# Gabriel Figueroa

Gabriel Figueroa Mateos (April 24, 1907 – April 27, 1997) was a Mexican cinematographer who is regarded as one of the greatest cinematographers of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema. He has worked in over 200 films, which cover a broad range of genres, and is best known for his technical dominance, his careful handling of framing and chiaroscuro, and affinity for the aesthetics of artists.

## Early life and career

Born in 1907, Figueroa grew up in Mexico City, where he studied painting at the Academy of San Carlos, and violin at the National Conservatory. He was the grandson of the famous lawyer, journalist and liberal writer Juan A. Mateos and first cousin to Mexican president Adolfo Lopez Mateos. His mother died after giving birth to him and his father, unable to cope with the loss of his wife, left Gabriel and his brother Roberto to be cared for by their aunts. He then fled to Paris, where he eventually succumbed to alcohol and despair. When the family fortune ran dry, Figueroa "had to leave the Academy and go into the darkroom to make a living". He first started learning photography, which became his source of income, with Lalo Guerrero. He worked in a studio on Colonia Guerrero, where people would get their pictures taken with painted curtains in the background and under natural light. Towards the end of the 1920s, Figueroa went on to work with photographers Juan de la Peña and José Guadalupe Velasco, before establishing his own studio with his friend Gilberto Martínez Solares.
In 1932, thanks to his friend Gilberto, Figueroa met cinematographer Alex Phillips. Convinced by his talent, Phillips managed to start Figueroa's career in the movie industry as a still photographer for the film Revolución (1933), directed by Miguel Contreras Torres. Figueroa and Phillips would continue to work alongside each other on several other films. As a result of marked growth in the field of Mexican film production, in 1933 Figueroa was able to continue and develop his work as a still photographer on at least 9 films, some of them of enormous significance in the history of national cinema. Towards the end of June 1933, Figueroa made his debut as a cinematographer in several shots of the medium-length documentary El vuelo glorioso de Barberán y Collar (1933), directed by René Cardona. And, between October and November, he was one of the camera operators of the multiple sequences filmed for Viva Villa! (1934), directed by Jack Conway. On November 13, 1934, Figueroa would begin working on the film Tribu (La Raza indómita) (1935) with fellow collaborator Miguel Contreras Torres, who Figueroa had his first job as a still photographer in 1932. Tribu marked another milestone in Figueroa's career, as it was the first time he shared credit with his teacher Alex Phillips, in addition to his stillman work.
In 1935, Rico Pani, son of prominent politician Alberto J. Pani, approached Figueroa with a contract to work as a cinematographer for a newly founded production company. To consolidate his knowledge, he obtained from the magnate a scholarship to go study in Hollywood, seeing closely the work of Gregg Toland, then considered one of the best cinematographers in the world. As a student, he saw Toland work on the film Splendor (1935) and learned how to create foreboding shadows and render a melancholy ambiance. Upon arrival, Figueroa checked-in to the famous Roosevelt Hotel from where he called the only person he knew in the city, Charlie Kimball, editor of the movie Maria Elena (1936), of which Figueroa had worked as an illuminator and stillman in February 1935. The call was answered by Gerardo Hanson, producer of Maria Elena, who later took him out to a villa on Vine Street. Figueroa always considered Toland as his teacher. The following year, in 1936, Gabriel returned to Mexico and it was here that he began to produce his distinctive images. His first feature, Allá en el Rancho Grande (1936), which would become one of the most popular films in Mexico and Latin America, and is considered to be the one that started the Golden Age of Mexican cinema, gained international recognition when it won a prize at the Venice Film Festival and broke box-office records.
He filmed 235 movies over 50 years, including Los Olvidados by Luis Buñuel, The Fugitive by John Ford, Río Escondido by Emilio Fernández, and The Night of the Iguana by John Huston for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography in 1964.
One of his main collaborators was Fernández, with whom he shot twenty films, some of which won prizes at the Venice Film Festival, the Cannes Film Festival, and the Berlin Film Festival. After collaborating with Fernández and Buñuel on their films with such actors as Dolores del Río, Pedro Armendáriz, María Félix, Jorge Negrete, Columba Domínguez, and Silvia Pinal. Gabriel Figueroa has come to be regarded as one of the most influential cinematographers of México.

