Frederick James Koenekamp, ASC (November 11, 1922 – May 31, 2017) was an American cinematographer.
He worked in television and feature films from the 1960s, earning two Primetime Emmy Awards for his work on The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964–67).
Koenekamp won an Academy Award for Best Cinematography for The Towering Inferno (1974), along with Joseph Biroc, with additional nominations for Patton (1970) and Islands in the Stream (1977).
Early life and education Fred J. Koenekamp was the son of Hans Frederick "H. F." Koenekamp, a cinematographer and special effects artist. Hans was the cameraman of Mack Sennett and his career worked with the likes of Charlie Chaplin, Gloria Swanson and the Keystone Cops.''Daily Variety'', Peripheral Vision: Wide Range of Koenekamp's Work Underscores his Versatility. November 29 2016. Hans would later receive the ASC Presidents Award in 1991. On occasion, as a young boy, Fred would go with his father on the weekends to visit the studios which he worked in. He took particular interest in the Camera and Special Effects Department at Warner Bros.''American Cinematographer''. A Versatile Veteran. November 29 2016.
Despite this background in film, Koenekamp developed a much greater interest in aviation and enrolled in the commercial aviation program at the University of Southern California. When World War II broke out, Koenekamp enlisted in the Navy and served in the South Pacific for three and a half years. Koenekamp would resume his education after the end of the war.
Career At the age of 23, Fred received a phone call from Herb Aller, head of the cameraman's union, and was offered a job as a film loader at RKO Pictures. It was during this time in which Fred developed a fascination with the picture business.
During this time, Bill Ellington, head of the camera department at RKO, and Ted Winchester, an associate at RKO, began to mentor Fred and during their spare time in the loading rooms, would teach Fred how to operate and take care of cameras.
The first five years of Koenekemp's career were fairly tumultuous and Fred found himself unemployed and employed again on several occasions. In 1953, Koenekamp received an offer from Bill Ellington to return to RKO to work on several 3D film setups and tests. As business began to pick up at RKO once again, Koenekamp received his first job as an assistant cameraman on Underwater! starring Jane Russell and directed by John Sturges. Koenekamp found himself in Hawaii for seven weeks and developed a skill for underwater photography.
As a result of his experience with underwater photography, Koenekamp found himself at MGM working as an assistant cameraman on a project with Esther Williams. This would initiate Koenekamp's 14-year stint at MGM.
After five years working as an assistant cameraman at MGM, Koenekamp became an operator. His first film as an operator was The Brothers Karamazov, a film adapted and directed by Richard Brooks. Moving from assistant cameraman to operator, Koenekamp described the increase in responsibilities as a daunting task. It was during this time in which Koenekamp learned how to light scenes, compose shots, and work with a director. At MGM, Fred developed close working relations with Robert Surtees, ASC and Milton Krasner, ASC. Koenekamp worked with Surtees as a technician on Raintree County, the first film shot with Panavision 70.
Koenekamp became an operator for Gunsmoke as business began to slow down at MGM. When the series wrapped, Fred found himself a four-year stint working on The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and earned himself two Emmy nominations for his work on the 1964–65 and 1965–66 seasons. Koenekamp would receive his first credit as a cinematographer for 1966's The Spy with My Face, a big screen adaptation of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Within the next three years, Koenekamp worked on four more features with MGM—Doctor, You've Got to Be Kidding!, with Sandra Dee and George Hamilton; Stay Away, Joe (1968) and Live a Little, Love a Little, and Heaven with a Gun, with Glenn Ford. Koenekamp would then move on to work with Warner Bros. on The Great Bank Robbery.
In the midst of working on The Great Bank Robbery, Koenekamp received a call from his agent regarding interviewing with director Franklin J. Schaffner for Patton (1970). A week later, Fred received a call informing him that he was selected to be the cinematographer for the film. Patton shot in several locations including England, Greece, North Africa and Spain, and while shooting, Koenekamp developed a very close working relation with Franklin J. Schaffner. It was for Patton which Koenekamp received his first Academy Award for Best Cinematography nomination.
Koenekamp worked with Fox and director John Guillermin for 1974 action-drama disaster film The Towering Inferno. Fred worked with cinematographer Joseph Biroc on the film, and the two would win their first Academy Award for Best Cinematography. Koenekamp and Biroc would go on to work on four more features together.
Koenekamp reunited with Franklin J. Schaffner to work on Islands in the Stream and received his third Academy award nomination.
Throughout his career as a cinematographer, Koenekamp preferred to work with the same crew. He had three assistants—Mike Benson, Ed Morey and Chuck Arnold, all of which he eventually made operators. All three would eventually become cinematographers as well.
Koenekamp retired at the age of 67 as a result of his displeasure with the quality of the films he was working on. His last film was Flight of the Intruder (1991).
Death Koenekamp died, at the age of 94, on May 31, 2017, and was buried at Eternal Valley Memorial Park in Santa Clarita, California.
