Arthur Edeson

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Arthur Edeson (October 24, 1891 – February 14, 1970) was a film cinematographer. The New York City-born Edeson began as a lensman in films in 1914 in the early days of film and worked until 1949. In the early thirties, perhaps his most memorable creative partnership was formed with director James Whale, for whom he photographed three of his famed quartet of horror films (Frankenstein (1931), The Old Dark House (1932), The Invisible Man (1933), a tricky assignment when one considers the breadth of the optical effects work). He also helmed Waterloo Bridge (1931) and Impatient Maiden (1932) for the same director. During his long career he worked on many Warner Bros. Humphrey Bogart-starring films as The Maltese Falcon (1941), They Drive by Night (1940) and Casablanca (1942). Edeson was also the director of photography for The Mask of Dimitrios (1944) and Nobody Lives Forever (1946). Edeson, who began his career first as a still photographer, was one of the founders of the American Society of Cinematographers.