## Filmography
### Cinematographer

| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
| 1934 | El Escándalo | Chano Urueta | also as Lighting technician |
| 1935 | Tribu | Miguel Contreras Torres | Co-cinematographer with Alex Phillips |
| 1935 | El primo Basilio | Carlos de Nájera | also as Lighting technician |
| 1936 | Allá en el Rancho Grande | Fernando de Fuentes | |
| 1936 | Beautiful Sky | Robert Quigley | Co-cinematographer with Jack Draper |
| 1937 | Las mujeres mandan | Fernando de Fuentes | Co-cinematographer with Jack Draper |
| 1937 | Beneath the Sky of Mexico | Fernando de Fuentes | |
| 1937 | Jalisco nunca pierde | Chano Urueta | |
| 1938 | Song of the Soul | Chano Urueta | |
| 1938 | La Adelita | Guillermo Hernández Gómez | |
| 1938 | Mi candidato | Chano Urueta | |
| 1938 | Refugees in Madrid | Alejandro Galindo | |
| 1938 | Los millones de Chaflán | Rolando Aguilar | |
| 1938 | Padre de más de cuatro | Robert Quigley | |
| 1938 | While Mexico Sleeps | Alejandro Galindo | |
| 1939 | The House of the Ogre | Fernando de Fuentes | |
| 1939 | The Black Beast | Gabriel Soria | |
| 1939 | Dark Night of the Mayas | Chano Urueta | |
| 1939 | Papacito lindo | Fernando de Fuentes | |
| 1940 | Los de abajo | Chano Urueta | |
| 1940 | The Miracle Song | Rolando Aguilar | |
| 1940 | ¡Que viene mi marido! | Chano Urueta | |
| 1940 | Allá en el trópico | Fernando de Fuentes | |
| 1940 | El jefe máximo | Fernando de Fuentes | |
| 1940 | Con su amable permiso | Fernando Soler | |
| 1940 | El monje loco | Alejandro Galindo | |
| 1941 | Neither Blood nor Sand | Alejandro Galindo | |
| 1941 | The 9.15 Express | Alejandro Galindo | |
| 1941 | Those Were The Days, Senor Don Simon! | Julio Bracho | |
| 1941 | La casa del rencor | Gilberto Martínez Solares | |
| 1941 | The Unknown Policeman | Miguel M. Delgado | |
| 1941 | La gallina clueca | Fernando de Fuentes | |
| 1942 | Virgen de medianoche | Alejandro Galindo | |
| 1942 | Mi viuda alegre | Miguel M. Delgado | |
| 1942 | When the Stars Travel | Alberto Gout | |
| 1942 | Story of a Great Love | Julio Bracho | |
| 1942 | The Three Musketeers | Miguel M. Delgado | Cannes Film Festival Award |
| 1942 | El verdugo de Sevilla | Fernando Soler | |
| 1942 | The Saint Who Forged a Country | Julio Bracho | |
| 1943 | The Circus | Miguel M. Delgado | |
| 1943 | Flor silvestre | Emilio Fernández | |
| 1943 | The Spectre of the Bride | René Cardona | |
| 1943 | Another Dawn | Julio Bracho | |
| 1944 | The Black Ace | René Cardona | |
| 1944 | The Headless Woman | René Cardona | |
| 1944 | María Candelaria | Emilio Fernández | Cannes Film Festival Award |
| 1944 | The Escape | Norman Foster | |
| 1944 | The Black Pirate | Chano Urueta | |
| 1944 | The Intruder | Mauricio Magdaleno | |
| 1944 | Adiós, Mariquita linda | Alfonso Patiño Gómez | Co-cinematographer with Víctor Herrera |
| 1945 | The Abandoned | Emilio Fernández | |
| 1945 | Bugambilia | Emilio Fernández | Nominated – Ariel Award for Best Cinematography |
| 1945 | A Day with the Devil | Miguel M. Delgado | |
| 1946 | Cantaclaro | Julio Bracho | |
| 1946 | Más allá del amor | Adolfo Fernández Bustamante | |
| 1946 | The Last Adventure | Gilberto Martínez Solares | |
| 1946 | Enamorada | Emilio Fernández | Ariel Award for Best Cinematography |
| 1947 | La casa colorada | Miguel Morayta | |
| 1947 | The Pearl | Emilio Fernández | Ariel Award for Best Cinematography Golden Globe Award for Best Cinematography |
| 1947 | The Fugitive | John Ford | |
| 1948 | Río Escondido | Emilio Fernández | Ariel Award for Best Cinematography |
| 1948 | María la O | Adolfo Fernández Bustamante | |
| 1948 | Tarzan and the Mermaids | Robert Florey | Associate photographer |
| 1948 | Maclovia | Emilio Fernández | |
| 1948 | Dueña y señora | Tito Davison | |
| 1949 | Salón México | Emilio Fernández | |
