# Robert Richardson (cinematographer)

Robert Bridge Richardson, ASC (born August 27, 1955) is an American cinematographer.
Having collaborated with prestigious filmmakers like Oliver Stone, Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino, he's known for his trademark aggressively bright highlight and for exploring a variety of visual styles, both with film and digital cameras.
He is one of three living people who has won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography three times, sharing the position with Vittorio Storaro and Emmanuel Lubezki.

## Early life and education

Richardson was born in Hyannis, Massachusetts. He graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design with a BFA in Film/Animation/Video and received his MFA from AFI Conservatory.

## Career

Richardson's work began as a camera operator and 2nd unit photographer on such features as Alex Cox's Repo Man, Dorian Walker's Making the Grade and Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street (all in 1984). At the same time he also served as cinematographer on TV documentaries and docudramas such as America, America for The Disney Channel, God's Peace for the BBC and PBS' The Front Line: El Salvador. His television work and documentary-style filmmaking led to his meeting Oliver Stone, who hired him to "shoot" Salvador (1986).
Oliver Stone's major motion picture debut was also Richardson's first film as director of photography. Salvador was also filmed in the same year as Stone's Platoon. Platoon would earn Richardson his first Oscar nomination for Best Cinematography. In 1987, Richardson reteamed with Stone on Wall Street. In 1988, he filmed Eight Men Out for John Sayles. In 1989, he earned his second Best Cinematography Oscar nomination for Stone's Born on the Fourth of July.
In 1991, Richardson won the first of his Best Cinematography Academy Awards for his work on Stone's JFK; he also shot Stone's The Doors that same year. He worked with Sayles again in 1991 for City of Hope. In 1992, he worked as director of photography on Rob Reiner's A Few Good Men. He served as a 2nd unit photographer for Haskell Wexler on To the Moon, Alice, a "Showtime 30-Minute Movie" (for which he was also credited as a visual consultant). He began a long working relationship with Martin Scorsese in 1995, with Casino. Also in 1995, he was the cinematographer on Stone's Nixon. In 1997, Richardson photographed Errol Morris's documentary Fast, Cheap and Out of Control as well as filming the majority of Stone's U Turn and serving as director of photography for Barry Levinson's Wag the Dog.
Richardson worked on the 2013 zombie film World War Z, but asked for his name to be taken off the final product. The credited cinematographer is Ben Seresin.

## Personal life

Richardson has four children, Kanchan, Maya, Bibi and x. His family previously ran the Cape Cod Sea Camps situated on Cape Cod Bay prior to selling them in 2021.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
| 1982 | An Outpost of Progress | Dorian Walker | |
| 1986 | Salvador | Oliver Stone | 1st collaboration with Stone |
| 1986 | Platoon | Oliver Stone | |
| 1987 | Dudes | Penelope Spheeris | |
| 1987 | Wall Street | Oliver Stone | |
| 1988 | Eight Men Out | John Sayles | |
| 1988 | Talk Radio | Oliver Stone | |
| 1989 | Born on the Fourth of July | Oliver Stone | |
| 1991 | City of Hope | John Sayles | |
| 1991 | The Doors | Oliver Stone | |
| 1991 | JFK | Oliver Stone | |
| 1992 | A Few Good Men | Rob Reiner | |
| 1993 | Heaven & Earth | Oliver Stone | |
| 1994 | Natural Born Killers | Oliver Stone | |
| 1995 | Casino | Martin Scorsese | 1st collaboration with Scorsese |
| 1995 | Nixon | Oliver Stone | |
| 1997 | U Turn | Oliver Stone | |
| 1997 | Wag the Dog | Barry Levinson | Also made a cameo as "Man in TV Studio" (Uncredited) |
| 1998 | The Horse Whisperer | Robert Redford | |
| 1999 | Snow Falling on Cedars | Scott Hicks | |
| 1999 | Bringing Out the Dead | Martin Scorsese | |
| 2002 | The Four Feathers | Shekhar Kapur | |
| 2003 | Kill Bill: Volume 1 | Quentin Tarantino | 1st collaboration with Tarantino; Shot Back-to-back |
| 2004 | Kill Bill: Volume 2 | Quentin Tarantino | 1st collaboration with Tarantino; Shot Back-to-back |
| 2004 | The Aviator | Martin Scorsese | |
| 2006 | The Good Shepherd | Robert De Niro | |
| 2009 | Inglourious Basterds | Quentin Tarantino | |
| 2010 | Shutter Island | Martin Scorsese | |
| 2010 | Eat Pray Love | Ryan Murphy | |
| 2011 | Hugo | Martin Scorsese | |
| 2012 | Django Unchained | Quentin Tarantino | |
| 2013 | World War Z | Marc Forster | Uncredited |
| 2015 | The Hateful Eight | Quentin Tarantino | |
| 2016 | Live by Night | Ben Affleck | 1st collaboration with Affleck |
| 2017 | Breathe | Andy Serkis | 1st collaboration with Serkis |
| 2018 | Adrift | Baltasar Kormákur | |
| 2018 | A Private War | Matthew Heineman | |
| 2019 | Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood | Quentin Tarantino | |
| 2021 | Venom: Let There Be Carnage | Andy Serkis | |
| 2022 | Emancipation | Antoine Fuqua | 1st collaboration with Fuqua |
| 2023 | Air | Ben Affleck | |
| 2023 | The Equalizer 3 | Antoine Fuqua | |
Short film
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
| 2001 | Powder Keg | Alejandro González Iñárritu | Segment of The Hire |
| 2013 | Wild Horses | Stephanie Martin | |

