Janusz Kamiński facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Janusz Kamiński
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Kamiński in 2014
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Janusz Zygmunt Kamiński
June 27, 1959 Ziębice, Lower Silesia, Poland
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| 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) | |
| 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 the camera and lighting on a film set. They make sure the movie looks amazing!
Janusz Kamiński is best known for his long partnership with director Steven Spielberg. He has been the cinematographer for all of Spielberg's films since 1993. He won two Academy Awards for his work on Spielberg's movies: Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan.
He has been nominated for the Academy Award seven times in total. He has also received many nominations from other important film groups, like the BAFTA Awards and the American Society of Cinematographers. Besides working with Spielberg, he has also worked with other well-known directors such as Cameron Crowe and John Krasinski.
Kamiński has also directed films and TV shows. These include the horror film Lost Souls (2000) and episodes for TV series like The Event and The Divide. In 2019, two of his films, Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan, were named among the best-photographed films of the 20th century.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Janusz Kamiński was born in Ziębice, Poland, in 1959. His mother was Jadwiga Celner and his father was Marian Kamiński.
In 1981, when he was 21, he moved to the United States. He left Poland after the government declared martial law.
He studied at Columbia College Chicago from 1982 to 1987. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree there. After that, he went to the AFI Conservatory and earned a Master of Fine Arts degree. This is where he learned a lot about filmmaking. One of his first jobs was helping to film a music video.
Career Highlights
Kamiński started his career working under another cinematographer named Phedon Papamichael. He began as a gaffer, which means he helped with the lighting. Later, he became a second unit director of photography. This role involves filming scenes that don't include the main actors.
He worked on several smaller films and even a musical comedy called Cool as Ice. In 1991, Steven Spielberg noticed Kamiński's talent. Spielberg saw a TV film called Wildflower that Kamiński had filmed. Spielberg then hired him to work on Class of '61, a TV film that Spielberg produced.
Kamiński won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography twice in the 1990s. These awards were for Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan. He has also been nominated five more times for films like Amistad, War Horse, and Lincoln. In 2010, he received a special award from the AFI Conservatory.
He became a member of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) in 1994. This is a group for top cinematographers. Kamiński has also expressed concerns about how digital technology might change the way films look. He wants to make sure cinematographers still have control over the final image.
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. They divorced in 2010.
Filmography
Director
Short Films
- Making a Scene (2013)
- Hania (2007)
- American Dream (2021)
Feature Films
- Lost Souls (2000)
- Hania (2007)
- American Dream (2021)
Television Series
| Year | Title | Episode |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | The Event | "Face Off" |
| 2014 | The Divide | "Never Forget" |
Cinematographer
Selected Feature Films
- Cool as Ice (1991)
- The Adventures of Huck Finn (1993)
- Schindler's List (1993) – First film with Steven Spielberg
- Jerry Maguire (1996)
- The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)
- Amistad (1997)
- Saving Private Ryan (1998)
- A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)
- Minority Report (2002)
- Catch Me If You Can (2002)
- The Terminal (2004)
- War of the Worlds (2005)
- Munich (2005)
- The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)
- Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
- Funny People (2009)
- The Adventures of Tintin (2011)
- War Horse (2011)
- Lincoln (2012)
- Bridge of Spies (2015)
- The BFG (2016)
- The Post (2017)
- Ready Player One (2018)
- The Call of the Wild (2020)
- West Side Story (2021)
- The Fabelmans (2022)
- IF (2024)
Selected TV Movies
- Wildflower (1991)
- Class of '61 (1993)
- Oslo (2021)
Selected TV Series
- The Divide (2014)
- The Savant (2025)
Awards and Nominations
See also
In Spanish: Janusz Kaminski para niños
- Cinema of Poland
- List of Polish Academy Award winners and nominees
