Charles Gladdish Rosher, A.S.C. (17 November 1885 – 15 January 1974) was a British-American cinematographer who worked from the early days of silent films through the 1950s.
He was Mary Pickford's favourite cinematographer and a personal friend, shooting all of the films in which she starred from 1918 to 1927, before they had a falling-out during production of Coquette (1929). He was the first cinematographer to receive an Academy Award, along with Karl Struss, for Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927), and won again for The Yearling (1946), with Leonard Smith and Arthur Arling. He was also nominated four times.
Biography Rosher was born Charles Gladdish Rosher on 17 November 1885 in London. According to an interview of him in the documentary The Image Makers: The Adventures of America's Pioneer Cinematographers, he was originally unhappily studying naval architecture, but enrolled in London Polytechnic's school of photography, photography being a hobby of his. He eventually became an assistant to Richard Speaight, the official photographer of the British royal family.
After attending a conference in Rochester, New York in 1908, he decided to stay in the United States, as the pay was much better and he did not have to wear a morning coat. He became a newsreel cameraman. In 1910, he went to work for David Horsley in his production company in New Jersey. Because early film was largely restricted to using daylight, Horsley relocated his production company to Hollywood in 1911, taking Rosher with him, and opened the first movie studio there. This made Rosher the first full-time cameraman in Hollywood.
In 1913, Rosher went to Mexico to shoot newsreel footage of Pancho Villa's rebellion. Rosher became a naturalised American citizen on 6 September 1918. In January 1919, he was one of the 15 founders of the American Society of Cinematographers and served as the group's first vice-president. In the 1920s, he was one of the more sought-after cinematographers in Hollywood, and was a personal favourite of stars such as Mary Pickford, working with her, first on A Little Princess (1917), then on all the films she acted in from How Could You, Jean? (1918) to My Best Girl (1927).
However, they had a falling out over the restrictions the sound department wanted to impose in shooting Coquette (1929), Pickford's first talking picture, and Karl Struss took over the cinematography. His work with Struss on F. W. Murnau's 1927 film Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans is viewed as a milestone in cinematography and won the pair the first Academy Award for cinematography in 1929. He shot five films for producer David O. Selznick, including Rockabye (1932), Our Betters (1933) and Little Lord Fauntleroy (1936).
Rosher worked at several studios, but spent the last 12 years of his career exclusively at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, shooting such films as Annie Get Your Gun, Show Boat, Kiss Me Kate, and The Yearling.
Personal life Rosher was married at least 4 times. On 14 February 1913, Rosher married Lolita Rosher (née Hayes) in El Paso with whom he had the actress Joan Marsh. Rosher later married the actress Doris Patricia Rosher (née Cubitt) on 6 January 1925, the same year he was rumoured to be the lover of the then 20 year old Anna May Wong. On 9 June 1934, Rosher married the actress Odette Duval (née Guazoni) with whom he had the cinematographer Charles Rosher Jr. (1935–2015). Rosher later remarried Doris and she is listed as his wife on his death report.
On 16 January 1974, Rosher died in Lisbon, Portugal at the aged 88. Rosher was buried in Estoril.
Awards and nominations Award Year Category Nominated work Result Notes Academy Awards 1929 Best Cinematography Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans With Karl Struss 1935 The Affairs of Cellini 1945 Kismet 1947 The Yearling With Leonard Smith and Arthur E. Arling 1951 Annie Get Your Gun 1952 Show Boat George Eastman Award 1955 1957 In addition, Rosher received Photoplay magazine's Gold Medal, and the only fellowship awarded by the Society of Motion Picture Engineers.
Filmography * indicates a Pickford film. Year Title Notes 1912 Short Early Days in the West Short Life of Villa Documentary 1913 With Pancho Villa in Mexico 1914 The Next in Command The Oath of a Viking Short The Mystery of the Poison Pool Santo Icario 1915 The Smuggler's Lass Short The Mad Maid of the Forest Short Gene of the Northland Short The Voice in the Fog Blackbirds Credited as Charles G. Rosher 1916 The Sowers The Clown Common Ground Anton the Terrible The Heir to the Hoorah The Plow Girl 1917 On Record A Mormon Maid The Primrose Ring At First Sight Hashimura Togo A Little Princess* With Walter Stradling The Secret Game 1918 The Widow's Might One More American The Honor of His House The White Man's Law How Could You, Jean?* Johanna Enlists* Too Many Millions The Dub Captain Kidd, Jr.* Daddy-Long-Legs* The Hoodlum* Heart o' the Hills* 1920 Pollyanna* Suds* With L. William O'Connell The White Circle (1920) With Alfred Ortlieb Dinty (1920) With David Kesson and Foster Leonard 1921 The Love Light* Through the Back Door* Little Lord Fauntleroy* 1922 Smilin' Through With J. Roy Hunt Tess of the Storm Country* 1923 Sant'Ilario Rosita* Tiger Rose 1924 Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall* Three Women With Charles Van Enger 1925 Little Annie Rooney* With Hal Mohr 1926 Sparrows* With Hal Mohr 1927 Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans My Best Girl* 1928 Tempest Coquette* Uncredited 1929 Eternal Love (1929) With Oliver T. Marsh The Vagabond Queen Atlantik Atlantic 1930 The Road Is Fine Knowing Men Two Worlds Zwei Welten With Mutz Greenbaum The Price of Things Atlantis War Nurse Paid Les deux mondes 1931 Dance, Fools, Dance Laughing Sinners This Modern Age Silence The Beloved Bachelor Husband's Holiday 1932 What Price Hollywood? Two Against the World Flaming Gold Rockabye 1933 The Past of Mary Holmes Our Betters The Silver Cord Bed of Roses After Tonight 1934 Moulin Rouge The Affairs of Cellini Outcast Lady What Every Woman Knows 1935 After Office Hours (1935) Call of the Wild Broadway Melody of 1936 1936 Little Lord Fauntleroy Small Town Girl With Oliver T. Marsh Men Are Not Gods 1937 The Woman I Love The Perfect Specimen Hollywood Hotel With George Barnes 1938 White Banners Hard to Get 1939 Off the Record Yes, My Darling Daughter Hell's Kitchen Espionage Agent A Child Is Born 1940 Brother Rat and a Baby Three Cheers for the Irish My Love Came Back 1941 Four Mothers Million Dollar Baby One Foot in Heaven 1942 Mokey Pierre of the Plains Stand By for Action 1943 Assignment in Brittany I Dood It (1943) Uncredited Swing Fever 1944 Kismet 1945 Ziegfeld Follies Uncredited; with George Folsey and Ray June Yolanda and the Thief 1946 The Yearling With Arthur Arling and Leonard Smith 1947 Fiesta With Wilfrid M. Cline and Sidney Wagner Dark Delusion Song of the Thin Man 1948 On an Island with You Words and Music With Harry Stradling 1949 Neptune's Daughter The Red Danube East Side, West Side 1950 Annie Get Your Gun Pagan Love Song 1951 Show Boat 1952 Scaramouche 1953 The Story of Three Loves Young Bess With Harold Rosson Kiss Me Kate 1955 Jupiter's Darling With Paul C. Vogel
References
External links
Biography in the New York Times