Billy Williams (cinematographer)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Billy Williams , OBE (born June 3, 1929 in Walthamstow ) is a British cinematographer .

Life

Williams learned the profession of cameraman from his father, who was also called Billy and was a cameraman. During his military service in the Royal Air Force , he worked as a photographer. After completing his military service, he worked as a cameraman for industrial films, including in Iraq for the Iraq Petroleum Company . In the 1960s he worked as a commercial filmmaker and met Ken Russell and John Schlesinger . He made his first feature film as a cameraman in 1965 and directed The Billion Dollar Brain with Ken Russell in 1967 . In 1971, he received his first Oscar nomination for another Ken Russell film Loving Women . A second followed in 1982 for Mark Rydells At Golden Lake . This film was Henry Fonda's last film . He finally received an Oscar in 1983 for Richard Attenborough's biographical epic Gandhi . From 1975 to 1977 he was the President of the British Society of Cinematographers .

Williams ended his active career as a cameraman in 1996. In total, he had been involved in more than 40 productions. In 2000, Camerimage was honored for his life's work at the Festival for Camera Art . In 2001 he received the International Achievement Award from the American Society of Cinematographers . In 2009 he was appointed Officer of the British Empire (OBE).

Filmography (selection)

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Williams, Billy
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British cameraman
DATE OF BIRTH June 3, 1929
PLACE OF BIRTH Walthamstow