Bruce Mohr Powell Surtees (August 3, 1937 – February 23, 2012) was an American cinematographer, best known for his collaboration with Clint Eastwood.
He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography for his work on Lenny (1974).
Early life and education Surtees was born in Los Angeles, in 1937, as the son of three-time Oscar-winning cinematographer Robert L. Surtees and Maydell Lois James. Surtees was given the middle name "Mohr" after his father's mentor Hal Mohr. He studied at the ArtCenter College of Design.
Career Surtees worked as an animation technician at Walt Disney Pictures before becoming a camera assistant under his father's direction for The Hallelujah Trail and Lost Command.
He formed a close friendship with Don Siegel and Clint Eastwood, serving as a camera operator for Coogan's Bluff and Two Mules for Sister Sara. Impressed by Surtees' camera work, Siegel made him the cinematographer for The Beguiled and Dirty Harry. Surtees worked as a cinematographer on several of Eastwood's films, including Play Misty for Me, High Plains Drifter, The Outlaw Josey Wales, and Sudden Impact.
He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography for his work on Lenny (1974), Bob Fosse's biopic of comedian Lenny Bruce. Starting in the mid-1990's, Surtees mostly worked on made-for-television films, and was nominated for an Emmy Award for Dash and Lilly (1999).
Surtees was affectionately nicknamed the "Prince of Darkness" for his low-key lighting.
Personal life and death Surtees was married twice. He met his second wife Carol Buby while scouting locations for Inchon in Seoul, South Korea. He had a daughter, Suzanne Surtees, from his first marriage.
Surtees died from complications from diabetes on February 23, 2012, at the age of 74.
Filmography Film Year Title Director Notes1971 The Beguiled Don Siegel Play Misty for Me Clint Eastwood Dirty Harry Don Siegel1972 The Great Northfield, Minnesota Raid Philip Kaufman Conquest of the Planet of the Apes J. Lee Thompson Joe Kidd John Sturges1973 High Plains Drifter Clint Eastwood Blume in Love Paul Mazursky The Outfit John Flynn 1974 Lenny Bob Fosse 1975 Night Moves Arthur Penn Credited as "Pierre William Glenn"1976 Sparkle Sam O'Steen Leadbelly Gordon Parks The Outlaw Josey Wales Clint Eastwood The Shootist Don Siegel 1977 Three Warriors Kieth Merrill1978 Big Wednesday John Milius Movie Movie Stanley Donen Segment "Baxter's Beauties of 1933"1979 Dreamer Noel Nosseck Escape from Alcatraz Don Siegel 1981 Inchon Terence Young1982 Firefox Clint Eastwood White Dog Samuel Fuller Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains Lou Adler Honkytonk Man Clint Eastwood1983 Bad Boys Rick Rosenthal With Donald E. Thorin Risky Business Paul Brickman With Reynaldo Villalobos Sudden Impact Clint Eastwood1984 Tightrope Richard Tuggle Beverly Hills Cop Martin Brest 1985 Pale Rider Clint Eastwood1986 Psycho III Anthony Perkins Out of Bounds Richard Tuggle Ratboy Sondra Locke 1987 Back to the Beach Lyndall Hobbs 1988 License to Drive Greg Beeman 1990 Men Don't Leave Paul Brickman1991 Run Geoff Burrowes The Super Rod Daniel 1992 That Night Craig Bolotin 1993 The Crush Alan Shapiro 1994 Corrina, Corrina Jessie Nelson 1995 The Stars Fell on Henrietta James Keach 1996 The Substitute Robert Mandel 1998 Just a Little Harmless Sex Rick Rosenthal 2002 Joshua Jon Purdy
TV movies Year Title Director Notes 1974 Hello Mother, Goodbye! Peter H. Hunt 1991 Chains of Gold Rod Holcomb With Dariusz Wolski 1994 The Birds II: Land's End Rick Rosenthal1999 Murder in a Small Town Joyce Chopra Dash and Lilly Kathy Bates That Championship Season Paul Sorvino Lethal Vows Paul Schneider The Lady in Question Joyce Chopra2000 Thin Air Robert Mandel American Tragedy Lawrence Schiller 2001 And Never Let Her Go Peter Levin
Accolades +YearAwardCategoryTitleResultRef. 1975 Academy Awards Best Cinematography Lenny 1999 Primetime Emmy Award Outstanding Cinematography for a Limited Series or Movie Dash and Lilly
References
External links
Entry at the Internet Encyclopedia of Cinematographers (archived)