richards |
Documentary short
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
| 1971 | The Choice | Donald Crombie | |
| 1973 | Through My Eyes: Kilkenny Primary School, South Australia | Donald Crombie | Also camera operator |
| 1973 | Through My Eyes: Stradbroke Infants School, South Australia | Donald Crombie | Also camera operator |
| 1974 | A Steam Train Passes | David Haythornwaite | |

### Feature film

Director
* Firestorm (1998)
* The Patriot (1998)
Cinematographer
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
| 1974 | Moving On | Richard Mason | |
| 1976 | Let the Balloon Go | Oliver Howes | |
| 1981 | Hoodwink | Claude Whatham | |
| 1981 | Mad Max 2 | George Miller | |
| 1983 | Kitty and the Bagman | Donald Crombie | |
| 1983 | Undercover | David Stevens | |
| 1984 | Razorback | Russell Mulcahy | |
| 1985 | The Coca-Cola Kid | Dusan Makavejev | |
| 1985 | Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome | George Miller George Ogilvie | |
| 1987 | Bullseye | Carl Schultz | |
| 1987 | Going Sane | Michael Robertson | |
| 1987 | The Lighthorsemen | Simon Wincer | Also camera operator |
| 1988 | Cocktail | Roger Donaldson | |
| 1988 | Young Guns | Christopher Cain | |
| 1989 | Farewell to the King | John Milius | Also camera "A" operator |
| 1989 | Dead Calm | Phillip Noyce | |
| 1989 | K-9 | Rod Daniel | |
| 1990 | Impulse | Sondra Locke | |
| 1990 | Young Guns II | Geoff Murphy | |
| 1990 | Dances with Wolves | Kevin Costner | |
| 1991 | City Slickers | Ron Underwood | |
| 1992 | The Power of One | John G. Avildsen | |
| 1993 | Super Mario Bros. | Rocky Morton Annabel Jankel | Also 2nd unit director |
| 1993 | Last Action Hero | John McTiernan | |
| 1993 | The Three Musketeers | Stephen Herek | |
| 1994 | The Cowboy Way | Gregg Champion | |
| 1995 | Waterworld | Kevin Reynolds | |
| 1997 | Gone Fishin' | Christopher Cain | |
| 1997 | Trojan War | George Huang | |
| 1999 | The Bone Collector | Phillip Noyce | |
| 2000 | Nutty Professor II: The Klumps | Peter Segal | |
| 2001 | Heartbreakers | David Mirkin | |
| 2002 | D-Tox | Jim Gillespie | |
| 2002 | Dragonfly | Tom Shadyac | |
| 2002 | We Were Soldiers | Randall Wallace | |
| 2002 | XXX | Rob Cohen | |
| 2003 | Bruce Almighty | Tom Shadyac | |
| 2004 | The Alamo | John Lee Hancock | |
| 2005 | The Longest Yard | Peter Segal | |
| 2005 | Stealth | Rob Cohen | |
| 2006 | Just My Luck | Donald Petrie | |
| 2006 | Click | Frank Coraci | |
| 2006 | Apocalypto | Mel Gibson | |
| 2007 | I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry | Dennis Dugan | |
| 2008 | Get Smart | Peter Segal | |
| 2008 | Appaloosa | Ed Harris | |
| 2009 | 2012 | Roland Emmerich | |
| 2010 | Date Night | Shawn Levy | |
| 2010 | Secretariat | Randall Wallace | |
| 2011 | In the Land of Blood and Honey | Angelina Jolie | |
| 2012 | Parental Guidance | Andy Fickman | |
| 2013 | Grudge Match | Peter Segal | |
| 2014 | Heaven Is for Real | Randall Wallace | |
| 2014 | Maleficent | Robert Stromberg | |
| 2015 | Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 | Andy Fickman | |
| 2015 | The Last Witch Hunter | Breck Eisner | |
| 2015 | The Ridiculous 6 | Frank Coraci | |
| 2016 | The Do-Over | Steven Brill | |
| 2017 | Sandy Wexler | Steven Brill | |
| 2019 | Playing with Fire | Andy Fickman | |
| TBA | Summer Gold | Caroline Zelder | |
Documentary film
| Year | Title | Director |
| 1980 | Stepping Out | Chris Noonan |
| 1984 | In Memory of Malawan | Ian Dunlop |

### Television

TV movies
| Year | Title | Director |
| 1976 | Do I Have to Kill My Child? | Donald Crombie |
| 1978 | A Good Thing Going | Arch Nicholson |
| 1986 | Passion Flower | Joseph Sargent |
| 1998 | The Clean Machine | Ken Cameron |
TV series
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
| 1980 | The Russians | Arch Nicholson | Documentary series |
| 1988 | Great Performances | Rodney Fisher | Episode "Melba" |
Miniseries
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
| 1983 | The Dismissal | Carl Schultz George Miller Phillip Noyce George Ogilvie John Power | |
| 1983 | Return to Eden | Karen Arthur | |
| 1984 | Bodyline | Carl Schultz George Ogilvie Denny Lawrence Lex Marinos | |
| 1988 | Melba | Rodney Fisher | 2 episodes |

## Awards and nominations

Academy Awards
| Year | Title | Category | Result |
| 1990 | Dances with Wolves | Best Cinematography | Won |
American Society of Cinematographers
| Year | Title | Category | Result |
| 1990 | Dances with Wolves | Best Cinematography | Won |
| 2006 | Apocalypto | Best Cinematography | Nominated |
| 2013 | Lifetime Achievement Award | Lifetime Achievement Award | Won |
Australian Film Institute
| Year | Title | Category | Result |
| 1980 | Mad Max 2 | Best Cinematography | Nominated |
| 1983 | Undercover | Best Cinematography | Nominated |
| 1984 | Razorback | Best Cinematography | Won |
| 1985 | The Coca-Cola Kid | Best Cinematography | Nominated |
| 1988 | The Lighthorsemen | Best Cinematography | Nominated |
| 1989 | Dead Calm | Best Cinematography | Won |
BAFTA Awards
| Year | Title | Category | Result |
| 1990 | Dances with Wolves | Best Cinematography | Nominated |
Chicago Film Critics Association
| Year | Title | Category | Result |
| 1990 | Dances with Wolves | Best Cinematography | Won |
| 2006 | Apocalypto | Best Cinematography | Won |
Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association
| Year | Title | Category | Result |
| 1990 | Dances with Wolves | Best Cinematography | Won |
| 2006 | Apocalypto | Best Cinematography | Won |
Satellite Awards
| Year | Title | Category | Result |
| 2010 | Secretariat | Best Cinematography | Nominated |