Robert Surtees (cinematographer) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Robert Surtees
Born	(1906-08-09)August 9, 1906 Covington, Kentucky, U.S.
Died	January 5, 1985(1985-01-05) (aged 78) Monterey, California, U.S.
Occupation	Cinematographer
Years active	1931–1978
Known for	The Bad and the Beautiful Ben-Hur The Graduate King Solomon's Mines The Last Picture Show Oklahoma! Same Time, Next Year The Sting Summer of '42 Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo The Turning Point Quo Vadis
Spouse(s)	Maydell Lois James (m. 1930)
Children	4, including Bruce Surtees

Robert L. Surtees (born August 9, 1906 – died January 5, 1985) was an American cinematographer. A cinematographer is the person in charge of how a movie is filmed. They decide on the lighting, camera angles, and how each scene looks. Robert Surtees was very famous for his work. He won three Academy Awards, also known as Oscars, for his amazing filming in King Solomon's Mines, The Bad and the Beautiful, and Ben-Hur.

Surtees worked for many big movie studios like Universal, Warner Brothers, and MGM. He helped bring to life films for famous directors such as Howard Hawks and Mike Nichols. People knew him as one of the most flexible cinematographers of his time.

Early Life and Learning About Photography

Robert L. Surtees was born in Covington, Kentucky. This happened on August 9, 1906. He grew up in Ohio. There, he got his first job working with photos. He was a photographer and helped fix pictures at a studio in Cincinnati.

Later, Surtees moved to New York City for a year. He wanted to learn even more about photography. But his main dream was always to become a cinematographer. He wanted to be the person who filmed movies.

Movie Career: From Assistant to Award Winner

In 1925, Robert Surtees moved to California. He planned to go to college there. But then, he got a job offer from Roy C. Hunter at Universal Studios. This happened after some of his photos were printed in a magazine.

Starting Out in Film

Surtees began his movie career as an assistant. He helped other cinematographers. For example, he worked on a Western movie called Hey, Hey Cowboy in 1925. He also helped with the Leather Pushers series in 1926. His first big movie as an assistant was The Man Who Laughs in 1928.

From 1928 to 1929, Surtees traveled a lot. He worked in France, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy. He was an assistant to Charles Stumar for Universal and UFA. When he came back to California in 1930, he kept assisting. He worked with Hal Mohr on King of Jazz. Over the next six years, he filmed 36 movies with Mohr.

In 1935, Surtees wanted to join the ASC. This is a group for top cinematographers. He applied as a camera operator. He had just finished working on A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Becoming a Director of Photography

Robert Surtees' first movie as the main camera person, or "director of photography," was This Precious Freedom (1942). This was a special film made for the US army. It was only shown to soldiers.

Soon after, Surtees got a job at MGM. This was a very famous movie studio. He worked there for a long time and made his best films. His first big movie at MGM was Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944). He worked on it with Harold Rosson. This movie was nominated for an Oscar.

Over his 48-year career, Robert Surtees filmed almost 100 movies! He won Oscars for King Solomon's Mines (1950), The Bad and the Beautiful (1952), and Ben Hur (1959). He also had 13 other movies nominated for Best Cinematography. These included The Graduate (1967), The Last Picture Show (1971), and The Sting (1973).

His Special Touch and New Ideas

Many directors wanted to work with Robert Surtees. He was known for being able to film all kinds of movies. He said he liked doing "musical, comedies, and action-adventure" films.

He was also very careful about colors and how bright the film was. He made sure his lighting and camera angles were perfect. This helped the film lab create the best possible movie.

Surtees loved trying new things with lighting. He always found ways to light a scene, even without all the right tools. For example, on King Solomon's Mines (1950), they were in the thick African jungle. They couldn't bring big power generators. So, Surtees used only reflectors to light the whole movie! Reflectors are like big mirrors that bounce light.

He also helped with new technology. He was one of the first people to use a special telephoto lens (a 500mm lens) in The Graduate (1967). This lens makes faraway things look closer.

Family Life

Robert Surtees married Maydell Lois James in 1930. They moved to California together. They had four children: two daughters named Linda and Nancy, and two sons named Thomas and Bruce.

His son, Bruce, also became a director of photography. Bruce even worked with his father on the movie Lost Horizon (1973).

Robert Surtees passed away on January 5, 1985, after being sick for a while.

Filmography

Academy Awards and Nominations

Robert L. Surtees was nominated for and won several Academy Awards for Best Cinematography:

• Nominated: Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944) – Shared with Harold Rosson
• Won: King Solomon's Mines (1950)
• Nominated: Quo Vadis (1951) – Shared with William V. Skall
• Won: The Bad and the Beautiful (1952)
• Nominated: Oklahoma! (1955)
• Won: Ben-Hur (1959)
• Nominated: Mutiny on the Bounty (1962)
• Nominated: The Graduate (1967)
• Nominated: Doctor Dolittle (1967)
• Nominated: Summer of '42 (1971)
• Nominated: The Last Picture Show (1971)
• Nominated: The Sting (1973)
• Nominated: The Hindenburg (1975)
• Nominated: A Star Is Born (1976)
• Nominated: The Turning Point (1977)
• Nominated: Same Time, Next Year (1978)