Owen Roizman, 'French Connection' Oscar nominee and 'The Exorcist' cinematographer, dead at 86

Owen Roizman, the Oscar-nominated cinematographer who helped shape the aesthetics of 1970s American cinema through his collaborations with William Friedkin and Sidney Lumet, has died at the age of 86. The news was announced by the American Society of Cinematographers on its official social media channels.

Born in Brooklyn in 1936, Roizman was drawn to cameras from an early age. His father was a newscaster, and Roizman began working at a camera rental store as a teenager before making his film debut as a cinematographer on "Stop!" by Bill Gunn. in 1970.

His 1970s filmography included some of the most influential works in several genres. William Friedkin's "The French Connection," Roizman's second feature behind the camera, has long been heralded as one of the greatest car chase films ever made. The way Roizman and Friedkin managed to combine spectacle and realism during the film's iconic chase scenes through the streets of New York continues to influence filmmakers to this day.

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The pair achieved similar success in the horror genre when they reunited two years later on "The Exorcist," a film that still features some of the most recognizable shots in movie history. horror movies.

Roizman continued to work steadily on some of the most popular films of the 1970s, including "The Taking of Pelham One Two Three" and "Three Days of the Condor." His career reached another artistic peak when he shot Sidney Lumet's newsroom satire "Network" in 1976, juxtaposing the synthetic brightness of television news studios with dark colors in a way that created a disorienting effect.

Roizman has been an active member of the film community throughout his life, serving on the board of directors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and as president of the American Society of Cinematographers.

While Roizman did his most famous work in the 1970s, he continued to be a prominent cinematographer until his retirement in 1995. Some memorable films of his later years include " Tootsie" by Sydney Pollack, "The Addams Family" by Barry Sonnenfeld and "Wyatt Earp" by Lawrence Kasdan, which earned him his fifth and final Oscar nomination. He received an honorary Academy Award in 2017.

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