Ernest Dickerson | |
---|---|
Born |
Ernest Roscoe Dickerson June 25, 1951 Newark, New Jersey, USA |
Other names | Ernest R. Dickerson, Ernest Dickerson |
Occupation | Film director, cinematographer |
Years active | 1983–present |
Ernest Roscoe Dickerson A.S.C. (usually credited as Ernest R. Dickerson or Ernest Dickerson; born June 25, 1951) is an American film director and cinematographer. As a cinematographer, he is known for his frequent collaborations with Spike Lee. As a director, he is known for films such as Juice, Demon Knight, Bones and Never Die Alone. He has also directed several episodes of acclaimed television series such as Once Upon a Time, The Wire, Dexter, and The Walking Dead.
Dickerson was born in Newark, New Jersey. He studied architecture at Howard University, but also took a film class with Haile Gerima as he already was interested in movies. He later relocated to New York City to attend New York University's film program at the Tisch School of the Arts, where he would meet fellow student Spike Lee. His first feature film as director of photography was also Lee's first film, Joe's Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads (1983), filmed while both of them were still students.
After graduating, Dickerson began his career as cinematographer on music videos for Bruce Springsteen, Anita Baker, and Miles Davis, and went on to film John Sayles' Brother from Another Planet (1984), his first professional film as a director of photography.