Owen Roizman

• Name — Owen Roizman • Born — 22 September 1936 • Birthplace — New York City, U.S. • Died — 6 January 2023 • Place of death — Los Angeles, California, U.S. • Years Active — 1970–2020 • Children — 1

Roizman was raised in Brooklyn, and as a child, he wanted to be a baseball player, physicist, or mathematician. He had a tryout with the New York Yankees but contracted polio as a teenager. His father, Sol, was a cameraman for Movietone News, and upon hearing about the film industry's possible wages, Roizman decided, "I'm going for the money!" He began working during summer breaks at a camera rental store in New York City and later was an assistant to cinematographer Gerald Hirschfeld at MPO Videotronics.

After creating several television commercials, Roizman made his feature film debut in 1970 with Stop. His second film, William Friedkin's The French Connection (1971), earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography. The film set the style for many of his future films, with "gritty New York street photography" and available light. Throughout his career, he garnered a total of five nominations for Best Cinematography. His final film was Lawrence Kasdan's French Kiss (1995). Roizman was a member of the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences from 2002 to 2011, representing the Cinematographers Branch, and was a member of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC). Roizman was ASC president from 1997 to 1998 and served on its board. He received an Academy Honorary Award at the 9th Governors Awards ceremony in 2017.

Roizman lived in the Encino neighborhood of Los Angeles with his wife, Mona. They had a son, Eric, who became a camera operator. On January 6, 2023, Roizman died under hospice care at his home at the age of 86.

Film • Year — Title — Director • 1970 — Stop! — Bill Gunn • 1971 — The French Connection — William Friedkin • The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight — James Goldstone • 1972 — Play It Again, Sam — Herbert Ross • The Heartbreak Kid — Elaine May • 1973 — The Exorcist — William Friedkin • 1974 — The Taking of Pelham One Two Three — Joseph Sargent • 1975 — The Stepford Wives — Bryan Forbes • Three Days of the Condor — Sydney Pollack • 1976 — The Return of a Man Called Horse — Irvin Kershner • Network — Sidney Lumet • 1978 — Straight Time — Ulu Grosbard • Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band — Michael Schultz • 1979 — The Electric Horseman — Sydney Pollack • 1980 — The Black Marble — Harold Becker • 1981 — True Confessions — Ulu Grosbard • Absence of Malice — Sydney Pollack • Taps — Harold Becker • 1982 — Tootsie — Sydney Pollack • 1985 — Vision Quest — Harold Becker • 1990 — I Love You to Death — Lawrence Kasdan • Havana — Sydney Pollack • 1991 — The Addams Family — Barry Sonnenfeld • Grand Canyon — Lawrence Kasdan • 1994 — Wyatt Earp • 1995 — French Kiss Short film • Year — Title — Director • 1976 — Independence — John Huston Television • Year — Title — Director — Notes • 1972 — Liza with a Z — Bob Fosse — Concert film • 2020 — Cine Chalom — Yossi Benavraham — Episode "EXTRAIT DU FILM "LES TROIS JOURS DU CONDOR" DE SYDNEY POLLACK... 1975" Ref.: