Gabriel Figueroa
Biography
Gabriel Figueroa Mateos (April 24, 1907 – April 27, 1997) was a Mexican cinematographer who worked both in Mexican cinema and Hollywood. His mother died after giving birth to him. His father, unable to cope with the loss of his wife, left Gabriel and his brother Roberto to be cared for by their aunts. He studied painting at the Academia de San Carlos, and at the age of 16 he became interested in photography thanks to José Guadalupe Velasco. He later befriended other photographers, such as Gilberto Martínez Solares and Raúl Martínez Solares, and these three would then move on to cinematography. Figueroa made his entry in the movie industry in 1932 as a photographer of stills for the film Revolución of Miguel Contreras Torres. He was later one of the 20 cinematographers hired for the Howard Hawks film Viva Villa!. After a few jobs he obtained a scholarship to study in the United States where the established director of photography Gregg Toland taught Figueroa. Back in Mexico, his first film was Fernando de Fuentes's Allá en el Rancho Grande (1936) which would become one of the most popular films in Mexico and Latin America, and gave him his first award at the Venice Film Festival. He filmed 235 movies over 50 years, including Los Olvidados by Luis Buñuel, The Night of the Iguana by John Huston, The Fugitive by John Ford, and Río Escondido by Emilio Fernández. One of his main collaborators was Fernández, with whom he shot twenty films, some of which won prizes at the Venice Film Festival, the Cannes Film Festival, and the Berlin Film Festival. After collaborating with Fernández and Buñuel on their films with such actors as Dolores del Río, Pedro Armendáriz, María Félix, Jorge Negrete, Columba Domínguez, and Silvia Pinal, Figueroa has come to be regarded one of the most influential cinematographers active in México.
Personal Details
Also Known As
Movies (50)
Notes from Under the Volcano
as Self
1984
Observations Under the Volcano
as Self
1984
Under the Volcano
Director of Photography (Camera)
1984
The Heart of the Night
Director of Photography (Camera)
1984
Mundo mágico
Cinematography (Crew)
1983
Mexico 2000
Cinematography (Crew)
1983
D.F./Distrito Federal
Director of Photography (Camera)
1981
El héroe desconocido
Cinematography (Crew)
1981
The Border
Director of Photography (Camera)
1980
At a Lame Pace
Director of Photography (Camera)
1980
México de mis amores
1979
The House of the Pelican
Cinematography (Crew)
1978
Cananea
Cinematography (Crew)
1978
The Children of Sanchez
Director of Photography (Camera)
1978
Divine Words
Director of Photography (Camera)
1978
Balún Canán
Director of Photography (Camera)
1977
Maten al León
Cinematography (Crew)
1977
Life Changes
Cinematography (Crew)
1976
Coronation
Director of Photography (Camera)
1976
Omen
Cinematography (Crew)
1975
Cry of the Turtle
Cinematography (Crew)
1975
Los perros de Dios
Director of Photography (Camera)
1974
The Master of Ballantrae
Director of Photography (Camera)
1974
El amor tiene cara de mujer
Director of Photography (Camera)
1973
El monasterio de los buitres
Cinematography (Crew)
1973
Once Upon a Scoundrel
Director of Photography (Camera)
1973
The She Wolf’s Orgy
Cinematography (Crew)
1972
The Children of Satan
Cinematography (Crew)
1972
María
Cinematography (Crew)
1972
El cielo y tú
Director of Photography (Camera)
1971
El profe
Director of Photography (Camera)
1971
La Generala
Director of Photography (Camera)
1971
Kelly's Heroes
Director of Photography (Camera)
1970
The Phantom Gunslinger
Director of Photography (Camera)
1970
Narda or The Summer
Director of Photography (Camera)
1970
Two Mules for Sister Sara
Director of Photography (Camera)
1970
The Door and The Butcher's Wife
Director of Photography (Camera)
1969
The Door
Cinematography (Crew)
1969
The Big Cube
Director of Photography (Camera)
1969
The Angels of Puebla
Cinematography (Crew)
1968
Pax?
Director of Photography (Camera)
1968
The Chinese Room
Director of Photography (Camera)
1968
Mariana
Director of Photography (Camera)
1968
The Scapular
Director of Photography (Camera)
1968
El asesino se embarca
Director of Photography (Camera)
1967
Savage Sunday
Cinematography (Crew)
1967
Your Excellency
Director of Photography (Camera)
1967
Pedro Paramo
Director of Photography (Camera)
1967
Forbidden Cargo
Director of Photography (Camera)
1966
¡Viva Benito Canales!
Director of Photography (Camera)
1966