# Owen Roizman

Owen Roizman (September 22, 1936 – January 6, 2023) was an American cinematographer, nominated five times for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography.
He served on the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and was president of the American Society of Cinematographers.

## Early life

Roizman was raised in Brooklyn, and as a child, he wanted to be a baseball player, physicist, or mathematician. He had a tryout with the New York Yankees but contracted polio as a teenager. His father, Sol, was a cameraman for Movietone News, and upon hearing about the film industry's possible wages, Roizman decided, "I'm going for the money!" He began working during summer breaks at a camera rental store in New York City and later was an assistant to cinematographer Gerald Hirschfeld at MPO Videotronics.

## Career

After creating several television commercials, Roizman made his feature film debut in 1970 with Stop. His second film, William Friedkin's The French Connection (1971), earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Cinematography. The film set the style for many of his future films, with "gritty New York street photography" and available light.
Throughout the 1970s, he also worked on Play It Again, Sam (1972), The Heartbreak Kid (1972), The Exorcist (1973), Three Days of the Condor (1975), and Network (1976), among others, garnering Academy Award nominations for Best Cinematography for The Exorcist and Network. Roizman received two more Academy Award nominations, for Wyatt Earp (1994) and Tootsie (1982). His final film was Lawrence Kasdan's French Kiss (1995).
Roizman was a member of the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences from 2002 to 2011, representing the Cinematographers Branch, and was a member of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC). Roizman was ASC president from 1997 to 1998 and served on its board. He received an Academy Honorary Award at the 9th Governors Awards ceremony in 2017.

## Personal life

Roizman lived in the Encino neighborhood of Los Angeles with his wife, Mona. They had a son, Eric, who became a camera operator.

## Death

Roizman died under hospice care at his home on January 6, 2023, at the age of 86.

## Filmography

Film
| Year | Title | Director |
| 1970 | Stop | Bill Gunn |
| 1971 | The French Connection | William Friedkin |
| 1971 | The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight | James Goldstone |
| 1972 | Play It Again, Sam | Herbert Ross |
| 1972 | The Heartbreak Kid | Elaine May |
| 1973 | The Exorcist | William Friedkin |
| 1974 | The Taking of Pelham One Two Three | Joseph Sargent |
| 1975 | The Stepford Wives | Bryan Forbes |
| 1975 | Three Days of the Condor | Sydney Pollack |
| 1976 | The Return of a Man Called Horse | Irvin Kershner |
| 1976 | Network | Sidney Lumet |
| 1978 | Straight Time | Ulu Grosbard |
| 1978 | Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band | Michael Schultz |
| 1979 | The Electric Horseman | Sydney Pollack |
| 1980 | The Black Marble | Harold Becker |
| 1981 | True Confessions | Ulu Grosbard |
| 1981 | Absence of Malice | Sydney Pollack |
| 1981 | Taps | Harold Becker |
| 1982 | Tootsie | Sydney Pollack |
| 1985 | Vision Quest | Harold Becker |
| 1990 | I Love You to Death | Lawrence Kasdan |
| 1990 | Havana | Sydney Pollack |
| 1991 | The Addams Family | Barry Sonnenfeld |
| 1991 | Grand Canyon | Lawrence Kasdan |
| 1994 | Wyatt Earp | Lawrence Kasdan |
| 1995 | French Kiss | Lawrence Kasdan |
Short film
| Year | Title | Director |
| 1976 | Independence | John Huston |
Television
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
| 1972 | Liza with a Z | Bob Fosse | Concert film |
| 2020 | Cine Chalom | Yossi Benavraham | Episode "EXTRAIT DU FILM "LES TROIS JOURS DU CONDOR" DE SYDNEY POLLACK... 1975" |
Ref.:

## Awards and nominations

Academy Awards
| Year | Title | Category | Result |
| 1971 | The French Connection | Best Cinematography | Nominated |
| 1973 | The Exorcist | Best Cinematography | Nominated |
| 1976 | Network | Best Cinematography | Nominated |
| 1982 | Tootsie | Best Cinematography | Nominated |
| 1994 | Wyatt Earp | Best Cinematography | Nominated |
| 2017 | Academy Honorary Award | Academy Honorary Award | Won |
American Society of Cinematographers
| Year | Category | Title | Result |
| 1994 | Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography | Wyatt Earp | Nominated |
| 1997 | Lifetime Achievement Award | Lifetime Achievement Award | Won |
Other awards
| Year | Award | Category | Title | Result |
| 1972 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Cinematography for a Limited Series or Movie | Liza with a Z | Nominated |
| 2000 | Palm Springs International Film Festival | Career Achievement Award | Career Achievement Award | Won |
| 2001 | Camerimage | Lifetime Achievement Award | Lifetime Achievement Award | Won |
| 2011 | Ojai Film Festival | Lifetime Achievement Award (shared with Mitzi Gaynor) | Lifetime Achievement Award (shared with Mitzi Gaynor) | Won |