Vilmos Zsigmond
Birth Name:
Vilmos Zsigmond
Birth Place:
Szeged, Hungary
Profession
Cinematographer, Camera department, Actor, Director, Producer
Fast Facts
- Earned a Lifetime Achievement Award from Camerimage in 1997 and from the American Society of Cinematographers in 1999
- Studied cinema at the Academy of Drama and Film in Budapest, where he would eventually earn his master's degree in cinematography
- Shot over 30,000 feet of film of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution with friend and fellow filmmaker Laszlo Kovacs before the two fled the country
- After fleeing Hungary during the late 1950s, he settled in Los Angeles and began working as a photo technician and on several independent films, until he finally got his big break during the mid-1970s
- Best known as a cinematographer who worked on 1977's "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and 1978's "The Deer Hunter," both of which demonstrate well-known technique of utilizing natural light
- Became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1962
- Was a longtime member of the American Society of Cinematographers
Awards
- 1972NSFC Award - Best Cinematography:Nominated
- 1973BAFTA Film Award - Best Cinematography:Nominated
- 1973NSFC Award - Best Cinematography:Nominated
- 1974NSFC Award - Best Cinematography:Winner
- 1978Oscar - Best Cinematography:Winner
- 1979Oscar - Best Cinematography:Nominated
- 1979BAFTA Film Award - Best Cinematography:Nominated
- 1980BAFTA Film Award - Best Cinematography:Winner
- 1982NSFC Award - Best Cinematography:Nominated
- 1985Oscar - Best Cinematography:Nominated
- 1993ASC Award - Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Movies of the Week/Pilots:Winner
- 1993Primetime Emmy - Outstanding Individual Achievement in Cinematography for a Miniseries or a Special:Winner
- 1994CableACE - Direction of Photography and/or Lighting Direction in a Dramatic or Theatrical Special/Movie or Miniseries:Winner
- 1997ASC Award - Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Theatrical Releases:Nominated
- 2002Best Film Adaptation of an OperaWinner
- 2002Primetime Emmy - Outstanding Cinematography for a Miniseries or a Movie:Nominated
- 2006Golden Frog - Main Competition:Nominated
- 2006Hollywood Film Award - Cinematographer of the Year:Winner
- 2006Satellite Award - Best Cinematography:Nominated
- 2007Oscar - Best Achievement in Cinematography:Nominated
- 2007ASC Award - Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Theatrical Releases:Nominated
- 2010Best of the Fests Award - The Official Best of Fest Award Winners, 2010 Releases:Winner
- 2010Golden Frog - Main Competition:Nominated
- 2011Audience Award - Special Screening:Winner
- 2011Special Mention - Special Screening:Winner
- 2012Maverick Movie Award - Best Cinematography: Feature:Nominated
- 2014Golden Frog - Feature Documentary Films Competition:Nominated