Gordon Hugh Willis, Jr., ASC (May 28, 1931 – May 18, 2014) was an American cinematographer. He is best known for his work on Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather series as well as Woody Allen's Annie Hall and Manhattan. His fellow cinematographer William Fraker called Willis' work "a milestone in visual storytelling", while one critic suggested that "more than any other director of photography, Willis defined the cinematic look of the 1970s: sophisticated compositions in which bolts of light and black put the decade's moral ambiguities into stark relief".When the International Cinematographers Guild conducted a survey in 2003, they placed Willis among the ten most influential cinematographers in history.
Known in the industry as "The Prince of Darkness", due to his lighting technique of using shadows and often not allowing a character's eyes to be seen clearly (The Godfather (1972), The Godfather: Part II (1974), The Parallax View (1974)).
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Quote
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[commenting on digital filming] The organics aren't the same. The interpretive levels suffer. Digital is another form of recording an image, but it won't replace thinking.
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[on "ruining" footage to create the look of time-ravaged 1920s newsreels] "The lack of perfection, that's the hardest quality of all, because you're fighting your instincts. You're trained to want to do things perfectly."
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Fact
1
He served in the US Air Force motion-picture unit for four years during the Korean war, where he learned about making movies. After the war, he spent some time in advertising, where he learned to pare down his style.
2
His father worked as a make-up artist at Warner Brothers.
Member of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) since 1975.
6
In a spectacular seven-year period from 1971 to 1977, seven of the films he worked on as director of photography accumulated 39 Oscar nominations with 19 wins. Among these wins were three Best Picture winners (The Godfather (1972), The Godfather: Part II (1974) and Annie Hall (1977)) and six for acting (Jane Fonda, Marlon Brando, John Houseman, Robert De Niro, Jason Robards and Diane Keaton). Incredibly, Willis failed to secure a single nomination for himself during this period.
Cinematographer
Title
Year
Status
Character
September 30, 1955
1977
director of photography
Annie Hall
1977
director of photography
All the President's Men
1976
director of photography
The Drowning Pool
1975
director of photography
The Godfather: Part II
1974
director of photography
The Parallax View
1974
The Paper Chase
1973
Up the Sandbox
1972
director of photography
Bad Company
1972
The Godfather
1972
director of photography
Klute
1971
director of photography
Little Murders
1971
The People Next Door
1970
director of photography
The Landlord
1970
Loving
1970
End of the Road
1970
The Devil's Own
1997
director of photography
Malice
1993
director of photography
The Godfather Trilogy: 1901-1980
1992
Video
The Godfather: Part III
1990
Presumed Innocent
1990
Bright Lights, Big City
1988
director of photography
The Pick-up Artist
1987
The Money Pit
1986
Perfect
1985
The Purple Rose of Cairo
1985
Broadway Danny Rose
1984
The Lost Honor of Kathryn Beck
1984
TV Movie
Zelig
1983
A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy
1982
director of photography
Pennies from Heaven
1981
director of photography
Stardust Memories
1980
director of photography
Windows
1980
Manhattan
1979
director of photography
Comes a Horseman
1978
Interiors
1978
director of photography
The Godfather: A Novel for Television
1977
TV Mini-Series 4 episodes
Director
Title
Year
Status
Character
Windows
1980
Camera Department
Title
Year
Status
Character
The Beatles at Shea Stadium
1966
TV Movie documentary camera operator
Thanks
Title
Year
Status
Character
Edición Especial Coleccionista
2014
TV Series in memory of - 1 episode
Telling the Truth About Lies: The Making of 'All the President's Men'
2006
Video documentary short special thanks
Man of the Century
1999
thanks
Visions of Light
1992
Documentary special thanks: AFI
The Godfather Family: A Look Inside
1990
TV Movie documentary thanks
The Godfather: Part II
1974
special thanks - 2007 restoration
The Godfather
1972
special thanks - 2007 restoration
Self
Title
Year
Status
Character
Keepers of the Magic
2016
Documentary completed
Himself
An Amazing Time: A Conversation About End of the Road
2012
Video documentary short
Himself
Woody Allen: A Documentary
2012
Documentary
Himself
American Masters
2011
TV Series documentary
Himself
Emulsional Rescue: Revealing 'The Godfather'
2008
Video short
Himself
Cinematographer Style
2006
Documentary
Himself
Telling the Truth About Lies: The Making of 'All the President's Men'
2006
Video documentary short
Himself
Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex, Drugs and Rock 'N' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood
2003
Documentary
Himself
Gordon Willis on Cinematography
2001
Video documentary short
Himself
The 9th Annual ASC Awards
1994
TV Special
Himself - Winner: Lifetime Achievement Award
Visions of Light
1992
Documentary
Himself
International Cinematographer's Guild Heritage Series
1991
TV Series
Himself
The Godfather Family: A Look Inside
1990
TV Movie documentary
Himself - Cinematographer
To Woody Allen from Europe with Love
1980
Documentary
Himself
Archive Footage
Title
Year
Status
Character
The 87th Annual Academy Awards
2015
TV Special
Himself - Cinematographer (In Memoriam)
Días de cine
2009-2014
TV Series
Himself
Won Awards
Year
Award
Ceremony
Nomination
Movie
2010
Honorary Award
Academy Awards, USA
For unsurpassed mastery of light, shadow, color and motion.
2008
OFTA Film Hall of Fame
Online Film & Television Association
Behind the Scenes
Cinematography
1995
Lifetime Achievement Award
American Society of Cinematographers, USA
1983
NYFCC Award
New York Film Critics Circle Awards
Best Cinematographer
Zelig (1983)
1982
BSFC Award
Boston Society of Film Critics Awards
Best Cinematography
Pennies from Heaven (1981)
1982
NSFC Award
National Society of Film Critics Awards, USA
Best Cinematography
Pennies from Heaven (1981)
1975
NSFC Award
National Society of Film Critics Awards, USA
Best Cinematography
The Godfather: Part II (1974)
Nominated Awards
Year
Award
Ceremony
Nomination
Movie
1991
Oscar
Academy Awards, USA
Best Cinematography
The Godfather: Part III (1990)
1991
ASC Award
American Society of Cinematographers, USA
Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Theatrical Releases
$19 Million
