John Toll facts for kids

John Toll (born June 15, 1952) is a famous American cinematographer. A cinematographer is the person in charge of how a movie looks. They decide on the lighting, camera angles, and how each scene is filmed. John Toll has worked on many different types of movies. These include exciting historical dramas, funny comedies, and cool science fiction films.

He has won many important awards for his work. He won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography twice in a row. These awards were for the movies Legends of the Fall and Braveheart. He has also won awards from BAFTA, ASC, and Satellite. John Toll has worked with many well-known directors. Some of these include Francis Ford Coppola, Terrence Malick, and Mel Gibson. He also worked with The Wachowskis on movies like Cloud Atlas.

Besides movies, John Toll has filmed commercials. He also worked on the first episode of the popular TV show Breaking Bad. He was also the main cinematographer for the Netflix series Sense8. For Sense8, he even helped produce the show in its second season.

Early Life and Career Beginnings

John Toll was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He started his film career in 1978. His first job was as a camera operator for the movie Norma Rae. This means he was one of the people who operated the cameras during filming.

Winning Awards for Cinematography

John Toll is known for winning two Academy Awards in a row. He won in 1994 for Legends of the Fall. The next year, in 1995, he won again for Braveheart. This is a very rare achievement. Only four cinematographers in history have won back-to-back Oscars.

He was also nominated for another Academy Award for The Thin Red Line. For this film, he also received an award at the 49th Berlin International Film Festival. Later, he was nominated for an Primetime Emmy Award for his work on the pilot episode of Breaking Bad.

Working with Famous Directors

John Toll often works with the same directors on different projects. He has worked many times with Francis Ford Coppola, Edward Zwick, and Cameron Crowe. He also has a strong working relationship with The Wachowskis. In 2016, he received a special Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Cinematographers. This award recognized his amazing career and contributions to filmmaking.

Family Life

John Toll is married to Lois Burwell. She is also very talented in the film industry. Lois Burwell worked as a make-up artist on the movie Braveheart. She also won an Oscar for her work on that film.

Selected Film and TV Work

John Toll has worked on many movies and TV shows over the years. Here are some of his most well-known projects:

• Legends of the Fall (1994)
• Braveheart (1995)
• The Rainmaker (1997)
• The Thin Red Line (1998)
• Almost Famous (2000)
• Vanilla Sky (2001)
• The Last Samurai (2003)
• Tropic Thunder (2008)
• Cloud Atlas (2012)
• Iron Man 3 (2013)
• Jupiter Ascending (2015)
• The Matrix Resurrections (2021)

For television, he worked on:

• Breaking Bad (Pilot episode, 2008)
• Sense8 (2015-2018)

Awards and Recognition

John Toll has received many important awards for his cinematography.

Academy Awards

He won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography twice:

• 1994: Legends of the Fall
• 1995: Braveheart

He was also nominated in 1998 for The Thin Red Line.

BAFTA Awards

He won the BAFTA Award for Best Cinematography for:

• 1995: Braveheart

Satellite Awards

He won the Satellite Award for Best Cinematography for:

• 1998: The Thin Red Line
• 2003: The Last Samurai

He was nominated in 2016 for Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk.

American Society of Cinematographers Awards

He won the Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography for:

• 1995: Braveheart
• 1998: The Thin Red Line

He was also nominated for Legends of the Fall (1994) and The Last Samurai (2003).

Other Notable Awards

John Toll has also won other awards, including:

• The Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Cinematography for Legends of the Fall (1994) and Braveheart (1995).
• An Honorable Mention at the Berlin International Film Festival for The Thin Red Line (1998).
• The New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Cinematography for The Thin Red Line (1998).
• The Hollywood Film Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography for The Last Samurai (2003).
• The German Film Award for Best Cinematography for Cloud Atlas (2012).