John Alcott, BSC (27 November 1930 – 28 July 1986) was an English cinematographer, best known for his collaboration with director Stanley Kubrick, with his work on Barry Lyndon (1975) earning him the Academy Award for Best Cinematography.
Early life Alcott was born in Isleworth, England, in 1930.
He was the son of Arthur Alcott, an executive at Gainsborough Pictures and later Pinewood Studios.
Career Alcott began his career at a young age as a clapper boy. During the production of 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Kubrick promoted Alcott to lighting cameraman, completing the "Dawn of Man" sequence after Geoffrey Unsworth's schedule forced him to depart from production.
Alcott subsequently shot three more films for Kubrick: A Clockwork Orange (1971), Barry Lyndon (1975), and The Shining (1980).
His work on Barry Lyndon broke new grounds in terms of natural lighting. Kubrick completely discarded electric lighting in favor of candle lighting to recreate the mood of an 18th century setting. The film ultimately won Alcott an Academy Award and BAFTA Award for Best Cinematography.
Alcott's work on The Shining also became innovative for inventive uses of a Steadicam to create more fluid camera movements.
In 1981, Alcott moved to the United States, where he directed and shot commercials for television at Paisley Productions.
Alcott was featured in the 1986 PBS documentary Six Kinds Of Light (Masters Of Cinematography).
Death Alcott died of a heart attack in Cannes, France in 1986, at the age of 55.
His final two films, White Water Summer and No Way Out, were released posthumously, and were dedicated to his memory.
In his memory, the "BSC John Alcott ARRI Award" was created by the British Society of Cinematographers in 1990.
Filmography Year Title Director Notes 1971 A Clockwork Orange Stanley Kubrick 1974 Little MalcolmStuart Cooper1975 Overlord Barry Lyndon Stanley Kubrick1977 March or Die Dick Richards The Disappearance Stuart Cooper 1978 Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe? Ted Kotcheff1980 The Shining Stanley Kubrick Terror Train Roger Spottiswoode1981 Fangio: Una vita a 300 all'ora Hugh Hudson Documentary film Fort Apache, the Bronx Daniel Petrie1982 Vice Squad Gary Sherman The Beastmaster Don Coscarelli1983 Triumphs of a Man Called Horse John Hough With John Cabrera Under Fire Roger Spottiswoode 1984 Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes Hugh Hudson 1985 Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend Bill L. Norton 1986 Miracles Jim Kouf1987 White Water Summer Jeff BlecknerPosthumous release No Way Out Roger Donaldson
Awards and nominations + Year Award Category Title Result Ref. 1975 Academy Awards Best Cinematography Barry Lyndon 1971British Academy Film AwardsBest Cinematography A Clockwork Orange 1975 Barry Lyndon 1984 Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes 1975British Society of CinematographersBest Cinematography Barry Lyndon 1984 Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes 1982Evening Standard British Film AwardsSpecial Award 1985Best Technical/Artistic Achievement 1975 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Best CinematographyBarry Lyndon National Society of Film CriticsBest Cinematography 1983 Under Fire
References
External links Alcott biography and credits at BFI Screenonline