John A. Alonzo

John A. Alonzo
John A. Alonzo
Born	Juan A. Alonzo; June 12, 1934; Dallas, Texas, United States
Died	March 13, 2001 (aged 66); Brentwood, California, United States
Occupation	Cinematographer, actor, film director
Years active	1967–2001
Spouse(s)	Suzanne Heltzel (1954-1966) Jan Murray (?-2001; his death)
Children	Gorgiana Alonzo, Angela Argenzia, Cristiana Murray

John A. Alonzo, ASC (June 12, 1934 – March 13, 2001) was an American cinematographer, television director, and actor[1][2][3][4] known for his diverse body of work in both film and television.

Alonzo pioneered handheld work, lighting techniques and HD video development during his career. He is remembered mainly for Chinatown (1974) and Scarface (1983), the former for which he was nominated for both a BAFTA and an Academy Award. In addition, he was the recipient of a Primetime Emmy for his work on the 2000 CBS television adaptation of Fail Safe.

Alonzo was the first American cinematographer of Mexican-American and Latino heritage to become a member of the Cinematographer's Union in Los Angeles, as well as the first to be inducted into the ASC.[1]

Career

Alonzo's career began as part of the clean-up crew at television station WFAA in Dallas. However, within a short time,he had made himself indispensable, not only building sets, hanging lights and moving cameras, but also directing cooking and children's shows. Eventually, he and actor Hank Williamson created a popular comedy duo: Alonzo became the voice and puppeteer of the irreverent “Señor Turtle,” who with Williamson as his sidekick, introduced movies and cartoons. In 1956, the show was picked up by station KHJ in Hollywood, where it lasted only 26 weeks. So Alonzo worked for a time as a still photographer, and as an actor, with appearances in several well-known shows such as Twilight Zone (Season 2 – Episode 12 in "Dust" as Luis Gallegos), Combat!, 77 Sunset Strip, and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour.

A seminal moment came during the shooting of The Magnificent Seven, in which Alonzo had a small role, when he met the cinematographer Charles Lang. This inspiring encounter, as well as the chance to briefly collaborate with James Wong Howe a few years later, finally gave Alonzo the impetus to devote his life to cinematography. By the mid-1960s, he was photographing many documentaries for National Geographic and the David L. Wolper Company, and greatly influencing the innovative "Look" of the New Hollywood that became so powerful in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

His uncomplicated and minimalistic style, combined with his first-hand knowledge of acting, made him one of the most in-demand directors of photography in Hollywood. In addition, he was not only one of the best "hand-held cameramen in Hollywood, but also a pioneer of high-def digital cinematography. In 1993/94 he shot (for NBC) the first HD movie in the history of American television, World War II: When Lions Roared.

Alonzo died in 2001 after a long illness, at home in Brentwood, California. Perhaps his best known student is two-time Oscar winner John Toll, who began his career as Alonzo's assistant on films like Black Sunday, Norma Rae, Tom Horn and Scarface.

In 2007, director Axel Schill helmed a feature documentary about Alonzo, The Man Who Shot Chinatown - The Life & Work of John A. Alonzo.

Filmography (Cinematographer)

Films

1970s

Year	Title	Notes
1970	Bloody Mama
1971	Vanishing Point
1971	Harold and Maude
1972	Get to Know Your Rabbit
	Sounder
	Lady Sings the Blues
	Pete 'n' Tillie
1973	Wattstax
	The Naked Ape
	Hit!
1974	Chinatown	Replaced Stanley Cortez Nominated for Academy Award for Best Cinematography Nominated for BAFTA Award for Best Cinematography
1974	Conrack
1975	Once Is Not Enough
	The Fortune
	Farewell, My Lovely
1976	I Will, I Will... for Now
1976	The Bad News Bears
1977	Black Sunday
	Beyond Reason
	Which Way Is Up?
	Close Encounters of the Third Kind	Additional Photography With Vilmos Zsigmond
1978	Casey's Shadow
	The Cheap Detective
	FM	film director only
1979	Norma Rae

1980s

Year	Title	Notes
1980	Tom Horn
1981	Back Roads
1981	Zorro, The Gay Blade
1983	Blue Thunder
	Scarface
	Cross Creek
1984	Terror in the Aisles	Documentary
1984	Runaway
1985	Out of Control
1986	Nothing in Common
1986	Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling
1987	Real Men
1987	Overboard
1989	Steel Magnolias
1989	Physical Evidence

1990s

Year	Title	Notes
1990	Internal Affairs
	The Guardian
	Navy SEALs
1992	Housesitter
1992	Cool World
1993	The Meteor Man
1994	Clifford
1994	Star Trek Generations
1995	The Grass Harp
1998	Letters from a Killer

2000s

Year	Title	Notes
2000	The Prime Gig
2002	Deuces Wild	Final film before death in 2001

Television

Year	Title	Notes
1964	Nightmare in Chicago	Television film
1967-1969	National Geographic Specials	4 episodes
1968	The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau	1 episode
1971	Cannon	Pilot episode
1973	Guess Who's Sleeping in My Bed?	Television film
1976	Look What's Happened to Rosemary's Baby	Television film
1979	Champions: A Love Story	Television film
1979	Portrait of a Stripper	Television film
1980	Blinded by the Light	Television film
1982	The Kid From Nowhere	Television film
1988	Knightwatch	1 episode
1988	Roots: The Gift	Television film
1994	World War II: When Lions Roared	Miniseries; 2 episodes
1999	Lansky	Television film
2000	Fail Safe	Television film

Filmography (Actor)

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1958	The Gun Runners	Soldier in Car	Uncredited
1960	The Crowded Sky	Young Repairman	Uncredited
1960	The Magnificent Seven	Miguel
1961	The Long Rope	Manuel Alvarez
1961	Susan Slade	Engineer	Uncredited
1962	Hand of Death	Carlos, lab assistant
1962	Terror at Black Falls	Carlos Avila
1964	Invitation to a Gunfighter	Manuel

Documentaries

Visions of Light (1992)
The Making of Scarface (1998)
Guns For Hire: The Making of the Magnificent Seven (2000)
The Man Who Shot Chinatown - The Life & Work of John A. Alonzo (2007)

Awards and nominations

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References

"John A. Alonzo; Cinematographer, 66". The New York Times. March 29, 2001.
Variety
Schnitt.de
"Art-tv.ch". Archived from the original on 2010-04-10. Retrieved 2009-12-27.

External links

John A. Alonzo on IMDb

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[NYT-1] "John A. Alonzo; Cinematographer, 66". The New York Times. March 29, 2001.

[2] Variety

[3] Schnitt.de

[4] "Art-tv.ch". Archived from the original on 2010-04-10. Retrieved 2009-12-27.