# John A. Alonzo

John A. Alonzo, ASC (June 12, 1934 – March 13, 2001) was an American cinematographer, television director, and actor known for his diverse body of work in both film and television.
Alonzo pioneered handheld work, lighting techniques and high-definition video development during his career. He is remembered mainly for Chinatown (1974) and Scarface (1983), the former for which he was nominated for both a BAFTA and an Academy Award. In addition, he was the recipient of a Primetime Emmy for his work on the 2000 CBS television adaptation of Fail Safe.
Alonzo was the first American cinematographer of Mexican-American descent to become a member of the Cinematographer's Union in Los Angeles, as well as the first to be inducted into the ASC.

## Career

Alonzo's career began as part of the clean-up crew at television station WFAA in Dallas. However, within a short time, he had made himself indispensable, not only building sets, hanging lights and moving cameras, but also directing cooking and children's shows. Eventually, he and actor Hank Williamson created a popular comedy duo: Alonzo became the voice and puppeteer of the irreverent "Señor Turtle," who with Williamson as his sidekick, introduced movies and cartoons. In 1956, the show was picked up by station KHJ in Hollywood, where it lasted only 26 weeks. So Alonzo worked for a time as a still photographer, and as an actor, with appearances in several well-known shows such as Twilight Zone (Season 2 – Episode 12 in "Dust" as Luis Gallegos), Combat!, 77 Sunset Strip, and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour.
A seminal moment came during the shooting of The Magnificent Seven, in which Alonzo had a small role, when he met the cinematographer Charles Lang. This inspiring encounter, as well as the chance to briefly collaborate with James Wong Howe a few years later, finally gave Alonzo the impetus to devote his life to cinematography. By the mid-1960s, he was photographing many documentaries for National Geographic and the David L. Wolper Company, and greatly influencing the innovative "Look" of the New Hollywood that became so powerful in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
His uncomplicated and minimalistic style, combined with his first-hand knowledge of acting, made him one of the most in-demand directors of photography in Hollywood. In addition, he was not only one of the best "hand-held cameramen in Hollywood, but also a pioneer of high-def digital cinematography. In 1993/94 he shot (for NBC) the first HD movie in the history of American television, World War II: When Lions Roared.
Alonzo died in 2001 after a long illness, at home in Brentwood, California. Perhaps his best known student is two-time Oscar winner John Toll, who began his career as Alonzo's assistant on films like Black Sunday, Norma Rae, Tom Horn and Scarface.
In 2007, director Axel Schill helmed a feature documentary about Alonzo, The Man Who Shot Chinatown – The Life & Work of John A. Alonzo.

## Filmography

Short film
| Year | Title | Director |
| 1965 | The Legend of Jimmy Blue Eyes | Robert Clouse |
| 2000 | The Dancing Cow | Taz Goldstein |

