Robert Burks
| Robert Burks, A.S.C. | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Leslie Robert Burks July 4, 1909 Chino, California United States |
| Died | May 11, 1968 (aged 58) Huntington Harbour, California United States |
| Occupation | Cinematographer |
Robert Burks, A.S.C. (July 4, 1909 – May 11, 1968) was an American cinematographer known for being proficient in virtually every genre and equally at home with black-and-white or color.
Robert Burks was born in Chino California on July 4, 1909. He was only nineteen years old in 1928 when he found his first job as a special effects technician in the Warner Brother's Lab, the industry's largest special effects facility at the time. Burks' talent was evident, and he quickly rose through the ranks at Warner Bros, first promoted to assistant cameraman in 1929, and then on to operating cameraman in 1934. In 1938 Burks rose to special effects cinematographer, garnering over 30 special effect cinematography credits before he was promoted to Director of Photography in 1944.
With his promotion to DP (Director of Photography), Burks, who was only thirty five years old, became the youngest fully accredited DP in the industry, working in the cinematographic unit at Warner Bros amongst the most distinguished cinematographers of the time, from James Wong Howe to Sol Polito. Throughout his career at Warner Brother's leading up to this time, Burks' education and special effects experience were invaluable, as he crafted his cinematographic identity under the expertise of many of the most renowned cinematographers in the world. Burks ultimately left Warner Bros alongside Alfred Hitchcock in the fall of 1953 in favor of a move to the Paramount lot, which boasted a greater breadth of resources and more established reputation at the time.
Burks' first Director of Photography credit was Jammin' the Blues (1944), a short film featuring leading jazz musicians of the day. It was not until 1949 that Burks evolved into a full-time production cinematographer with his photography in The Fountainhead (1949).
Burks is best known for his cinematography in a number of collaborations with director Alfred Hitchcock throughout the 1950s and 1960s. Though his legacy is highly intertwined with that of Hitchcock, in his twenty five years as a DP Burks' worked on an impressive 55 features. Notable credits include The Fountainhead, Beyond the Forest, The Glass Menagerie, The Spirit of St. Louis, The Music Man, and A Patch of Blue.
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