Sam Leavitt
Encyclopedia
Samuel Leavitt, A.S.C. was an American cinematographer who was nominated for three Academy Awards
, winning one for The Defiant Ones
(1958).
Leavitt began his career as an assistant camera operator working on 1930s films. Leavitt was a camera operator on films including Rancho Notorious
(1952) and on TV's "I Love Lucy
" in the early '50s before becoming a director of photography in films.
Leavitt was nominated for Academy Awards for Exodus
(Best Cinematography Color) (1960)and Anatomy of a Murder
(1959) (Best Cinematography Black and White) in the two years following his Oscar win for The Defiant Ones.
Leavitt was born in New York City, New York and died in Woodland Hills, California.
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
, winning one for The Defiant Ones
The Defiant Ones
The Defiant Ones is a 1958 drama film which tells the story of two escaped prisoners, one white and one black, who are shackled together and who must co-operate in order to survive. It stars Tony Curtis, Sidney Poitier, Theodore Bikel, Cara Williams, Charles McGraw, and Lon Chaney, Jr...
(1958).
Leavitt began his career as an assistant camera operator working on 1930s films. Leavitt was a camera operator on films including Rancho Notorious
Rancho Notorious
Rancho Notorious is a 1952 Western shot in Technicolor, directed by Fritz Lang and starring Marlene Dietrich as the matron of a criminal hideout called Chuck-a-Luck...
(1952) and on TV's "I Love Lucy
I Love Lucy
I Love Lucy is an American television sitcom starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, and William Frawley. The black-and-white series originally ran from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, on the Columbia Broadcasting System...
" in the early '50s before becoming a director of photography in films.
Leavitt was nominated for Academy Awards for Exodus
Exodus (film)
Exodus is a 1960 epic war film made by Alpha and Carlyle Productions and distributed by United Artists. Produced and directed by Otto Preminger, the film was based on the 1958 novel Exodus, by Leon Uris. The screenplay was written by Dalton Trumbo, which represented the breaking of the Hollywood...
(Best Cinematography Color) (1960)and Anatomy of a Murder
Anatomy of a Murder
Anatomy of a Murder is a 1959 American courtroom crime drama film. It was directed by Otto Preminger and adapted by Wendell Mayes from the best-selling novel of the same name written by Michigan Supreme Court Justice John D. Voelker under the pen name Robert Traver...
(1959) (Best Cinematography Black and White) in the two years following his Oscar win for The Defiant Ones.
Leavitt was born in New York City, New York and died in Woodland Hills, California.