### Feature film

Director
* FM (1978)
Cinematographer
| Year | Title | Director |
| 1970 | Bloody Mama | Roger Corman |
| 1971 | Vanishing Point | Richard C. Sarafian |
| 1971 | Harold and Maude | Hal Ashby |
| 1972 | Get to Know Your Rabbit | Brian De Palma |
| 1972 | Sounder | Martin Ritt |
| 1972 | Another Nice Mess | Bob Einstein |
| 1972 | Lady Sings the Blues | Sidney J. Furie |
| 1972 | Pete 'n' Tillie | Martin Ritt |
| 1973 | The Naked Ape | Donald Driver |
| 1973 | Hit! | Sidney J. Furie |
| 1974 | Conrack | Martin Ritt |
| 1974 | Chinatown | Roman Polanski |
| 1975 | The Fortune | Mike Nichols |
| 1975 | Once Is Not Enough | Guy Green |
| 1975 | Farewell, My Lovely | Dick Richards |
| 1976 | I Will, I Will... for Now | Norman Panama |
| 1976 | The Bad News Bears | Michael Ritchie |
| 1977 | Black Sunday | John Frankenheimer |
| 1977 | Which Way Is Up? | Michael Schultz |
| 1977 | Beyond Reason | Telly Savalas |
| 1978 | Casey's Shadow | Martin Ritt |
| 1978 | The Cheap Detective | Robert Moore |
| 1979 | Norma Rae | Martin Ritt |
| 1980 | Tom Horn | William Wiard |
| 1981 | Back Roads | Martin Ritt |
| 1981 | Zorro, The Gay Blade | Peter Medak |
| 1983 | Blue Thunder | John Badham |
| 1983 | Cross Creek | Martin Ritt |
| 1983 | Scarface | Brian De Palma |
| 1984 | Out of Control | Allan Holzman |
| 1984 | Runaway | Michael Crichton |
| 1986 | Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling | Richard Pryor |
| 1986 | Nothing in Common | Garry Marshall |
| 1987 | Real Men | Dennis Feldman |
| 1987 | Overboard | Garry Marshall |
| 1989 | Physical Evidence | Michael Crichton |
| 1989 | Steel Magnolias | Herbert Ross |
| 1990 | Internal Affairs | Mike Figgis |
| 1990 | The Guardian | William Friedkin |
| 1990 | Navy SEALs | Lewis Teague |
| 1992 | Housesitter | Frank Oz |
| 1992 | Cool World | Ralph Bakshi |
| 1993 | The Meteor Man | Robert Townsend |
| 1994 | Clifford | Paul Flaherty |
| 1994 | Star Trek Generations | David Carson |
| 1995 | The Grass Harp | Charles Matthau |
| 1998 | Letters from a Killer | David Carson |
| 2000 | The Prime Gig | Gregory Mosher |
| 2002 | Deuces Wild* | Scott Kalvert |
* Posthumous release
Acting roles
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1958 | The Gun Runners | Soldier in Car | Uncredited |
| 1960 | The Crowded Sky | Young Repairman | Uncredited |
| 1960 | The Magnificent Seven | Miguel | |
| 1961 | The Long Rope | Manuel Alvarez | |
| 1961 | Susan Slade | Engineer | Uncredited |
| 1962 | Hand of Death | Carlos, lab assistant | |
| 1962 | Terror at Black Falls | Carlos Avila | |
| 1964 | Invitation to a Gunfighter | Manuel | |

