Gordon Willis, Legendary 'Godfather' Cinematographer, Dies at 82

Gordon Willis, the legendary cinematographer and director of photography behind The Godfather film saga, has died at age 82.

“This is a momentous loss,” said American Society of Cinematographers president Richard Crudo in a statement to Deadline late Sunday night. “He was one of the giants who absolutely changed the way movies looked. Up until the time of The Godfather 1 and 2, nothing previously shot looked that way. He changed the way films looked and the way people looked at films.”

Willis was a respected figure in the world of cinema, not only working on The Godfather films, but also lending his deft skills to some of Woody Allen's best-loved films, such as Annie Hall and Manhattan. Controversially, he was never nominated for an Academy Award in his prime, for reasons that still aren't entirely clear, given the near-unrivaled quality of his work. However, he would go on to be nominated for two Oscars later in his career, for Woody Allen's Zelig in 1983, and for The Godfather Part III in 1990. Though he never won a competitive Academy Award, he received an Honorary Oscar in 2009 for his exceptional career.

Our condolences are with the family and friends of Mr. Willis at this time.

Via: Entertainment Weekly

Credit: AMPAS