Jordan Cronenweth

Jordan Cronenweth
Born	Jordan Scott Cronenweth (1935-02-20)February 20, 1935 Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Died	November 29, 1996(1996-11-29) (aged 61) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Cinematographer
Years active	1969–1992
Known for	Blade Runner Altered States Peggy Sue Got Married Stop Making Sense
Children	Jeff Cronenweth
Awards	BAFTA Film Award for Best Cinematography ASC Award for Outstanding Cinematography LAFCA Award for Best Cinematography

Jordan Scott Cronenweth, ASC (February 20, 1935 – November 29, 1996) was an American cinematographer based in Los Angeles, California. Considered to be one of the greatest and most influential cinematographers of all time, he is best remembered for his BAFTA Award-winning work on the groundbreaking science fiction film Blade Runner,^[1] which is credited as codifying the cyberpunk aesthetic.^[2][3] A contemporary of Conrad Hall, his style consisted of heavily textured, film noir-inspired photography, seen in numerous classic films, including Zandy's Bride, Gable and Lombard, Altered States, and Peggy Sue Got Married.

In 1987, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography and he received an ASC Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Theatrical Releases for his work on Peggy Sue Got Married.^[4][5]

Life and career

Born in Los Angeles, California on February 20, 1935, Cronenweth attended North Hollywood High School and later Los Angeles City College, majoring in Engineering. While in college he interned as a film lab assistant at Columbia Pictures and acted as a cameraman on the 1955 musical film Oklahoma!.^[6]

His widely acclaimed^[7][8] work on the science fiction-noir Blade Runner won the Best Cinematography Award from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and got a BSC Award nomination and BAFTA Film Award. He won a 1987 ASC Award and earned an Academy Award nomination for Peggy Sue Got Married.

Cronenweth was initially hired as the director of photography for The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension, but halfway through production producers replaced him with Fred J. Koenekamp.^[9]

A 2003 poll of his peers conducted by the International Cinematographers Guild placed Cronenweth among the ten most influential cinematographers of all time.^[10][11]

Personal life

He and his first wife Carol had three children, Christie Cronenweth, Tim Cronenweth, and two-time Oscar-nominated cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth.^[12] He was later married to Shane Cronenweth for 17 years.

Illness and death

Cronenweth was originally misdiagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1978, and correctly diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1981. He continued working in film and commercials as a cinematographer, and in several commercials as director/cameraman, for another 13 years despite considerable physical challenges.

He was replaced six weeks into the production of Alien 3 after falling ill, and died in 1996 at the age of 61 as a result of Parkinson's disease.^[13]

Filmography

Short film

Year	Title	Director	Notes
1969	A Christmas Memory	Frank Perry	Segment of Trilogy; With Vincent Saizis and Conrad Hall

Feature film

Year	Title	Director
1970	Brewster McCloud[a]	Robert Altman
1971	The Touch of Satan	Don Henderson
1972	Cry for Me, Billy	William A. Graham
	Play It as It Lays	Frank Perry
1974	The Nickel Ride	Robert Mulligan
	Zandy's Bride	Jan Troell
	The Front Page	Billy Wilder
1976	Gable and Lombard	Sidney J. Furie
1977	Handle with Care	Jonathan Demme
	Rolling Thunder	John Flynn
1980	Altered States	Ken Russell
1981	Cutter's Way	Ivan Passer
1982	Best Friends	Norman Jewison
	Blade Runner	Ridley Scott
1986	Just Between Friends	Allan Burns
	Peggy Sue Got Married	Francis Ford Coppola
1987	Gardens of Stone
1990	State of Grace	Phil Joanou
1992	Final Analysis

1. With Lamar Boren

TV movies

Year	Title	Director
1973	Birds of Prey	William A. Graham
1977	One in a Million: The Ron LeFlore Story
1978	And I Alone Survived
1979	Transplant

Concert film

Year	Title	Director	Notes
1984	Stop Making Sense	Jonathan Demme
1988	U2: Rattle and Hum	Phil Joanou	Colour segment
1991	Get Back	Richard Lester	With Robert Paynter

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Title	Result
1982	BAFTA Awards	Best Cinematography	Blade Runner	Won
	Los Angeles Film Critics Association	Best Cinematography		Won
	New York Film Critics Circle	Best Cinematographer		Won
	British Society of Cinematographers	Best Cinematography		Nominated
1986	Academy Awards	Best Cinematography	Peggy Sue Got Married	Nominated
	American Society of Cinematographers	Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography		Won

References

1. Lightman, Herb A. and Richard Patterson (March 1999). Cinematography for Blade Runner. Archived 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine American Cinematographer
2. "Cinematography for Blade Runner - page 1". theasc.com. Archived from the original on 2016-11-29. Retrieved 2017-09-20.
3. "Blade Runner: The Cinematography of Jordan Cronenweth". DIY Photography. 2014-04-17. Archived from the original on 2017-09-07. Retrieved 2017-09-20.
4. "Blade Runner: The Cinematography of Jordan Cronenweth". DIY Photography. 2014-04-17. Archived from the original on 2017-09-07. Retrieved 2017-09-07.
5. "ICG Announces Top 10 Influential Cinematographers". Creative Planet Network. 2014-06-09. Archived from the original on 2017-09-07. Retrieved 2017-09-07.
6. "JORDAN CRONENWETH". www.cinematographers.nl. Archived from the original on 2017-04-20. Retrieved 2017-09-07.
7. ""Oh, My...." Cinematography: Blade Runner". "Oh, My...." Cinematography. Archived from the original on 2018-09-02. Retrieved 2017-09-07.
8. "The Cinematography of "Blade Runner" (1982) – Evan E. Richards". Evan E. Richards. 2009-07-23. Archived from the original on 2017-09-07. Retrieved 2017-09-07.
9. Ryan, Mike (2011-01-26). "Jeff Cronenweth on His Oscar Nomination for The Social Network and Joining His Late Father as a Nominee". Movieline.com. Archived from the original on 2012-01-10. Retrieved 2012-04-01.
10. Staff report (October 17, 2003). Cinematographers pick their Top 11. Los Angeles Times
11. "Top 10 Most Influential Cinematographers Voted on by Camera Guild," October 16, 2003. Archived January 9, 2014, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved January 28, 2011.
12. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-07-06. Retrieved 2015-06-29.
13. Staff report (December 25, 1996). Memorial Service Set for Cronenweth. Los Angeles Times

External links

• Jordan Cronenweth at IMDb
• BRmovie.com – Jordan Cronenweth Profile