Janusz Kamiński facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Janusz Kamiński
Kamiński in 2014
Born	Janusz Zygmunt Kamiński (1959-06-27) June 27, 1959 (age 65) Ziębice, Lower Silesia, Poland
Nationality	Polish
Alma mater	Columbia College Chicago (B.A., 1987) AFI Conservatory (M.F.A., 1987)
Occupation	Cinematographer, film director, television director
Years active	1986–present
Organization	American Film Institute
Spouse(s)	Holly Hunter ​ ​ (m. 1995; div. 2001)​ Rebecca Rankin ​ ​ (m. 2004; div. 2010)​
Awards	See full awards

Janusz Zygmunt Kamiński (born June 27, 1959) is a famous Polish cinematographer and director. A cinematographer is the person in charge of how a movie looks. They decide on the lighting, camera angles, and how the scenes are filmed.

Kamiński is best known for his long partnership with director Steven Spielberg. He has worked as the cinematographer on almost all of Spielberg's films since 1993. He has won two Academy Awards for his amazing work. These awards were for Schindler's List (a film about the Holocaust) and Saving Private Ryan (a movie about World War II).

He has also been nominated for the Academy Award five more times. These nominations were for films like Amistad, The Diving Bell & the Butterfly, War Horse, Lincoln, and West Side Story. Besides the Academy Awards, he has also received many other important awards and nominations.

Kamiński has also worked with other well-known directors. These include Cameron Crowe, James L. Brooks, and John Krasinski.

Beyond being a cinematographer, Kamiński has also directed films and TV shows. He directed the horror film Lost Souls in 2000. He also directed episodes for TV series like The Event and The Divide.

In 2019, the American Society of Cinematographers recognized his work. They included Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan on their list of the best-photographed films of the 20th century.

Early Life and Education

Janusz Kamiński was born in Ziębice, Poland. His mother was Jadwiga Celner and his father was Marian Kamiński.

In 1981, when he was 21 years old, he moved to the United States. This happened after martial law was declared in Poland.

He studied at Columbia College Chicago from 1982 to 1987. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree there. He then decided to pursue filmmaking as his career. After that, he attended the AFI Conservatory. He earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from this school.

His first chance to work in film was helping to direct a music video.

Career Highlights

Kamiński started his career working for another cinematographer named Phedon Papamichael. He began as a gaffer, which is someone who sets up the lighting on a film set. Later, he became a second unit director of photography. He filmed many smaller movies, sometimes called "B-movies." He also worked on the musical comedy Cool as Ice.

Steven Spielberg first noticed Kamiński in 1991. Spielberg saw a TV movie called Wildflower that Kamiński had filmed. Spielberg was so impressed that he hired Kamiński to film Class of '61. Spielberg was a producer for that TV movie.

Kamiński won two Academy Awards for Best Cinematography in the 1990s. These were for Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan. He has been nominated five more times for his work on other films. In 2010, he received the Franklin J. Schaffner Alumni Medal from the AFI Conservatory. This award recognizes talented alumni.

Kamiński became a member of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) in 1994. This is a professional group for cinematographers.

Personal Life

Janusz Kamiński was married to actress Holly Hunter from 1995 to 2001. Later, in 2004, he married Rebecca Rankin, who was a reporter for ABC. They divorced in 2010.

Filmography

Director

Feature film

• Lost Souls (2000)
• Hania (2007)

Television

Cinematographer

Feature film

TV movies

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Janusz Kaminski para niños

• Cinema of Poland
• List of Polish Academy Award winners and nominees
• List of Poles