Owen Roizman, Cinematographer of The Exorcist, Dies at 86

Cinematographer Owen Roizman, who shot many premier films of a generation like The French Connection and The Exorcist, has died at the age of 86. A representative for the American Society of Cinematographers confirmed the news. However, no further details about Roizman's death are available, reports Variety. Clarence Gilyard Dies at 66; Hollywood Actor Was Best Known For His Roles in Top Gun and Die Hard.

Roizman was Oscar-nominated five times, for The French Connection, The Exorcist', Network, Tootsie and the 1994 Western Wyatt Earp. In 2017, Roizman was honoured with an honorary Academy Award for his contributions to the medium. As per Variety, in addition to his Oscar noms, Roizman was nominated for an Emmy for his cinematography (using film, not videotape) of the 1972 Liza Minnelli special Liza With a Z, directed by Bob Fosse. Roizman received the American Society of Cinematographers' lifetime achievement award in 1997. He worked with director Sydney Pollack on five films: Three Days of the Condor, The Electric Horseman, Absence of Malice and Havana. Ray Liotta, Iconic Hollywood Actor Of Goodfellas Fame, Dies Aged 67.

Roizman developed a key working relationship with William Friedkin. Friedkin's The French Connection (1971) was only Roizman's second film as cinematographer, but the way in which he shot the movie's thrilling, fast-moving central car chase has achieved legendary status. The gritty, documentary-like realism he brought, not just to the chase, but to the entire film, in part by shooting on location in the streets of New York, made the cops' pursuit of the heroin traffickers feel more authentic.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 08, 2023 04:39 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).