Walter Lassally facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Walter Lassally
Lassally in Crete with his Oscar
Born	18 December 1926 Berlin, Weimar Republic
Died	23 October 2017 (aged 90) Chania, Crete
Occupation	Cinematographer
Years active	1946–2016

Walter Lassally (born December 18, 1926 – died October 23, 2017) was a talented British cinematographer. A cinematographer is the person in charge of the camera and lighting for a film. They help create the look and feel of the movie. Walter Lassally won an Academy Award in 1965 for his amazing work on the film Zorba the Greek.

Walter Lassally's Life and Career

Walter Lassally was born in Berlin, Germany. His family was Jewish, and they had to leave Germany in 1939 to escape the Nazis, who were persecuting Jewish people. They moved to England to find safety.

In the 1950s, Walter became a key part of the Free cinema movement. This was a time when filmmakers made movies that showed real life in Britain. He also worked with the British New Wave in the early 1960s, which was another exciting time for British films.

He often worked with famous directors. In the early 1960s, he teamed up with director Tony Richardson on several films. These included A Taste of Honey (1961), The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962), and Tom Jones (1963).

Walter Lassally also worked with Greek filmmaker Michael Cacoyannis from 1956 to 1967. Later, in the 1970s and 1980s, he collaborated with James Ivory. In the 1990s, he moved to Stavros, a town near Chania in Crete, Greece. This was a special place for him because he had filmed Zorba the Greek there in 1963.

He wrote a book about his life called Itinerant Cameraman, which came out in 1987. He also appeared in a book called Conversations with Cinematographers by David A. Ellis.

In 2013, Walter Lassally even tried acting! He appeared in Richard Linklater's film Before Midnight. He played an older British writer who lived in Greece. Walter Lassally passed away on October 23, 2017, in Crete, Greece, at the age of 90.

Awards and Recognition

In 1965, Walter Lassally won an Academy Award for Best Cinematography (Black-and-White). This was for his incredible work on the film Zorba the Greek (1964). Sadly, his Oscar trophy melted during a fire at a restaurant on January 1, 2012.

On January 26, 2008, the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) honored Walter Lassally. They gave him an International Achievement Award at their 22nd annual awards celebration in Los Angeles. This award recognized his important contributions to filmmaking around the world.

Filmography