Adam Greenberg, A.S.C. (; April 11, 1937 – October 31, 2025) was an Israeli-American cinematographer.
Greenberg was noted for his work in Israeli and American productions, including several action films starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, most notably the first two Terminator movies, which the sequel earned him a nomination at the Academy Award for Best Cinematography.
In 1999, he was a member of the jury at the 21st Moscow International Film Festival.
Life and career Greenberg was raised in Tel Aviv. He began work as a film lab technician in 1958. While working as a newsreel and cameraman in the early 1960s, he worked with filmmaker David Perlov on his 33-minute documentary In Jerusalem (בירושלים, Be-Yerushalayim).
His first job as director of photography came in the form of The Flying Matchmaker, an Israeli musical film based on an operetta by Abraham Goldfaden. The film was selected as the Israeli entry into the Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film, but was ultimately not nominated. Greenberg shot several well-received and popular films in Israel, soon becoming one of the most noteworthy individuals in the country's film industry, beginning a long-term collaboration with prolific filmmaking duo Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus. Their coming-of-age comedy drama Lemon Popsicle was a massive success, quickly becoming the highest-grossing film in Israeli history and spawning numerous sequels and spin-offs. Greenberg's first American film was the 1980 World War II epic, shot on location in Israel and Ireland, The Big Red One. Afterwards, Greenberg emigrated to the United States, gaining citizenship three years later. Though he worked almost exclusively in Hollywood thereafter, he continued to work with Golan-Globus for years.
In 1982, Greenberg shot The Last American Virgin, an English-language remake of Lemon Popsicle with much of the same creative team. The film failed to match the same level of success as its predecessor however, and the planned sequels failed to materialize. Two years later, he shot the James Cameron-directed science fiction action film The Terminator, which became an unexpected success with both critics and audiences, spawning a highly-profitable franchise and propelling its star Arnold Schwarzenegger to film stardom. Greenberg went on to become a highly prolific director of photography, working primarily in the comedy and thriller genres. Some of these films include the military action film Iron Eagle, the cult vampire Western Near Dark, the neo-noir science fiction thriller Alien Nation, the Best Picture-nominated romantic fantasy film Ghost, Three Men and a Baby, and Sister Act.
In 1991, Greenberg worked with James Cameron on Terminator 2: Judgment Day, the sequel to The Terminator. It was a massive success both critically and financially, winning four Academy Awards (Best Makeup, Best Sound, Best Sound Effects Editing and Best Visual Effects), as well as two BAFTAs. The film earned over $519 million worldwide and remains one of the highest grossing films of all time. Greenberg received an Oscar nomination for Best Cinematography for his work on the film. This was his second time working with Arnold Schwarzenegger, and the two went on to collaborate several more times with Junior, Eraser, and Collateral Damage.
Greenberg's last film had him returning to his native Israel with Footsteps in Jerusalem, an homage to David Perlov that combined In Jerusalem with nine other short documentaries as a means to explore the massive changes Jerusalem has undergone through the decades.
He re-teamed with director James Cameron to oversee the 3-D conversion of Terminator 2 in 2017.
Greenberg died in Los Angeles on October 31, 2025, at the age of 88.
Filmography Film Short film Year Title Director Notes 1963 In Jerusalem David Perlov Documentary short1967 Avraham Heffner Theatre in Israel David Perlov Documentary short
Feature film Year Title Director Notes1969 Ellida Geira With Amnon Salomon 42:6 - Ben Gurion David Perlov With Erwin Hillier 1970 Madron Jerry Hopper With Marcel Grignon 1971 Hasamba Joel Silberg1972 Metzitzim Uri Zohar I Love You Rosa Moshé Mizrahi Baruch Dienar With Baruch Dienar David Perlov1973 The House on Chelouche StreetMoshé Mizrahi Daughters, Daughters 1974 My Michael Dan Wolman 1975 Diamonds Menahem Golan 1976 The Passover Plot Michael Campus1977 Operation Thunderbolt Menahem Golan Warhead John O'Connor Alfred Steinhardt Shaike Ophir1978 Lemon Popsicle Boaz Davidson The Uranium Conspiracy Gianfranco BaldanelloMenahem Golan With Antonio Modica Tzvi Shissel Yigal Bursztyn 1979 Going Steady Boaz Davidson1980 The Big Red One Samuel Fuller Seed of Innocence Boaz Davidson1982 Paradise Stuart Gillard Safari 3000 Harry Hurwitz The Last American VirginBoaz Davidson Private Popsicle1983 10 to Midnight J. Lee Thompson Tzvi Shissel1984 Over the Brooklyn Bridge Menahem Golan The Terminator James Cameron The Ambassador J. Lee Thompson1985 Private Resort George Bowers War and Love Moshé Mizrahi Once Bitten Howard Storm The Ladies Club Janet Greek1986 Iron Eagle Sidney J. Furie Jocks Steve Carver Howard the Duck Willard Huyck Wisdom Emilio Estevez1987 A Walk on the Moon Raphael D. Silver La Bamba Luis Valdez Near Dark Kathryn Bigelow Three Men and a Baby Leonard Nimoy1988 Spellbinder Janet Greek Alien Nation Graham Baker Boaz DavidsonUri Zohar With David Gurfinkel1989 Turner & Hooch Roger Spottiswoode Worth Winning Will Mackenzie1990 Love Hurts Bud Yorkin Ghost Jerry Zucker Three Men and a Little Lady Emile Ardolino 1991 Terminator 2: Judgment Day James Cameron1992 Sister Act Emile Ardolino Toys Barry Levinson1993 Dave Ivan Reitman1994 Renaissance Man Penny Marshall North Rob Reiner Junior Ivan Reitman1995 First Knight Jerry Zucker The Surrogate Jan EglesonRaymond Hartung1996 Eraser Chuck Russell1998 Sphere Barry Levinson Rush Hour Brett Ratner 1999 Inspector Gadget David Kellogg2002 Collateral Damage Andrew Davis The Santa Clause 2 Michael Lembeck 2006 Snakes on a Plane David R. Ellis
Television Year Title Director Notes 1970–1973 Lool Boaz DavidsonUri Zohar 1982 The New Odd Couple Joel Zwick 4 episodes
TV movies Year Title Director 1979 Mary and Joseph: A Story of Faith Eric Till1982 A Woman Called Golda Alan Gibson Remembrance of Love Jack Smight
Accolades Year Award Nomination Title Result 1990 American Society of Cinematographers Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography Ghost 1991 Academy Awards Best CinematographyTerminator 2: Judgment Day American Society of Cinematographers Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography British Society of Cinematographers Best Cinematography Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Best Cinematography
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