| 1949 | Pueblerina | Emilio Fernández | Ariel Award for Best Cinematography |
| 1949 | Prisión de sueños | Víctor Urruchúa | |
| 1949 | Midnight | Tito Davison | |
| 1949 | El embajador | Tito Davison | |
| 1949 | Opium | Ramón Peón | |
| 1949 | The Unloved Woman | Emilio Fernández | Venice Film Festival Award for Best Cinematography |
| 1949 | Un cuerpo de mujer | Tito Davison | |
| 1950 | Duel in the Mountains | Emilio Fernández | |
| 1950 | Nuestras vidas | Ramón Peón | |
| 1950 | The Torch | Emilio Fernández | |
| 1950 | Un día de vida | Emilio Fernández | |
| 1950 | Los Olvidados | Luis Buñuel | Ariel Award for Best Cinematography |
| 1951 | Víctimas del Pecado | Emilio Fernández | Nominated – Ariel Award for Best Cinematography |
| 1951 | Pecado | Luis César Amadori | |
| 1951 | Los pobres siempre van al cielo | Jaime Salvador | |
| 1951 | The Chicken Hawk | Rogelio A. González | |
| 1951 | Maria Islands | Emilio Fernández | |
| 1951 | La bienamada | Emilio Fernández | |
| 1952 | The Atomic Fireman | Miguel M. Delgado | |
| 1952 | Forever Yours | Emilio Fernández | |
| 1952 | Un gallo en corral ajeno | Julián Soler | |
| 1952 | El mar y tú | Emilio Fernández | |
| 1952 | El enamorado | Miguel Zacarías | |
| 1952 | Here Comes Martin Corona | Miguel Zacarías | |
| 1952 | Hay un niño en su futuro | Fernando Cortés | |
| 1952 | Soledad's Shawl | Roberto Gavaldón | Ariel Award for Best Cinematography |
| 1952 | When the Fog Lifts | Emilio Fernández | Nominated – Ariel Award for Best Cinematography |
| 1953 | Dos tipos de cuidado | Ismael Rodríguez | |
| 1953 | Anxiety | Miguel Zacarías | |
| 1953 | Él | Luis Buñuel | |
| 1953 | The Photographer | Miguel M. Delgado | |
| 1953 | Neither Rich nor Poor | Fernando Cortés | |
| 1953 | The Boy and the Fog | Roberto Gavaldón | Ariel Award for Best Cinematography |
| 1954 | Camelia | Roberto Gavaldón | |
| 1954 | Take Me in Your Arms | Julio Bracho | |
| 1954 | The White Rose | Emilio Fernández Íñigo de Martino | |
| 1954 | La rebelión de los colgados | Alfredo B. Crevenna | |
| 1955 | El monstruo en la sombra | Zacarías Gómez Urquiza | |
| 1955 | Madame X | Julián Soler | |
| 1955 | Estafa de amor | Miguel M. Delgado | |
| 1955 | La Tierra del Fuego se apaga | Emilio Fernández | |
| 1956 | La doncella de piedra | Miguel M. Delgado | |
| 1956 | Historia de un amor | Roberto Gavaldón | |
| 1956 | Pueblo, canto y esperanza | Alfredo B. Crevenna Rogelio A. González Julián Soler | |
| 1956 | La escondida | Roberto Gavaldón | Nominated – Ariel Award for Best Cinematography |
| 1956 | Canasta de cuentos mexicanos | Julio Bracho | |
| 1957 | El bolero de Raquel | Miguel M. Delgado | |
| 1958 | Sueños de oro | Miguel Zacarías | |
| 1958 | Aquí está Heraclio Bernal | Roberto Gavaldón | |
| 1958 | Mujer en condominio | Rogelio A. González | |
| 1958 | Una cita de amor | Emilio Fernández | |
| 1958 | El rayo de Sinaloa (La venganza de Heraclio Bernal) | Roberto Gavaldón | |
| 1958 | La rebelión de la sierra | Roberto Gavaldón | |
| 1958 | Una golfa | Tulio Demicheli | |
| 1958 | La sonrisa de la Virgen | Roberto Rodríguez | |
| 1958 | Carabina 30-30 | Miguel M. Delgado | |
| 1959 | Café Colón | Benito Alazraki | |
| 1959 | Nazarín | Luis Buñuel | |
| 1959 | Beyond All Limits | Roberto Gavaldón | |
| 1959 | Sonatas | Juan Antonio Bardem | Co-cinematographer with Cecilio Paniagua |
| 1959 | Isla para dos | Tito Davison | |
| 1959 | The Soldiers of Pancho Villa | Ismael Rodríguez | |
| 1959 | La Fièvre Monte à El Pao | Luis Buñuel | |
| 1960 | Impaciencia del corazón | Tito Davison | |
| 1960 | La estrella vacía | Emilio Gómez Muriel | |
| 1960 | The Young One | Luis Buñuel | |
| 1960 | Macario | Roberto Gavaldón | |
| 1960 | Juana Gallo | Miguel Zacarías | |
| 1961 | Rosa Blanca | Roberto Gavaldón | |
| 1961 | Ánimas Trujano (El hombre importante) | Ismael Rodríguez | |
