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Robert L. Surtees

Robert Surtees
Born (1906-09-08)September 8, 1906
Covington, Kentucky, USA
Died January 5, 1985(1985-01-05) (aged 78)
Monterey, California, USA
Occupation Cinematographer
Years active 1931–1978
Known for The Bad and the Beautiful
Ben-Hur
The Graduate
King Solomon's Mines
The Last Picture Show
Oklahoma!
Same Time, Next Year
The Sting
Summer of '42
Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo
The Turning Point
Quo Vadis
Spouse(s) Maydell Surtees
Children Linda Lowers
Nancy Corby
Thomas Surtees
Bruce Surtees

Robert L. Surtees, A.S.C. (September 8, 1906 – January 5, 1985) was an American cinematographer who won three Academy Awards for the films King Solomon's Mines, The Bad and the Beautiful and the 1959 version of Ben Hur. Surtees has worked at various studios, including Universal, UFA, Warner Brothers, and MGM alongside directors such as Robert Mulligan, Peter Bogdanovich, and Vincente Minnelli gaining him a reputation as one of the most versatile cinematographers to date.

Robert L. Surtees was born in Covington, Kentucky, on September 8, 1906. He grew up in Ohio where he got a job as a photographer and retoucher at a portrait studio in Cincinnati. Surtees then moved to New York City for a year to study photography, but always had a goal of becoming a cinematographer.

With an intention to attend college, Surtees moved to California in 1925. Roy C. Hunter at Universal offered him a job after some of his work was published in Towing Topics Automotive Club magazine. He assisted Harry Neumann, ASC, on a Hoot Gibson Western Hey, Hey Cowboy in 1925, Jerry Ash, ASC, on the Andy Gump comedies also in 1925, and Jackson Rose, ASC, on the Reginald Denny Leather Pushers series in 1926. The Man Who Laughs (1928), photographed by Gil Warrenton, ASC was Surtees' first high budget picture as an assistant.


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