### Television

TV movies
| Year | Title | Director |
| 1969 | The World of Peggy Lee | Nick Cominos |
| 1971 | Cannon | George McCowan |
| 1971 | Revenge! | Jud Taylor |
| 1972 | Visions... | Lee H. Katzin |
| 1973 | Voyage of the Yes | Lee H. Katzin |
| 1973 | Guess Who's Sleeping in My Bed? | Theodore J. Flicker |
| 1976 | Look What's Happened to Rosemary's Baby | Sam O'Steen |
| 1979 | Champions: A Love Story | Himself |
| 1979 | Portrait of a Stripper | Himself |
| 1980 | Belle Starr | Himself |
| 1980 | Blinded by the Light | Himself |
| 1982 | The Kid From Nowhere | Beau Bridges |
| 1988 | Roots: The Gift | Kevin Hooks |
| 1999 | Lansky | John McNaughton |
| 2000 | Fail Safe | Stephen Frears |
TV series
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
| 1988 | Knightwatch | Farhad Mann | Episode "Knights of the City" |
| 1994 | World War II: When Lions Roared | Joseph Sargent | Miniseries |
Acting credits
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1958 | Dragnet | | Episode "The Big Border" |
| 1959 | Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse | | Episode "Ballad for a Bad Man" |
| 1959 | Border Patrol | Pete | Episode "A Bundle of Dope" |
| 1959 | The Thin Man | Bellboy | Episode "Cold Cargo" |
| 1960 | Perry Mason | Pedro Guitterez | Episode "The Case of the Prudent Prosecutor" |
| 1961 | The Twilight Zone | Luis Gallegos | Episode "Dust" |
| 1961 | Route 66 | Juan Domingo | Episode "Most Vanquished, Most Victorious" |
| 1961 | Bronco | Tony Gomez | Episode "Guns of the Lawless" |
| 1961 | Cheyenne | Rico | Episode "Winchester Quarantine" |
| 1961 | Ripcord | Amendarez | Episode "Top Secret" |
| 1962 | Combat! | Bialos | Episodes "Cat and Mouse" and "The Prisoner" |
| 1962-1963 | The Gallant Men | Cpl. Marsh / Sgt. Morales | Episodes "And Cain Cried Out" and "The Crucible" |
| 1963 | 77 Sunset Strip | Carlos Escheveria | Episode "The Man Who Wasn't There" |
| 1963-1964 | Kraft Suspense Theatre | Officer Miller / Cpl. Jack Osante | Episodes "The Long, Lost Life of Edward Smalley" and "Once Upon a Savage Night" |
| 1964 | Temple Houston | Long Maned Pony | Episode "Last Full Moon" |
| 1964 | Nightmare in Chicago | Officer Miller | TV movie |
| 1964 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | The Intern | Episode "The Gentleman from America" |
| 1964 | Destry | Jose | Episode "Ride to Rio Verde" |
| 1966-1967 | The Wild Wild West | Lightnin' McCoy / Sarrkan | Episodes "The Night of the Golden Cobra" and "The Night of the Surreal McCoy" |
| 1967 | Bewitched | Guard | Episode "Art for Sam's Sake" |
| 1969 | Bracken's World | Cameraman | Episode "The Chase Sequence" |

### Documentary works

Film
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
| 1973 | Wattstax | Mel Stuart | Concert film |
| 1984 | Terror in the Aisles | Andrew J. Kuehn | |
| 1986 | 50 Years of Action! | Douglass M. Stewart Jr. | With Charlie Clifton and Caleb Deschanel |
Short film
| Year | Title | Director |
| 1968 | San Sebastian 1746 in 1968 | Floyd L. Peterson |
| 1969 | The Moviemakers | Jay Anson |
TV movies
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
| 1966 | The World of Animals: It's a Dog's World | Alan Landsburg Joseph L. Scanlan | With Vilis Lapenieks |
| 1967 | Do Blonds Have More Fun? | Mel Ferber | With Vilis Lapenieks, Stan Lazan and Kenneth Van Sickle |
| 1967 | A Nation of Immigrants | Robert Abel Aram Boyajian Mel Stuart | With Les Blank, Adam Giffard and Vilis Lapenieks |
| 1967 | The Big Land | David H. Vowell | With Vilis Lapenieks and Stan Lazan |
| 1968 | The World of Animals: The World of Horses | Joseph L. Scanlan | With David Blewitt and Dieter Perschke |
| 1968 | Sophia: A Self-Portrait | Robert Abel Mel Stuart | With Roberto Gerardi |
| 1968 | The World of Animals: Big Cats, Little Cats | Bud Wiser | With David Blewitt, Robert Grant, J. Barry Herron, Fred Kaplan and Vilmos Zsigmond |
| 1972 | Hollywood: The Dream Factory | | With Jim Wilson |
TV series
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
| 1967–1969 | National Geographic Specials | Irwin Rosten Jeff Myrow Walon Green Heinz Sielmann Himself | 4 episodes |
| 1968 | The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau | Patrick Watson | Episode "Search in the Deep" |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Title | Result |
| 1974 | Academy Awards | Best Cinematography | Chinatown | Nominated |
| 1974 | BAFTA Awards | Best Cinematography | Chinatown | Nominated |
| 1994 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Cinematography for a Limited Series or Movie | World War II: When Lions Roared | Nominated |
| 1999 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Cinematography for a Limited Series or Movie | Lansky | Won |
| 2000 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Light Direction | Fail Safe | Won |