- Born
- Died
- Nickname
- Pete
- Two-time Academy Award-winning cinematographer Haskell Wexler was adjudged one of the ten most influential cinematographers in movie history, according to an International Cinematographers Guild survey of its membership. He won his Oscars in both black & white and color, for Qui a peur de Virginia Woolf? (1966) (1966) and En route pour la gloire (1976) (1976). He also shot part of Les moissons du ciel (1978) (1978), for which credited director of photography Nestor Almendros -- won a Best Cinematography Oscar that Wexler initially felt should have been jointly shared by both. Later he admitted he was just finishing the work of Almendros and when Bert Schneider offer him more credit in the Criterion Dvd release of the film, he turned down the offer. In 1993, Wexler was awarded a Lifetime Achivement award by the cinematographer's guild, the American Society of Cinematographers. He received five Oscar nominations for his cinematography, in total, plus one Emmy Award in a career that has spanned six decades.
In addition to his masterful cinematography, Wexler directed the seminal late Sixties film Objectif vérité (1969) and has directed and/or shot many documentaries that display his progressive political views. He was the subject of a 2004 documentary shot by his son Mark Wexler, Tell Them Who You Are (2004).- IMDb mini biography by: Jon C. Hopwood
- SpousesRita Taggart(1989 - December 27, 2015) (his death)Marian Jane Witt(1954 - 1985) (divorced, 1 child)Nancy Jane Ashenhurst(January 14, 1943 - 1953) (divorced, 2 children)
- Children
- Parents
- RelativesTanya Wexler(Niece or Nephew)Jerrold Wexler(Sibling)Yale Wexler(Sibling)
- He met George Lucas when he was still a teenager because of their mutual interest in cars. He suggested that Lucas go to film school, which is why Lucas thanked him in many ways.
- He is one of only six cinematographers to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame; the other five being, Hal Mohr, Ray Rennahan, J. Peverell Marley, Leon Shamroy, and Conrad L. Hall.
- "America America" director Elia Kazan (at age 54, b:09/07/1909) did not personally like the cinema-photographer director Haskell Wexler (at age 41, b:02/06/1922) but listened to him and learned a lot while they worked together.
- He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7070 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on February 28, 1996.
- George Lucas credits him with helping American Graffiti get made. When Lucas was pitching it without success, Haskell Wexler attached himself to the project. Lucas was now able to pitch the movie with Wexler being attached to it.
- We, as filmmakers, are privileged. We can make people cry or laugh. We can make think and feel. It is a great privilege and a great responsibility.
- Movies are a voyeuristic experience. You have to make the audience feel like they are peeking through a keyhole. I think of myself as the audience. Then I use light, framing and motion to create a focal point.
- On initially not being pleased at being given a simple "additional photography" credit on Les moissons du ciel (1978) "I had a pretty strong ego trip there for a couple of weeks actually, wanting to get co-credit with Néstor," but Wexler later admitted that: "My job was to see Néstor's footage, try to maintain what he's done and to do it to the best of my ability, and I was in awe of what I saw in the editing room, but I was also honored that they wanted me to go up there and [finish] it."
- [asked in 1969 as to why he decided to frame his film "Medium Cool" (1969) around the events at the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago] I feel that a political convention is an old-fashioned charade that's acted out every four years to divide the spoils. It has no connection with the way our country is run or the process of democracy. I suspected with today's political climate, there'd be violence in Chicago. Unfortunately, I was right.
- [asked in 1969 if he could see himself making a film in exile because of his social and political views] I'm proud to say I get regular visits from the FBI, but I'll never become an exile. I think this is a great country. That's precisely why I feel I have an obligation to keep examining the freedoms that are rightfully ours. We all have that obligation--to see that they don't get away from us.
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