Bruce Surtees | |
|---|---|
| Born | Bruce Mohr Powell Surtees August 3, 1937 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Died | February 23, 2012 (aged 74) Carmel, California, U.S. |
| Education | ArtCenter College of Design |
| Years active | 1955–2002 |
| Father | Robert Surtees |
Bruce Mohr Powell Surtees (August 3, 1937 – February 23, 2012) was an American cinematographer, best known for his collaboration with Clint Eastwood.
He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography for his work on Lenny (1974).
Surtees was born in Los Angeles, in 1937, as the son of three-time Oscar-winning cinematographer Robert L. Surtees and Maydell Lois James. Surtees was given the middle name "Mohr" after his father's mentor Hal Mohr. He studied at the ArtCenter College of Design.
Surtees worked as an animation technician at Walt Disney Pictures before becoming a camera assistant under his father's direction for The Hallelujah Trail and Lost Command.
He formed a close friendship with Don Siegel and Clint Eastwood, serving as a camera operator for Coogan's Bluff and Two Mules for Sister Sara. Impressed by Surtees' camera work, Siegel made him the cinematographer for The Beguiled and Dirty Harry. Surtees worked as a cinematographer on several of Eastwood's films, including Play Misty for Me, High Plains Drifter, The Outlaw Josey Wales, and Sudden Impact.
He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography for his work on Lenny (1974), Bob Fosse's biopic of comedian Lenny Bruce. Starting in the mid-1990's, Surtees mostly worked on made-for-television films, and was nominated for an Emmy Award for Dash and Lilly (1999).
Surtees was affectionately nicknamed the "Prince of Darkness" for his low-key lighting.
Surtees was married twice. He met his second wife Carol Buby while scouting locations for Inchon in Seoul, South Korea. He had a daughter, Suzanne Surtees, from his first marriage.
Surtees died from complications from diabetes on February 23, 2012, at the age of 74.
Film
TV movies
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Hello Mother, Goodbye! | Peter H. Hunt | |
| 1991 | Chains of Gold | Rod Holcomb | With Dariusz Wolski |
| 1994 | The Birds II: Land's End | Rick Rosenthal | |
| 1999 | Murder in a Small Town | Joyce Chopra | |
| Dash and Lilly | Kathy Bates | ||
| That Championship Season | Paul Sorvino | ||
| Lethal Vows | Paul Schneider | ||
| The Lady in Question | Joyce Chopra | ||
| 2000 | Thin Air | Robert Mandel | |
| American Tragedy | Lawrence Schiller | ||
| 2001 | And Never Let Her Go | Peter Levin |
| Year | Award | Category | Title | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Academy Awards | Best Cinematography | Lenny | Nominated | |
| 1999 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Cinematography for a Limited Series or Movie | Dash and Lilly | Nominated |
