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Vilmos Zsigmond, Oscar-winning cinematographer, dies aged 85 Vilmos Zsigmond, Oscar-winning cinematographer, dies aged 85
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The cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond, who was best known for his work on The Deer Hunter and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, has died. He was 85.The cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond, who was best known for his work on The Deer Hunter and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, has died. He was 85.
His business partner Yuri Neyman confirmed that Zsigmond died on Friday in Big Sur, California.His business partner Yuri Neyman confirmed that Zsigmond died on Friday in Big Sur, California.
The Hungarian-born Zsigmond helped define cinema’s American New Wave in the 1970s, through celebrated collaborations and a preference for natural light.The Hungarian-born Zsigmond helped define cinema’s American New Wave in the 1970s, through celebrated collaborations and a preference for natural light.
He first gained renown for his collaboration with Robert Altman on the classics McCabe & Mrs Miller and The Long Goodbye. In addition to his work on Michael Cimino’s examination of the effects of the Vietnam War, The Deer Hunter, for which he earned an Oscar nomination, Zsigmond also worked with Brian De Palma on a number of films including Blow Out. He first gained renown for his collaboration with Robert Altman on the classics McCabe & Mrs Miller and The Long Goodbye. He was nominated for four Oscars: for his work on the Vietnam War epic The Deer Hunter, the Tennessee drama The River, and Brian De Palma’s noir The Black Dahlia.
Zsigmond’s sole Oscar win, however, was for Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Zsigmond worked with De Palma on a number of films, including Blow Out and Bonfire of the Vanities, and worked with Steven Spielberg on his first major film, The Sugarland Express.
His sole Oscar win, however, was for Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind. He won a Bafta award for The Deer Hunter, and nominations for McCabe and Mrs Miller, Images, Deliverance and Close Encounters.
He worked extensively with Woody Allen, shooting Melinda and Melinda, Cassandra’s Dream and You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger. Other major films he worked on included The Witches of Eastwick, Heaven’s Gate and The Two Jakes.
Zsigmond continued working in film and television into his 80s. Recently, he worked on 24 episodes of the comedian Mindy Kaling’s popular sitcom, The Mindy Project.
The cinematographer fled Hungary when the Soviet Union invaded in 1956 – after secretly filming how the Soviets quashed a revolt in Budapest – and gained US citizenship in 1962. He Americanized his name to William and spent several years shooting B-movies and doing odd jobs to support himself.
Related: Vilmos Zsigmond: From Hungary with Cameras
In a 2009 documentary about his life, he recalled how he developed his signature style for Peter Fonda’s film The Hired Hand. “I got the idea of how to light The Hired Hand from the villages in Hungary where there was no electricity and they used kerosene lamps.”
“Creating the mood is more important than making everything look beautiful. Lászlo and I sort of created the nouvelle vague in the US,” he said, alluding to fellow Hungarian film-maker Lászlo Kovács. “Simple lighting, but more realistic.”
In 1999, Zsigmond won a lifetime achievement award from the American Society of Cinematographers. “Vilmos’ genius was not only in his images, but in his sense of duty to honest storytelling,” Steven Poster, president of the International Cinematographers Guild said in a statement.
“His brave beginnings providing footage from the Hungarian revolution will always be an important part of his legacy and to future generations of cinematographers and film students. He made a difference.”