| 1962 | The Exterminating Angel | Luis Buñuel | |
| 1962 | El tejedor de milagros | Francisco del Villar | |
| 1962 | La bandida | Roberto Rodríguez | |
| 1962 | Um Dia de Vida | Augusto Fraga | Co-cinematographer with João Moreira |
| 1963 | The Paper Man | Ismael Rodríguez | |
| 1963 | Autumn Days | Roberto Gavaldón | Mexican Film Journalists Award for Best Cinematography |
| 1963 | Immediate Delivery | Miguel M. Delgado | |
| 1964 | The Night of the Iguana | John Huston | Nominated – Academy Award for Best Cinematography |
| 1964 | En la mitad del mundo | Ramón Pereda | |
| 1964 | El gallo de oro | Roberto Gavaldón | |
| 1965 | Simon of the Desert | Luis Buñuel | |
| 1965 | Escuela para solteras | Miguel Zacarías | |
| 1965 | Los tres calaveras | Fernando Cortés | |
| 1965 | Un alma pura | Juan Ibáñez | |
| 1965 | Lola de mi vida | Miguel Barbachano-Ponce | |
| 1966 | Los cuatro Juanes | Miguel Zacarías | |
| 1966 | ¡Viva Benito Canales! | Miguel M. Delgado | |
| 1966 | Cargamento prohibido | Miguel M. Delgado | |
| 1967 | Pedro Páramo | Carlos Velo | |
| 1967 | Su Excelencia | Miguel M. Delgado | Co-cinematographer with Rosalío Solano |
| 1967 | Domingo salvaje | Francisco del Villar | |
| 1967 | El asesino se embarca | Miguel M. Delgado | |
| 1968 | Los ángeles de Puebla | Francisco del Villar | |
| 1968 | El escapulario | Servando González | |
| 1968 | Mariana | Juan Guerrero | |
| 1968 | Corazón salvaje | Tito Davison | Co-cinematographer with Alex Phillips |
| 1968 | The Chinese Room | Albert Zugsmith | |
| 1969 | The Big Cube | Tito Davison | |
| 1969 | La puerta y la mujer del carnicero | Luis Alcoriza Ismael Rodríguez Chano Urueta | Co-cinematographer with Alex Phillips |
| 1969 | The Great Sex War | Norman Foster | |
| 1970 | Narda o el verano | Juan Guerrero | |
| 1970 | Two Mules for Sister Sara | Don Siegel | Co-cinematographer with Robert Surtees |
| 1970 | The Phantom Gunslinger | Albert Zugsmith | |
| 1970 | Kelly's Heroes | Brian G. Hutton | |
| 1971 | La generala | Juan Ibáñez | |
| 1971 | El profe | Miguel M. Delgado | |
| 1971 | El cielo y tu | Gilberto Gazcón | |
| 1972 | María | Tito Davison | Ariel Award for Best Cinematography |
| 1972 | Hijazo de mi vidaza | Rafael Baledón | |
| 1972 | Los hijos de Satanás | Rafael Baledón | |
| 1972 | El festin de la loba | Francisco del Villar | |
| 1973 | Interval | Daniel Mann | |
| 1973 | Once Upon a Scoundrel | George Schaefer | |
| 1973 | El monasterio de los buitres | Francisco del Villar | |
| 1973 | El amor tiene cara de mujer | Tito Davison | |
| 1974 | El señor de Osanto | Jaime Humberto Hermosillo | Nominated – Ariel Award for Best Cinematography |
| 1974 | Los perros de Dios | Francisco del Villar | |
| 1974 | Presagio | Luis Alcoriza | Nominated – Ariel Award for Best Cinematography |
| 1975 | El llanto de la tortuga | Francisco del Villar | |
| 1976 | Coronación | Sergio Olhovich | Nominated – Ariel Award for Best Cinematography |
| 1976 | La vida cambia | Juan Manuel Torres | |
| 1977 | Maten al león | José Estrada | |
| 1977 | Balún Canán | Benito Alazraki | |
| 1978 | Divinas palabras | Juan Ibáñez | Ariel Award for Best Cinematography |
| 1978 | Cananea | Marcela Fernández Violante | |
| 1978 | The Children of Sanchez | Hall Bartlett | |
| 1978 | La casa del pelícano | Sergio Véjar | |
| 1979 | Te quiero | Tito Davison | |
| 1980 | Border Cop | Christopher Leitch | |
| 1981 | D.F./Distrito Federal | Rogelio A. González | |
| 1981 | El héroe desconocido | Julián Pastor | |
| 1983 | México 2000 | Rogelio A. González | |
| 1983 | Mundo mágico | Luis Mandoki Alejandro Talavera Raúl Zermeño | |
| 1984 | El corazón de la noche | Jaime Humberto Hermosillo | |
| 1984 | Under the Volcano | John Huston | |
| 1986 | El maleficio II | Raúl Araiza | Co-cinematographer with José Ortiz Ramos |

