30 Facts About Roger Deakins

Sir Roger Alexander Deakins was born on 24 May 1949 and is an English cinematographer, best known for his collaborations with directors the Coen brothers, Sam Mendes, and Denis Villeneuve.

Roger Deakins is the recipient of five BAFTA Awards for Best Cinematography, and two Academy Awards for Best Cinematography from sixteen nominations.

Roger Deakins received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Cinematographers in 2011, and in 2013 he was bestowed a CBE by the Palace for his services to film.

Roger Deakins was born in Torquay in the English county of Devon.

Roger Deakins's father ran a construction company, while his mother was an actress and amateur painter.

Roger Deakins took up painting from a young age, and subsequently enrolled in the Bath Academy of Art in Bath, Somerset, where he studied graphic design.

Roger Deakins spent the following year wandering the countryside, photographing rural life in North Devon, before finally being admitted to the National Film School in 1972.

Roger Deakins made short music videos for Herbie Hancock, Eric Clapton, Marvin Gaye, Tracey Ullman, Madness, Level 42 and Meat Loaf.

Roger Deakins's first dramatic project was a miniseries titled Wolcott, about a black detective working in the East End of London.

The film was praised for its bold, unusual palette, which Roger Deakins achieved through a process known as bleach bypass, where the silver is retained in the print, creating a washed-out look that reflected Orwell's bleak vision.

Roger Deakins was the first Western cinematographer to use the technique, which has since become highly influential and could be seen in films such as Seven and Saving Private Ryan.

In 1991, Roger Deakins began his long-term collaboration with the Coen brothers, starting with the film Barton Fink.

In 1994, the year Roger Deakins was admitted to the American Society of Cinematographers, he served as cinematographer for The Shawshank Redemption, which earned him his first Academy Award nomination for Best Cinematography, and his first American Society of Cinematographers Award.

Roger Deakins received two further Academy Award nominations in that decade, for Fargo and Kundun.

Roger Deakins was the first cinematographer to achieve such a feat since Robert Surtees, who was nominated for The Last Picture Show and Summer of '42 in 1972.

Roger Deakins served as director of photography for Stephen Daldry's The Reader but left mid-production due to delays and previous commitments, and was replaced by Chris Menges.

Roger Deakins signed on as cinematographer for Skyfall, having previously worked with director Sam Mendes on Jarhead and Revolutionary Road.

Roger Deakins reunited with Sam Mendes on the 2019 war film 1917, filmed and edited to appear as one uninterrupted take, for which he received his second Academy Award on his 15th nomination.

In 2021, Roger Deakins released a book of his black-and-white still photographs, Byways.

Since 2005, Roger Deakins has maintained a website through which he frequently communicates with admirers and other industry practitioners.

Roger Deakins's correspondence includes answering fan questions and offering cinematography tips.

Roger Deakins is often cited as one of the greatest and most influential cinematographers of all time.

Roger Deakins is among the most respected and sought-after cinematographers in the film business.

Roger Deakins was hired to shoot The Shawshank Redemption at the insistence of Tim Robbins, who had previously worked with him on the Coen brothers film The Hudsucker Proxy.

Roger Deakins has been named as an Honorary Fellow of his alma mater, the National Film and Television School in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, an honour which recognises "outstanding contribution to the British film and television industry" On 28 February 2020.

Roger Deakins is the recipient of five BAFTA Awards for Best Cinematography, for The Man Who Wasn't There in that same year, and for No Country for Old Men, True Grit, Blade Runner 2049,1917, each in the year following their release.

Roger Deakins received the Royal Photographic Society's Lumiere Award for major achievement in cinematography, video or animation in 2009.

Roger Deakins went on to receive the American Society of Cinematographers and the British Society of Cinematographers Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011 and 2015 respectively.

Roger Deakins was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2013 Birthday Honours for services to film.

Roger Deakins was knighted in the 2021 New Year Honours, for services to film.