John Alton
Biography
John Alton A.S.C. (October 5, 1901 – June 2, 1996), born Johann Altmann, in Sopron/Ödenburg, Kingdom of Hungary, Austria-Hungary, was an American cinematographer. Alton won an Academy Award for the cinematography of An American in Paris (1951), becoming the first Hungarian-born person to do so. He photographed some of the most famous film noirs of the classic period. He started out in Los Angeles as a lab technician in the 1920s, later becoming a cameraman within four years. He moved to France with Ernst Lubitsch to film backgrounds for The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg (1927) and ended up staying for one year heading the camera department of Paramount Pictures's Joinville Studios. In 1932 he moved to Argentina where he shot many Spanish-language films and designed the country's first sound film studio for Lumiton and Argentina Sono Film. He returned to Hollywood in the late 1930s, with two dozen film credits, and became one of the most sought after cinematographers in American cinema. Alton was known for unconventional camera angles—especially low camera shots. His style is most notable in the film noirs: He Walked by Night, The Big Combo, The Amazing Mr. X, T-Men, and Raw Deal. Alton also photographed many color movies including Slightly Scarlet (a color film noir).
Personal Details
Movies (49)
'S Wonderful: Creating An American in Paris
as Self (archival footage)
2008
Mystery Street: Murder at Harvard
2007
Film Noir: Bringing Darkness to Light
as Self
2006
Glorious Technicolor
as Self (archive footage)
1998
Dark and Deadly: Fifty Years of Film Noir
as Self
1995
Birdman of Alcatraz
Director of Photography (Camera)
1962
Elmer Gantry
Director of Photography (Camera)
1960
12 to the Moon
Director of Photography (Camera)
1960
Lonelyhearts
Director of Photography (Camera)
1959
The Brothers Karamazov
Director of Photography (Camera)
1958
The Teahouse of the August Moon
Director of Photography (Camera)
1957
Designing Woman
Director of Photography (Camera)
1957
Tea and Sympathy
Director of Photography (Camera)
1956
The Catered Affair
Director of Photography (Camera)
1956
Slightly Scarlet
Director of Photography (Camera)
1956
Tennessee's Partner
Director of Photography (Camera)
1955
Pearl of the South Pacific
Director of Photography (Camera)
1955
Escape to Burma
Director of Photography (Camera)
1955
The Big Combo
Director of Photography (Camera)
1955
The Steel Cage
Director of Photography (Camera)
1954
Cattle Queen of Montana
Director of Photography (Camera)
1954
Passion
Director of Photography (Camera)
1954
Silver Lode
Director of Photography (Camera)
1954
Witness to Murder
Director of Photography (Camera)
1954
Duffy of San Quentin
Director of Photography (Camera)
1954
Take the High Ground!
Director of Photography (Camera)
1953
I, the Jury
Director of Photography (Camera)
1953
Count the Hours!
Director of Photography (Camera)
1953
Battle Circus
Cinematography (Crew)
1953
Apache War Smoke
Director of Photography (Camera)
1952
Washington Story
Director of Photography (Camera)
1952
Talk About a Stranger
Director of Photography (Camera)
1952
An American in Paris
Additional Photography (Camera)
1951
The People Against O'Hara
Director of Photography (Camera)
1951
Father's Little Dividend
Director of Photography (Camera)
1951
Grounds for Marriage
Director of Photography (Camera)
1951
Devil's Doorway
Director of Photography (Camera)
1950
Mystery Street
Director of Photography (Camera)
1950
Father of the Bride
Director of Photography (Camera)
1950
Captain China
Director of Photography (Camera)
1950
Border Incident
Director of Photography (Camera)
1949
Reign of Terror
Director of Photography (Camera)
1949
Red Stallion In The Rockies
Director of Photography (Camera)
1949
The Crooked Way
Director of Photography (Camera)
1949
He Walked by Night
Director of Photography (Camera)
1949
Hollow Triumph
Director of Photography (Camera)
1948
The Amazing Mr. X
Director of Photography (Camera)
1948
Canon City
Director of Photography (Camera)
1948
Raw Deal
Director of Photography (Camera)
1948
