Conrad L. Hall is an highly acclaimed cinematographer who began his career as a camera operator in the 1940s. Credited as a cinematographer for the first time in the 1958 film, Edge of Fury, Hall went on to contribute to such films as: Cool Hand Luke, In Cold Blood, The Day of the Locust and American Beauty. He died 11 weeks before he won the Oscar for Best Cinematography for Road to Perdition in 2002.
Fast Facts:
- Born: June 21, 1926 in Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia
- Parents: James Norman Hall & Sarah Winchester Hall
- Attended the University of Southern California
- 1st professional credit for, Sea Theme
- One of six cinematographers to have a star on Hollywood Boulevard's "Walk of Fame"
- Member of American Society of Cinematographers
- Died: January 4, 2003 from bladder cancer
- Won 3 Oscars for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, American Beauty and Road to Perdition
Brief Biography
Graduating from the University of Southern California in 1949, Conrad Hall developed a distinct style pronounced in such films as: In Cold Blood and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid both film of which he earned an Academy Award. Departing from the classical rules of cinematography, Hall often captured the essence of the main characters through his camera work; as evidenced in his use of sepia tone in Butch Cassidy, which idealized the plight of the protagonists while keeping the story in a historical context. Examples of such methods can be seen throughout Hall's work.
Conrad L. Hall Timeline
Note: Many of the links in this timeline are to IMDb, which has pop-ups.
June 21, 1926: Born
1965 Incubus: IMDb | Rotten Tomatoes
1966 The Professionals: IMDb | Rotten Tomatoes
1967 Divorce American Style: IMDb | Rotten Tomatoes
1967 Cool Hand Luke: IMDb | Rotten Tomatoes | Mahalo
1968 Hell in the Pacific: IMDb | Rotten Tomatoes
1969 Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid: IMDb | Rotten Tomatoes | Mahalo
1972 Fat City: IMDb | Rotten Tomatoes
1973 Electra Glide in Blue: IMDb | Rotten Tomatoes
1975 Smile: IMDb | Rotten Tomatoes
1976 Marathon Man: IMDb | Rotten Tomatoes
1988 Tequila Sunrise: IMDb | Rotten Tomatoes
1991 Class Action: IMDb | Rotten Tomatoes
1993 Searching for Bobby Fischer: IMDb | Rotten Tomatoes
1998 A Civil Action: IMDb | Rotten Tomatoes
1999 American Beauty: IMDb | Rotten Tomatoes | Mahalo
2002 Road to Perdition: IMDb | Rotten Tomatoes