Allen Daviau


John Allen Daviau was an American cinematographer known for his collaborations with Steven Spielberg on E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, The Color Purple, and Empire of the Sun. He received five Academy Award nominations and two British Academy Film Award nominations, with one win. In addition to his work in film, Daviau served as Cinematographer-in-Residence at UCLA.

Career

Daviau was born on June 14, 1942, in New Orleans, and raised in Los Angeles. He graduated from Loyola High School in 1960.
He was introduced to Steven Spielberg in the late 1960s and the two went on to work together on two early short films. They continued their professional working career by collaborating on E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial ; "Kick the Can," a segment from Twilight Zone: The Movie, The Color Purple, an episode of the NBC anthology series Amazing Stories titled "Ghost Train", and Empire of the Sun.
Daviau's work also includes John Schlesinger's The Falcon and the Snowman, the Spielberg-produced Harry and the Hendersons, Albert Brooks' Defending Your Life, Barry Levinson's Avalon and Bugsy, Peter Weir's Fearless, Frank Marshall's Congo, Rand Ravich's The Astronaut's Wife and Stephen Sommers' Van Helsing, his final feature.
He received lifetime achievement awards from the Art Directors Guild in 1997 and the American Society of Cinematographers in 2007.
Daviau shot thousands of commercials, documentaries, industrials and educational films, and created psychedelic special-effects lighting for Roger Corman's The Trip before he gained entry into the International Photographers Guild.

''E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial''

While doing a lawnmower commercial in Arizona, Daviau learned that Spielberg was looking for a cinematographer for E.T. and sent the director a tape of The Boy Who Drank Too Much, a 1980 telefilm that he shot. "It had a lot of mood, and it's about kids, so I knew Steven would watch it!" Daviau said. Spielberg stated that he contacted Daviau for his next feature, saying, "I did something I rarely do. I didn't think twice; I picked up the phone and asked Allen if he would photograph my next feature."

Personal life and death

Following a surgical procedure in 2012, Daviau began using a wheelchair. He died on April 15, 2020, at the age of 77, as a result of complications from COVID-19 at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital.

Filmography

Short film
YearTitleDirectorNotes
1968Amblin'Steven Spielberg
1975Names of SinRolf Forsberg
1983Kick the CanSteven SpielbergSegments of Twilight Zone: The Movie
1983It's a Good LifeJoe DanteSegments of Twilight Zone: The Movie
2000The TranslatorLeslie Anne Smith
2001SweetElyse Couvillion
2002The RoutineBob Giraldi
2004ASC-DCI StEMAlso writer
2004How to Be a Hollywood Player in Less Than Ten MinutesJoe Hudson
2010The Caretaker 3DSean IsroelitWith Svetlana Cvetko

Documentary film
YearTitleDirectorNotes
1971Say GoodbyeDavid H. Vowell
1973New GladiatorsBob HammerWith John Hora
2004Olive or Twist 2004Peter MoodyWith Tchell De Paepe, Joachim Hanwright and Michael Knight

Feature film
YearTitleDirector
1973The Brothers O'TooleRichard Erdman
1974Mother Tiger Mother TigerRolf Forsberg
1982Harry Tracy, DesperadoWilliam A. Graham
1982E.T. the Extra-TerrestrialSteven Spielberg
1985The Falcon and the SnowmanJohn Schlesinger
1985The Color PurpleSteven Spielberg
1987Empire of the SunSteven Spielberg
1987Harry and the HendersonsWilliam Dear
1990AvalonBarry Levinson
1991Defending Your LifeAlbert Brooks
1991BugsyBarry Levinson
1993FearlessPeter Weir
1995CongoFrank Marshall
1999The Astronaut's WifeRand Ravich
2004Van HelsingStephen Sommers

TV movies
YearTitleDirector
1974Mooch Goes to HollywoodRichard Erdman
1979The Streets of L.A.Jerrold Freedman
1980The Boy Who Drank Too MuchJerrold Freedman
1980Rage!William Graham
1983LegsJerold Freedman

TV series
YearTitleDirectorEpisode
1982McDonaldlandLee Chapman"Skating"
1985Amazing StoriesSteven Spielberg"Ghost Train"
1996International Cinematographer's Guild Heritage SeriesJay Nefcy"Vittorio Storaro"