Arthur Miller (cinematographer)

Arthur Charles Miller, A.S.C. (July 8, 1895 – July 13, 1970) was an American cinematographer. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography seven times, winning for How Green Was My Valley in 1941, again in 1944 for The Song of Bernadette, and a third time in 1947 for Anna and the King of Siam.

Career

He was born in Roslyn, New York.

He began his movie career at the age of 13. According to a 1970 interview with Leonard Maltin, he stated he went to work for a horse dealer. One day, he was returning home from delivering some horses and was sitting on a horse when a man offered him a job in motion pictures because he could ride bareback. Miller recalled, "The first day we went out to a golf course in Brooklyn, and I rode this horse all over, got chased, and all."^[1] He found himself working as an assistant to filmmaker Fred J. Balshofer.^[1] The two remained lifelong friends (and in 1967 co-wrote the book about the early days of film titled One Reel a Week).

Miller eventually joined Pathé Frères and, although only 19 years old, became the cinematographer for the 1914 adventure serial The Perils of Pauline. In 1918, he and his brother Bill founded the Motion Picture Industry Union. He moved to Hollywood and had a lengthy tenure at Paramount from the late teens throughout the 1920s. In 1932, Miller signed a long-term contract with Fox Film Corporation to be the cinematographer for every Shirley Temple film. He retired in 1951 for health reasons, but remained active in the industry as president of the American Society of Cinematographers.

He died in Los Angeles, California, in 1970 and was interred in the Hollywood Memorial Park Cemetery. He was survived by his wife Mae.^[2]

In August 1973, Mrs. Miller and Donald Crisp attended the dedication of the Arthur Miller Memorial Fountain and Arbor at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills.^[2]

Partial filmography

References

External links

• Arthur C. Miller at the Internet Movie Database
• Miller profile at the Internet Encyclopedia of Cinematographers