# Ric Waite

Ric Waite (July 10, 1933 – February 18, 2012) was an American cinematographer whose numerous film and television credits included Red Dawn, Footloose, 48 Hrs., and The Long Riders. Waite received four Emmy nominations during his career. He won his only Emmy for his work on the 1976 television miniseries Captains and the Kings.

## Life and career

Waite was born in Sheboygan, Wisconsin.
He enlisted in the United States Air Force after graduation from high school and was a member of the Air Force's Photo Intelligence unit. He moved to New York City, where he owned a studio as a professional photographer. Waite specialized in advertising and fashion photography. His clients included Jaguar Cars, Glamour, Vogue, Hanes, DuPont, and GQ.
In 1970, Waite moved to Los Angeles. His earliest work as a cinematographer was in television, including the 1970s television series Emergency!, City of Angels, and Police Story. He also shot many television films including Tail Gunner Joe in 1977, in which he earned an Emmy nomination; The Life and Assassination of the Kingfish, released in 1977, for which he received another Emmy nomination; Dead of Night and Amateur Night at the Dixie Bar and Grill, which aired in 1979. Waite earned his fourth and final Emmy nomination in 1996 for the television film Andersonville.
Waite's feature film debut as a cinematographer was The Long Riders, a 1980 Western film directed by Walter Hill. His numerous film credits as director of photography included Footloose by Herbert Ross; Red Dawn by John Milius; Brewster's Millions, a 1985 film also by Hill; Summer Rental by director Carl Reiner; Volunteers by Nicholas Meyer; Cobra by George P. Cosmatos; and Adventures in Babysitting by Chris Columbus.
In 2002, Waite moved to the Denver metropolitan area. He taught lighting and cinematography within the film studies department at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
He also shot Best Ribs in Town and Assassins' Code. He had signed on as the cinematographer for the film Legacy.
Waite died from a heart attack at his home in Los Angeles on February 18, 2012, at the age of 78.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
| 1971 | The Day of the Wolves | Ferde Grofe Jr. | |
| 1974 | A Time for Love | Rick Jason | |
| 1974 | Goodnight Jackie' | Jerry London | |
| 1978 | The Other Side of the Mountain: Part II | Larry Peerce | |
| 1980 | Defiance | John Flynn | |
| 1980 | On the Nickel | Ralph Waite | |
| 1980 | The Long Riders | Walter Hill | |
| 1982 | The Border | Tony Richardson | |
| 1982 | Tex | Tim Hunter | |
| 1982 | 48 Hrs. | Walter Hill | |
| 1983 | Class | Lewis John Carlino | |
| 1984 | Footloose | Herbert Ross | |
| 1984 | Red Dawn | John Milius | |
| 1985 | Brewster's Millions | Walter Hill | |
| 1985 | Summer Rental | Carl Reiner | Also 2nd unit director |
| 1985 | Volunteers | Nicholas Meyer | |
| 1986 | Cobra | George P. Cosmatos | |
| 1987 | Adventures in Babysitting | Chris Columbus | |
| 1988 | Rambo III | Peter MacDonald | Uncredited |
| 1988 | The Great Outdoors | Howard Deutch | |
| 1990 | Marked for Death | Dwight H. Little | |
| 1991 | Out for Justice | John Flynn | |
| 1992 | Rapid Fire | Dwight H. Little | |
| 1994 | On Deadly Ground | Steven Seagal | |
| 1997 | Truth or Consequences, N.M. | Kiefer Sutherland | |
| 1999 | Woman Wanted | Kiefer Sutherland | |
| 2004 | Fallacy | Jeff Jensen | |
| 2009 | Best Ribs in Town | David Mikalson | |
| 2011 | Assassins' Code | Lawrence Riggins | With Richard Lerner |

### Television

| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
| 1973 | Police Story | David Friedkin John Llewellyn Moxey | 2 episodes |
| 1974 | Nakia | Leonard J. Horn | Pilot |
| 1974 | Temperatures Rising | Herbert Kenwith | 2 episodes |
| 1974-1975 | Emergency! | Georg Fenady Kevin Tighe Christian I. Nyby II Joseph Pevney Don Richardson James W. Gavin Richard C. Bennett Wes McAfee | 20 episodes |
| 1975-1976 | Medical Story | Don Medford Paul Wendkos Ralph Senensky Robert L. Collins | 4 episodes |
| 1976 | City of Angels | Don Medford Sigmund Neufeld, Jr. Robert Douglas Alan Reisner Barry Shear Douglas Heyes Jerry London Hy Averback Ralph Senensky | 12 episodes |
| 1976 | Captains and the Kings | Douglas Heyes Allen Reisner | Miniseries |
| 1977 | Most Wanted | Virgil W. Vogel | Episode "The Pirate" |
| 1977 | Wonder Woman | Stuart Margolin Bruce Bilson | 2 episodes |
| 1980 | Freebie and the Bean | Lawrence Dobkin | Episode "The Seduction of the Bean" |
| 1995 | Nowhere Man | Tobe Hooper James Darren James Whitmore Jr. Thomas J. Wright | 4 episodes |
TV movies
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
| 1977 | Tail Gunner Joe | Jud Taylor | |
| 1977 | The Life and Assassination of the Kingfish | Robert L. Collins | |
| 1977 | Dead of Night | Dan Curtis | |
| 1977 | Red Alert | William Hale | |
| 1978 | The Initiation of Sarah | Robert Day | |
| 1978 | A Question of Guilt | Robert Butler | |
| 1978 | Leave Yesterday Behind | Richard Michaels | |
| 1978 | A Guide for the Married Woman | Hy Averback | |
| 1979 | Amateur Night at the Dixie Bar and Grill | Joel Schumacher | |
| 1979 | Charleston | Karen Arthur | |
| 1979 | Steeletown | Robert L. Collins | With Gil Hubbs |
| 1979 | And Baby Makes Six | Waris Hussein | |
| 1979 | Nero Wolfe | Frank D. Gilroy | |
| 1980 | The Comeback Kid | Peter Levin | |
| 1980 | A Perfect Match | Mel Damski | |
| 1980 | Revenge of the Stepford Wives | Robert Fuest | |
| 1980 | Baby Comes Home | Waris Hussein | |
| 1983 | Dempsey | Gus Trikonis | With Sol Negrin |
| 1985 | Midas Valley | Gus Trikonis | |
| 1987 | You Ruined My Life | David Ashwell | Segment of The Magical World of Disney |
| 1988 | Police Story: Burnout | Michael Switzer | |
| 1993 | Last Light | Kiefer Sutherland | |
| 1996 | Andersonville | John Frankenheimer | |
| 1997 | Last Stand at Saber River | Dick Lowry | |
| 1997 | Heart Full of Rain | Roger Young | |
| 1997 | Hope | Goldie Hawn | |
| 1998 | Money Plays | Frank D. Gilroy | |
| 1999 | Absence of the Good | John Flynn | |
| 2000 | Ratz | Thom Eberhardt | |
| 2001 | A Mother's Fight for Justice | Thomas Rickman | |
| 2001 | Love and Treason | Lewis Teague | |
| 2001 | The Triangle | Lewis Teague | |

## Awards and nominations

Primetime Emmy Awards
| Year | Title | Category | Result |
| 1977 | Tail Gunner Joe | Outstanding Cinematography for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie | Nominated |
| 1977 | The Life and Assassination of the Kingfish | Outstanding Cinematography for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie | Nominated |
| 1977 | Captains and the Kings | Outstanding Cinematography for a Series (One Hour) | Won |
| 1996 | Andersonville | Outstanding Cinematography for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie | Nominated |