### Documentary works

Film
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
| 1984 | The Front Line | Jeff B. Harmon Christopher Wenner | With Jacques Audrain |
| 1997 | Fast, Cheap & Out of Control | Errol Morris | |
| 1999 | Mr. Death: The Rise and Fall of Fred A. Leuchter, Jr. | Errol Morris | |
| 2008 | Shine a Light | Martin Scorsese | Concert film |
| 2008 | Standard Operating Procedure | Errol Morris | With Robert Chappell |
| 2011 | George Harrison: Living in the Material World | Martin Scorsese | With Martin Kenzie |
| 2017 | The Return | Erich Joiner | |
| 2021 | JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass | Oliver Stone | |
| TBA | In between Stars and Scars: Masters of Cinema | Yi Zhou | With Yi Zhou |
Television
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
| 1982 | Desperate Dreams | Daniel J. Blackburn Maria Centrella | TV movie |
| 1985 | America Undercover | Himself Terry Dunn Meurer | Episode "Losin' It: Sex and the American Teenager" |
| 1987 | Unsolved Mysteries | John Cosgrove | Segment Missing...Have You Seen This Person? |
| 2021 | JFK: Destiny Betrayed | Oliver Stone | Miniseries |

## Award and nominations

Academy Awards
| Year | Category | Nominated work | Result |
| 1986 | Best Cinematography | Platoon | Nominated |
| 1989 | Best Cinematography | Born on the Fourth of July | Nominated |
| 1991 | Best Cinematography | JFK | Won |
| 1999 | Best Cinematography | Snow Falling on Cedars | Nominated |
| 2004 | Best Cinematography | The Aviator | Won |
| 2009 | Best Cinematography | Inglourious Basterds | Nominated |
| 2011 | Best Cinematography | Hugo | Won |
| 2012 | Best Cinematography | Django Unchained | Nominated |
| 2015 | Best Cinematography | The Hateful Eight | Nominated |
| 2019 | Best Cinematography | Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | Nominated |
BAFTA Awards
| Year | Category | Nominated work | Result |
| 1986 | Best Cinematography | Platoon | Nominated |
| 2004 | Best Cinematography | The Aviator | Nominated |
| 2009 | Best Cinematography | Inglourious Basterds | Nominated |
| 2011 | Best Cinematography | Hugo | Nominated |
American Society of Cinematographers
| Year | Category | Nominated work | Result |
| 1989 | Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography | Born on the Fourth of July | Nominated |
| 1991 | Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography | JFK | Nominated |
| 1992 | Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography | A Few Good Men | Nominated |
| 1993 | Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography | Heaven & Earth | Nominated |
| 1998 | Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography | The Horse Whisperer | Nominated |
| 1999 | Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography | Snow Falling on Cedars | Nominated |
| 2004 | Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography | The Aviator | Nominated |
| 2006 | Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography | The Good Shepherd | Nominated |
| 2009 | Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography | Inglourious Basterds | Nominated |
| 2011 | Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography | Hugo | Nominated |
| 2019 | Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography | Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | Nominated |
Miscellaneous awards
| Year | Award | Title | Notes |
| 1986 | Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography | Salvador | Nominated |
| 1986 | Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography | Platoon | Won |
| 1988 | Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography | Talk Radio | Nominated |
| 1989 | Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Cinematography | Born on the Fourth of July | Nominated |
| 1991 | Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Cinematography | JFK | Won |
| 1998 | Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Cinematography | The Horse Whisperer | Nominated |
| 1999 | Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Cinematography | Snow Falling on Cedars | Won |
| 1999 | Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Cinematography | Snow Falling on Cedars | Won |
| 1999 | Satellite Award for Best Cinematography | Snow Falling on Cedars | Nominated |
| 1999 | Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Cinematography | Snow Falling on Cedars | Won |
| 1999 | Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Cinematography | Bringing Out the Dead | Won |
| 2003 | Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Cinematography | Kill Bill: Volume 1 | Nominated |
| 2003 | Gold Derby Awards for Best Cinematography | Kill Bill: Volume 1 | Nominated |
| 2003 | Village Voice Film Poll for Best Cinematography | Kill Bill: Volume 1 | Nominated |
| 2004 | Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Cinematography | The Aviator | Won |
| 2004 | Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Cinematography | The Aviator | Nominated |
| 2004 | Satellite Award for Best Cinematography | The Aviator | Nominated |
| 2004 | Gold Derby Awards for Best Cinematography | The Aviator | Nominated |
| 2009 | Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Cinematography | Inglourious Basterds | Won |
| 2009 | Australian Cinematographers Society for Best Cinematography | Inglourious Basterds | Won |
| 2009 | Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Cinematography | Inglourious Basterds | Nominated |
| 2009 | Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Cinematography | Inglourious Basterds | Nominated |
| 2009 | Satellite Award for Best Cinematography | Inglourious Basterds | Nominated |
| 2009 | San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Cinematography | Inglourious Basterds | Nominated |
| 2009 | St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Award for Best Cinematography | Inglourious Basterds | Nominated |
| 2009 | Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards for Best Cinematography | Inglourious Basterds | Nominated |
