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Robert Burks
Leslie Robert Burks A.S.C. (July 4, 1909 – May 11, 1968) was an American cinematographer known for his collaborations with Alfred Hitchcock.
Burks was born in Chino, California, on July 4, 1909. At age 19, he began working as a special effects technician at Warner Bros. He was promoted to assistant cameraman in 1929, operating cameraman in 1934, and special effects director of photography in 1938. In 1944, he became a director of photography.
By the age of 35, Burks had become one of the younger professionals in the industry to be fully accredited as a director of photography. He left Warner Bros. in 1953 to join Paramount Pictures alongside director Alfred Hitchcock
Burks' first credit as director of photography was for Jammin' the Blues (1944), a short film featuring jazz musicians.
He is known for his cinematography on several films directed by Alfred Hitchcock during the 1950s and 1960s. Over a 25-year career as a director of photography, Burks worked on 55 feature films. His credits include The Fountainhead, Beyond the Forest, The Glass Menagerie, The Spirit of St. Louis, and The Music Man. He received Academy Award nominations for his work in Strangers on a Train (1951), Rear Window (1954), To Catch a Thief (1955) and A Patch of Blue (1965), winning once for To Catch a Thief.
In 1968, Burks and his wife, Elisabeth, died in a fire at their home in Huntington Harbour, California. He was 58 years old.
Burks' cinematography has been recognized for its stylistic range. His background in special effects informed his approach to pre-production planning.[AI-retrieved source] He was involved extensively in pre-production, a level of participation that was not common among cinematographers of the time. To prepare lighting and camera setups, he often used miniature models of sets. He was noted for his precision and technical accuracy. Film scholar Christopher Beach has highlighted Burks' willingness to take artistic risks, which contributed to visually distinct moments in his work.
Burks received four Academy Award nominations, including recognition for both black-and-white and color cinematography, winning once for Alfred Hitchcock's To Catch a Thief (1955), which has been cited as "a magnificent example of VistaVision technique."
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Robert Burks
Leslie Robert Burks A.S.C. (July 4, 1909 – May 11, 1968) was an American cinematographer known for his collaborations with Alfred Hitchcock.
Burks was born in Chino, California, on July 4, 1909. At age 19, he began working as a special effects technician at Warner Bros. He was promoted to assistant cameraman in 1929, operating cameraman in 1934, and special effects director of photography in 1938. In 1944, he became a director of photography.
By the age of 35, Burks had become one of the younger professionals in the industry to be fully accredited as a director of photography. He left Warner Bros. in 1953 to join Paramount Pictures alongside director Alfred Hitchcock
Burks' first credit as director of photography was for Jammin' the Blues (1944), a short film featuring jazz musicians.
He is known for his cinematography on several films directed by Alfred Hitchcock during the 1950s and 1960s. Over a 25-year career as a director of photography, Burks worked on 55 feature films. His credits include The Fountainhead, Beyond the Forest, The Glass Menagerie, The Spirit of St. Louis, and The Music Man. He received Academy Award nominations for his work in Strangers on a Train (1951), Rear Window (1954), To Catch a Thief (1955) and A Patch of Blue (1965), winning once for To Catch a Thief.
In 1968, Burks and his wife, Elisabeth, died in a fire at their home in Huntington Harbour, California. He was 58 years old.
Burks' cinematography has been recognized for its stylistic range. His background in special effects informed his approach to pre-production planning.[AI-retrieved source] He was involved extensively in pre-production, a level of participation that was not common among cinematographers of the time. To prepare lighting and camera setups, he often used miniature models of sets. He was noted for his precision and technical accuracy. Film scholar Christopher Beach has highlighted Burks' willingness to take artistic risks, which contributed to visually distinct moments in his work.
Burks received four Academy Award nominations, including recognition for both black-and-white and color cinematography, winning once for Alfred Hitchcock's To Catch a Thief (1955), which has been cited as "a magnificent example of VistaVision technique."