John Alton

Camera

John Alton

Born October 5, 1901 · Sopron, Austria-Hungary

Died June 2, 1996 · aged 94

​John Alton A.S.C. (October 5, 1901 – June 2, 1996), born Johann Altmann, in Sopron/Ödenburg, Kingdom of Hungary, Austria-Hungary, was an American cinematographer. Alton won an Academy Award for the cinematography of An American in Paris (1951), becoming the first Hungarian-born person to do so. He photographed some of the most famous film noirs of the classic period. He started out in Los Angeles…

Known For

An American in ParisAn American in Paris · 1951
An American in Paris
★ 7.01951
MovieMusicRomance
Jerry Mulligan is an exuberant American expatriate in Paris trying to make a reputation as a painter. His friend Adam is a struggling concert pianist who's a long time associate of a famous French singer, Henri Baurel. A lonely society woman, Milo Roberts, takes Jerry under her wing and supports him, but is interested in more than his art.
Father's Little DividendFather's Little Dividend · 1951
Father's Little Dividend
★ 6.51951
MovieRomanceComedy
Newly married Kay Dunstan announces that she and her husband are having a baby, leaving her father to come to grips with the fact that he will soon be a granddad.
Witness to MurderWitness to Murder · 1954
Witness to Murder
★ 6.31954
MovieCrimeDrama
A woman fights to convince the police that she witnessed a murder while looking out her bedroom window.
The Crooked WayThe Crooked Way · 1949
The Crooked Way
★ 6.21949
MovieCrimeDrama
A war veteran suffering from amnesia, returns to Los Angeles from a San Francisco veterans hospital hoping to learn who he is and discovers his criminal past.
The People Against O'HaraThe People Against O'Hara · 1951
The People Against O'Hara
★ 5.81951
MovieCrimeDrama
A defense attorney jeopardizes his career to save his client.
PassionPassion · 1954
Passion
★ 5.41954
MovieAdventureWestern
In old Spanish California, dashing cattleman Juan Obregon returns to the rancho of his friend Gaspar Melo, to find he's fathered a son on Rosa, one of Gaspar's identical twin daughters. Overjoyed, he plans to formalize his "unofficial" marriage. But trouble brews; Melo's land is of unclear title and the new Don Domingo hopes to grab it for his own profit. Violence results. Without even knowing who survived, Juan (accompanied by Rosa's tomboy sister Tonya) rides for revenge, through spectacular pastoral and wilderness scenery.
Slightly ScarletSlightly Scarlet · 1956
Slightly Scarlet
★ 6.21956
MovieCrimeDrama
Kleptomaniac Dorothy Lyons is paroled from prison into the custody of her sister June, secretary to "reform" politician Frank Jansen. Ben Grace, associate of crime boss Sol "Solly" Caspar, sees this as a way to smear Jansen's campaign. Seductive Dorothy will do anything to get what she wants, which includes having a good time with Ben-- whom June is now in love with.
Birdman of AlcatrazBirdman of Alcatraz · 1962
Birdman of Alcatraz
★ 7.51962
MovieDramaCrime
After killing a prison guard, convict Robert Stroud faces life imprisonment in solitary confinement. Driven nearly mad by loneliness and despair, Stroud's life gains new meaning when he happens upon a helpless baby sparrow in the exercise yard and nurses it back to health. Despite having only a third grade education, Stroud goes on to become a renowned ornithologist and achieves a greater sense of freedom and purpose behind bars than most people find in the outside world.

Filmography

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Mission: ImpossibleMission: Impossible · 1966
Mission: Impossible
★ 7.61966
SeriesAction & AdventureCrime
Mission: Impossible is an American television series that was created and initially produced by Bruce Geller. It chronicles the missions of a team of secret government agents known as the Impossible Missions Force. In the first season, the team is led by Dan Briggs, played by Steven Hill; Jim Phelps, played by Peter Graves, takes charge for the remaining seasons. A hallmark of the series shows Briggs or Phelps receiving his instructions on a recording that then self-destructs, followed by the theme music composed by Lalo Schifrin. The series aired on the CBS network from September 1966 to March 1973, then returned to television for two seasons on ABC, from 1988 to 1990, retaining only Graves in the cast. It later inspired a popular series of theatrical motion pictures starring Tom Cruise, beginning in 1996.

Director of Photography