John Alton Biography
John Alton A.S.C. (October 5, 1901 – June 2, 1996), born Johann Altmann, in Sopron/Ödenburg, Kingdom of Hungary, Austria-Hungary, was an American cinematographer. Alton won an Academy Award for the cinematography of An American in Paris (1951), becoming the first Hungarian-born person to do so. He photographed some of the most famous film noirs of the classic period.
He started out in Los Angeles as a lab technician in the 1920s, later becoming a cameraman within four years. He moved to France with Ernst Lubitsch to film backgrounds for The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg (1927) and ended up staying for one year heading the camera department of Paramount Pictures's Joinville Studios. In 1932 he moved to Argentina where he shot many Spanish-language films and designed the country's first sound film studio for Lumiton and Argentina Sono Film.
He returned to Hollywood in the late 1930s, with two dozen film credits, and became one of the most sought after cinematographers in American cinema. Alton was known for unconventional camera angles—especially low camera shots. His style is most notable in the film noirs: He Walked by Night, The Big Combo, The Amazing Mr. X, T-Men, and Raw Deal.
Alton also photographed many color movies including Slightly Scarlet (a color film noir).
John Alton Movies
John Alton TV Shows
Other Trending Celebrities
- Jason Statham
- Emily Blunt
- Ana de Armas
- Anne Hathaway
- Zoe Saldaña
- Jenna Ortega
- Owen Wilson
- Liam Neeson
- Zendaya
- Denzel Washington
- Ryan Reynolds
- Keanu Reeves
- Tom Hardy
- Tom Cruise
- Jason Momoa
- Timothée Chalamet
- Chris Evans
- Hayley Atwell
- Chris Pine
- Gal Gadot
- Henry Cavill
- Margot Robbie
- Daniel Radcliffe
- Emilia Clarke
- Scarlett Johansson
- Chris Pratt
- Brie Larson
- Liam Hemsworth
- Sophie Turner
- Natalie Portman
- Jake Gyllenhaal
- Charlize Theron
- James McAvoy
- Kristen Stewart
- Tom Holland
- Jennifer Lawrence