Bruce Surtees
Bruce Surtees | |
|---|---|
| Born | Bruce Mohr Powell Surtees July 23, 1937 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Died | February 23, 2012 (aged 74) Carmel, California, U.S. |
| Education | ArtCenter College of Design |
| Years active | 1955–2002 |
| Father | Robert Surtees |
Bruce Mohr Powell Surtees (July 23, 1937 – February 23, 2012) was an American cinematographer, best known for his collaboration with Clint Eastwood.[1]
He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography for his work on Lenny (1974).
Early life and education
[edit]Surtees was born in Los Angeles, in 1937, as the son of three-time Oscar-winning cinematographer Robert L. Surtees and Maydell Lois James.[2] Surtees was given the middle name "Mohr" after his father's mentor Hal Mohr.[3] He studied at the ArtCenter College of Design.
Career
[edit]Surtees worked as an animation technician at Walt Disney Pictures before becoming a camera assistant under his father's direction for The Hallelujah Trail and Lost Command.[4]
He formed a close friendship with Don Siegel and Clint Eastwood, serving as a camera operator for Coogan's Bluff and Two Mules for Sister Sara. Impressed by Surtees' camera work, Siegel made him the cinematographer for The Beguiled and Dirty Harry.[5] Surtees worked as a cinematographer on several of Eastwood's films, including Play Misty for Me, High Plains Drifter, The Outlaw Josey Wales, and Sudden Impact.[1]
He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography for his work on Lenny (1974), Bob Fosse's biopic of comedian Lenny Bruce. Starting in the mid-1990's, Surtees mostly worked on made-for-television films, and was nominated for an Emmy Award for Dash and Lilly (1999).
Surtees was affectionately nicknamed the "Prince of Darkness" for his low-key lighting.[1]
Personal life and death
[edit]Surtees was married twice. He met his second wife Carol Buby while scouting locations for Inchon in Seoul, South Korea.[1] He had a daughter, Suzanne Surtees, from his first marriage.[1]
Surtees died from complications from diabetes on February 23, 2012, at the age of 74.[6][7]
Filmography
[edit]Film
TV movies
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Hello Mother, Goodbye! | Peter H. Hunt | |
| 1991 | Chains of Gold | Rod Holcomb | With Dariusz Wolski |
| 1994 | The Birds II: Land's End | Rick Rosenthal | |
| 1999 | Murder in a Small Town | Joyce Chopra | |
| Dash and Lilly | Kathy Bates | ||
| That Championship Season | Paul Sorvino | ||
| Lethal Vows | Paul Schneider | ||
| The Lady in Question | Joyce Chopra | ||
| 2000 | Thin Air | Robert Mandel | |
| American Tragedy | Lawrence Schiller | ||
| 2001 | And Never Let Her Go | Peter Levin |
Accolades
[edit]| Year | Award | Category | Title | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Academy Awards | Best Cinematography | Lenny | Nominated | [8] |
| 1999 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Cinematography for a Limited Series or Movie | Dash and Lilly | Nominated | [9] |
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 "BRUCE SURTEES". cinematographers.nl. Archived from the original on June 30, 2022. Retrieved February 4, 2018.
- ↑ "Bruce Surtees Biography". Filmreference.com.
- ↑ Wiegand, Chris (February 28, 2012). "Bruce Surtees obituary". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved March 13, 2026.
- ↑ Staff, Variety (February 26, 2012). "D.P. Bruce Surtees dies at 74". Variety. Retrieved March 13, 2026.
- ↑ McLellan, Dennis (March 2, 2012). "Bruce Surtees dies at 74; cinematographer worked with Eastwood and Fosse". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 13, 2026.
- ↑ Fox, Margalit (February 28, 2012). "Bruce Surtees, Oscar-Nominated Cinematographer, Dies at 74". New York Times.
- ↑ "D.P. Bruce Surtees dies at 74". Variety. February 26, 2012. Archived from the original on December 19, 2013.
- ↑ "The 47th Academy Awards | 1975". www.oscars.org. October 6, 2014. Retrieved March 13, 2026.
- ↑ "Bruce Surtees | Emmy Awards and Nominations". Television Academy. Retrieved March 13, 2026.