| 2009 | Gold Derby Awards for Best Cinematography | Inglourious Basterds | Nominated |
| 2010 | Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Cinematography | Shutter Island | Nominated |
| 2010 | Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Cinematography | Shutter Island | Nominated |
| 2010 | Satellite Award for Best Cinematography | Shutter Island | Nominated |
| 2010 | San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Cinematography | Shutter Island | Nominated |
| 2010 | Awards Circuit Community Awards for Best Achievement in Cinematography | Shutter Island | Nominated |
| 2010 | Awards Circuit Community Awards for Best Cinematography | Shutter Island | Nominated |
| 2010 | International Online Cinema Awards for Best Cinematography | Shutter Island | Nominated |
| 2010 | Utah Film Critics Association Awards for Best Cinematography | Shutter Island | Nominated |
| 2010 | Online Film & Television Association for Best Cinematography | Shutter Island | Nominated |
| 2011 | Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Cinematography | Hugo | Nominated |
| 2011 | Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Cinematography | Hugo | Nominated |
| 2011 | Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Cinematography | Hugo | Nominated |
| 2011 | Houston Film Critics Society Award for Best Cinematography | Hugo | Nominated |
| 2011 | National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Cinematography | Hugo | Nominated |
| 2011 | New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Cinematography | Hugo | Nominated |
| 2011 | Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Cinematography | Hugo | Nominated |
| 2011 | Satellite Award for Best Cinematography | Hugo | Nominated |
| 2011 | San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Cinematography | Hugo | Nominated |
| 2011 | Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Cinematography | Hugo | Nominated |
| 2012 | San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Cinematography | Django Unchained | Nominated |
| 2012 | St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Award for Best Cinematography | Django Unchained | Nominated |
| 2012 | Gold Derby Awards for Best Cinematography | Django Unchained | Nominated |
| 2012 | CinEuphoria Awards for Best Cinematography - International Competition | Django Unchained | Nominated |
| 2012 | Italian Online Movie Awards for Best Best Cinematography (Miglior fotografia) | Django Unchained | Nominated |
| 2015 | Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Cinematography | The Hateful Eight | Nominated |
| 2015 | Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Cinematography | The Hateful Eight | Nominated |
| 2015 | Houston Film Critics Society Award for Best Cinematography | The Hateful Eight | Nominated |
| 2015 | St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Award for Best Cinematography | The Hateful Eight | Nominated |
| 2015 | Austin Film Critics Association for Best Cinematography | The Hateful Eight | Nominated |
| 2015 | Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards for Best Cinematography | The Hateful Eight | Nominated |
| 2015 | Gold Derby Awards for Best Cinematography | The Hateful Eight | Nominated |
| 2019 | Boston Online Film Critics Association for Best Cinematography | Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | Won |
| 2019 | Oklahoma Film Critics Circle Awards for Best Cinematography | Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | Won |
| 2019 | Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association for Best Cinematography | Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | Nominated |
| 2019 | Hollywood Critics Association Awards for Best Cinematography | Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | Nominated |
| 2019 | Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards for Best Cinematography | Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | Nominated |
| 2019 | Critics' Choice Movie Awards for Best Cinematography | Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | Nominated |
| 2019 | St. Louis Film Critics Association for Best Cinematography | Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | Nominated |
| 2019 | Seattle Film Critics Awards for Best Cinematography | Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | Nominated |
| 2019 | Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards for Best Cinematography | Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | Nominated |
| 2019 | Online Association of Female Film Critics for Best Cinematography | Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | Nominated |
| 2019 | Boston Society of Film Critics Awards for Best Cinematography | Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | Nominated |
| 2019 | Chicago Film Critics Association Awards for Best Cinematography | Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | Nominated |
| 2019 | Phoenix Critics Circle for Best Cinematography | Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | Nominated |
| 2019 | San Francisco Film Critics Circle for Best Cinematography | Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | Nominated |
| 2019 | Alliance of Women Film Journalists for Best Cinematography | Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | Nominated |
| 2019 | Central Ohio Film Critics Association for Best Cinematography | Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | Nominated |
| 2019 | Chicago Independent Film Critics Circle Awards for Best Cinematography | Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | Nominated |
| 2019 | Dublin Film Critics Circle Awards for Best Cinematography | Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | Nominated |
| 2019 | Houston Film Critics Society Awards for Best Cinematography | Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | Nominated |
| 2019 | Online Film Critics Society Awards for Best Cinematography | Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | Nominated |
| 2019 | Gold Derby Awards for Best Cinematography | Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | Nominated |