Filmography Film Year Title Director Notes 1965 The Spy with My Face John Newland1966 One of Our Spies Is Missing E. Darrell Hallenbeck One Spy Too ManyJoseph Sargent1967 The Spy in the Green Hat The Karate Killers Barry Shear Doctor, You've Got to Be Kidding! Peter Tewksbury The Helicopter Spies Boris Sagal1968 Sol Madrid Brian G. Hutton Stay Away, Joe Peter Tewksbury Live a Little, Love a Little Norman Taurog1969 Heaven with a Gun Lee H. Katzin The Great Bank Robbery Hy Averback1970 Patton Franklin J. Schaffner Beyond the Valley of the Dolls Russ Meyer Flap Carol Reed1971 Billy Jack Tom Laughlin With John M. Stephens Skin Game Paul Bogart Happy Birthday, Wanda June Mark Robson1972 Stand Up and Be Counted Jackie Cooper The Magnificent Seven Ride! George McCowan Kansas City Bomber Jerrold Freedman Rage George C. Scott1973 Harry in Your Pocket Bruce Geller Papillon Franklin J. Schaffner1974 Uptown Saturday Night Sidney Poitier The Towering Inferno John Guillermin With Joseph Biroc1975 The Wild McCullochs Max Baer Jr. Posse Kirk Douglas Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze Michael Anderson White Line Fever Jonathan Kaplan 1976 Embryo Ralph Nelson1977 Fun with Dick and Jane Ted Kotcheff Islands in the Stream Franklin J. Schaffner The Domino Principle Stanley Kramer With Ernest Laszlo The Other Side of Midnight Charles Jarrott The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training Michael Pressman 1978 The Swarm Irwin Allen1979 Love and Bullets Stuart Rosenberg The Champ Franco Zeffirelli The Amityville Horror Stuart Rosenberg1980 When Time Ran Out James Goldstone The Hunter Buzz Kulik First Family Buck Henry1981 Carbon Copy Michael Schultz First Monday in October Ronald Neame1982 Wrong Is Right Richard Brooks Yes, Giorgio Franklin J. Schaffner It Came from Hollywood Malcolm LeoAndrew Solt Documentary film 1983 Two of a Kind John Herzfeld 1984 The Adventures of BuckarooBanzai Across the 8th Dimension W. D. Richter Replaced Jordan Cronenweth 1986 Stewardess School Ken Blancato Credited as "Anton Ken Krawczyk"1989 Listen to Me Douglas Day Stewart Welcome Home Franklin J. Schaffner 1991 Flight of the Intruder John Milius
Television Year Title Director Notes 1963-1964 The Lieutenant 28 episodes 1964-1967 The Man from U.N.C.L.E. 90 episodes 1965 The Outer Limits Felix E. Feist Episode "The Probe" 1966 Jericho Richard Donner Episode "Upbeat and Underground" 1968 Mission: Impossible Leonard HornRobert Totten Episodes "Trial by Fury" and "Recovery" 1972-1973 Kung Fu Jerry Thorpe 3 episodes1973 Adam's Rib Peter H. Hunt Episode "Illegal Aid" Hawkins Jud TaylorPaul Wendkos 3 episodes 1979 Salvage 1 Lee Philips Pilot episode 1982 Tales of the Gold Monkey Ray Austin 2 episodes 1983 Whiz Kids Corey Allen Episode "Programmed for Murder" 1985 Alice in Wonderland Harry Harris Miniseries 1986-1987 Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color Mollie MillerBeau BridgesDavid GreenwaltMike VejarStuart Gillard 5 episodes 1989 Hard Time on Planet Earth Robert Mandel Episode "Stranger in a Strange Land"
TV movies Year Title Director 1968 Shadow on the Land Richard C. Sarafian 1970 Night Chase Jack Starrett1971 In Search of America Paul Bogart The Deadly Hunt John Newland Crosscurrent Jerry Thorpe1975 The Runaway Barge Boris Sagal Conspiracy of Terror John Llewellyn Moxey 1979 Disaster on the Coastliner Richard C. Sarafian 1982 Money on the Side Robert L. Collins1983 Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E. Ray Austin Summer GirlRobert Michael Lewis1984 Flight 90: Disaster on the Potomac Summer Fantasy Noel Nosseck Obsessive Love Steven Hilliard Stern City Killer Robert Michael Lewis The Vegas Strip War George Englund A Touch of Scandal Iván Nagy1985 Not My Kid Michael Tuchner The Other Lover Robert Ellis Miller Amos Michael Tuchner1986 Pleasures Sharron Miller News at Eleven Mike Robe 1987 Student Exchange Mollie Miller1988 14 Going on 30 Paul Schneider Splash, Too Greg Antonacci
Awards and nominations Year Award Category Title Result Ref. 1970Academy AwardsBest Cinematography Patton 1974 The Towering Inferno (with Joseph Biroc) 1977 Islands in the Stream 2005 American Society of Cinematographers Lifetime Achievement Award ''American Cinematographer''. ASC frames Koenekamp for lifetime achievement 1974 British Academy Film Awards Best Cinematography The Towering Inferno 1965Primetime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Cinematography for a SeriesThe Man from U.N.C.L.E. 1966 1970 Laurel Awards Best Cinematographer Patton
References
Daily Variety, Peripheral Vision: Wide Range of Koenekamp's Work Underscores his Versatility. November 29, 2016. American Cinematographer. A Versatile Veteran. November 29, 2016.]* American Cinematographer. ASC frames Koenekamp for lifetime achievement Academy Awards Database Index for Motion Picture Credits