Known For
Camera
Born
Jan 12, 1929
Died
Jun 14, 2007
Place of Birth
London, England, UK
Credits
60 titles
Alex Thomson
Biography
Alexander Thomson BSC (12 January 1929 – 14 June 2007) was a British cinematographer. Born in London, England, he was first offered a job by Bert Easey (1901-1973), who was head of cameras at Denham and Pinewood Studios. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography for Excalibur (1981). His other films included Year of the Dragon (1985), Legend (1985), Labyrinth (1986), The Krays (1990), Alien 3 (1992), Cliffhanger (1993), Demolition Man (1993), Executive Decision (1996) and two of Kenneth Branagh's Shakespeare adaptations, Hamlet (1996) and Love's Labour's Lost (2000). After beginning his film career in the late 1940s, he went on to serve as a camera operator under cinematographer Nicolas Roeg on twelve films between 1961 and 1966. In 1998 he shot the Royal Premiered CinemaScope short "The Troop" (dir: Marcus Dillistone) An interview with Alex Thomson appears in a new book Conversations with Cinematographers by David A Ellis, published by Scarecrow Press. Thompson was an avid user of Joe Dunton's custom-built Xtal Xpress lenses, shooting many of his more high-profile projects such as Labyrinth, Legend, The Keep, Year of the Dragon and The Sicilian with them. He was married to the sculptor Diana Thomson, and they had a daughter. Thomson died on 14 June 2007, at the age of 78, in Chertsey, Surrey.
Known For
Filmography
The Making of Casino Royale, 1967
Self - Camera Operator Stunt Unit
Der letzte Flug
Director of Photography
Wreckage and Rage: Making 'Alien³'
Self
Listening
Director of Photography
Creating a Myth... the Memories of 'Legend'
Himself
A Shot at Glory
Director of Photography
Love's Labour's Lost
Director of Photography
Hamlet
Director of Photography
Executive Decision
Director of Photography
The Scarlet Letter
Director of Photography
Black Beauty
Director of Photography
Demolition Man
Director of Photography
Cliffhanger
Camera Operator
Alien³
Director of Photography
Mr. Destiny
Director of Photography
The Krays
Director of Photography
The Rachel Papers
Director of Photography
Leviathan
Director of Photography
High Spirits
Director of Photography
Track 29
Director of Photography
Date with an Angel
Director of Photography
The Sicilian
Director of Photography
Duet for One
Director of Photography
Labyrinth
Director of Photography
Raw Deal
Director of Photography
Legend
Director of Photography
Year of the Dragon
Director of Photography
Electric Dreams
Director of Photography
The Keep
Director of Photography
Bullshot
Director of Photography
Eureka
Director of Photography
Skokie
Director of Photography
Excalibur
Director of Photography
The Making of Excalibur: Myth into Movie
Self
The Gold Bug
Director of Photography
Follow that Rainbow
Cinematography
The Class Of Miss MacMichael
Director of Photography
Superman
Additional Photography
The Cat and the Canary
Director of Photography
Rosie Dixon - Night Nurse
Director of Photography
Fear Is the Key
Director of Photography
Death Line
Director of Photography
Dr. Phibes Rises Again
Director of Photography
The Road Builder
Director of Photography
The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer
Director of Photography
I Start Counting
Director of Photography
The Best House in London
Director of Photography
The Strange Affair
Director of Photography
Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush
Director of Photography
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
Camera Operator