### Camera operator

| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
| 1933 | El vuelo glorioso de Barberán y Collar | René Cardona | |
| 1934 | Viva Villa! | Jack Conway | |
| 1936 | María Elena | Raphael J. Sevilla | also as Lighting technician |
| 1936 | Let's Go with Pancho Villa | Fernando de Fuentes | |

### Still photographer

| Year | Title | Director |
| 1933 | Revolution | Miguel Contreras Torres Antonio Moreno |
| 1933 | Profanación | Chano Urueta |
| 1934 | Almas encontradas | Raphael J. Sevilla |
| 1934 | Enemigos | Chano Urueta |
| 1934 | Juarez and Maximilian | Miguel Contreras Torres Raphael J. Sevilla |
| 1934 | The Woman of the Port | Arcady Boytler Raphael J. Sevilla |
| 1934 | The Call of the Blood | José Bohr Raphael J. Sevilla |
| 1934 | Chucho el Roto | Gabriel Soria |

## Awards and nominations
### Academy Awards

| Year | Nominated work | Category | Result |
| 1965 | The Night of the Iguana | Best Cinematography | Nominated |

### Golden Globe Awards

| Year | Nominated work | Category | Result |
| 1949 | The Pearl | Best Cinematography | Won |

### Ariel Awards

| Year | Work | Category | Result |
| 1946 | Bugambilia | Best Cinematography | Nominated |
| 1947 | Enamorada | Best Cinematography | Won |
| 1948 | The Pearl | Best Cinematography | Won |
| 1949 | Río Escondido | Best Cinematography | Won |
| 1950 | Pueblerina | Best Cinematography | Won |
| 1951 | Los Olvidados | Best Cinematography | Won |
| 1952 | Víctimas del Pecado | Best Cinematography | Nominated |
| 1953 | Soledad's Shawl | Best Cinematography | Won |
| 1953 | Cuando levanta la niebla | Best Cinematography | Nominated |
| 1954 | The Boy and the Fog | Best Cinematography | Won |
| 1957 | La escondida | Best Cinematography | Nominated |
| 1973 | María | Best Cinematography | Won |
| 1974 | El señor de Osanto | Best Cinematography | Nominated |
| 1975 | Presagio | Best Cinematography | Nominated |
| 1976 | Coronación | Best Cinematography | Nominated |
| 1978 | Divinas palabras | Best Cinematography | Won |

### Film festivals

| Year | Festival | Category | Work | Result |
| 1946 | Cannes Film Festival | Best Cinematography | María Candelaria The Three Musketeers | Won |
| 1947 | Locarno International Film Festival | Best Cinematography | María Candelaria | Won |
| 1947 | Venice Film Festival | Best Cinematography | The Pearl | Won |
| 1949 | Venice Film Festival | Best Cinematography | The Unloved Woman | Won |

## Exhibition

* 2011: Rencontres d'Arles Festival, France.
* 2013-2014: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles. Detailed retrospective of Figueroa's photography, cinematography, and progressive politics.
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) organized the retrospective exhibition titled "Under the Mexican Sky: Gabriel Figueroa—Art and Film." The exhibit, featuring Figueroa's work from the early 1930s to the early 1980s, included film clips, paintings, photographs, posters and documents both from Figueroa's archive and the Televisa Foundation collections. "Under the Mexican Sky" recognizes Figueroa's contribution to Mexico's Golden Age of Film, both technically, and stylistically. LACMA curators highlight the artist's works across genres that "…helped forge an evocative and enduring image of Mexico." The exhibit ran from September 22, 2013, through February 2, 2014 in the Art of the Americas Building, Level 1.

## Tributes

On 24 April 2013, Google celebrated Gabriel Figueroa's 106th Birthday with a doodle.