Geoffrey Unsworth

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Geoffrey Unsworth (1914-1978) was a British cinematographer who enjoyed a long and varied career in the British film industry, working on nearly 90 feature films spanning more than 40 years.

After working as a camera operator on films for Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, Unsworth made his debut as cinematographer on the documentary feature The People's Land in 1943.

His film work brought him an impressive array of awards, including five British Society of Cinematographers awards, three BAFTAS and two Academy Awards. He was also credited with developing new visual effects techniques for his bluescreen work on Superman in 1978.^{[citation needed]}

He was also admired for his charming manner at work. For instance, Margot Kidder was flattered when he arranged lighting for her shots and insisted on concentration by saying, "Quiet, I'm lighting the Lady."

He died while filming Roman Polanski's Tess in 1978, the film for which he won his second Academy Award. His first was for Cabaret in 1972. Both Superman and The First Great Train Robbery were dedicated to his memory.

The first screen credit in Superman after the Warner logo is the statement, "This picture is dedicated with love and respect to GEOFFREY UNSWORTH, O.B.E." Unsworth had the rank of Officer in the Order of the British Empire.