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Adrian Biddle

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other uses, see Biddle (surname).

Adrian Biddle
Born(1952-07-20)20 July 1952
Woolwich, London, England
Died7 December 2005(2005-12-07) (aged 53)
London, England
Years active1967–2005

Adrian Biddle, BSC (20 July 1952 – 7 December 2005), was an English cinematographer.

Life and career

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Biddle was a talented swimmer in his youth, and because of that, the underwater photographer Egil Woxholt hired him to be his apprentice. Uncredited, he worked in this capacity on both the James Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) and Murphy's War (1971).

After this, Biddle worked for Ridley Scott's advertising company "R.S.A.", shooting many commercials, and when Scott began working on films, Biddle followed him, working as a clapper loader on The Duellists (1977), and as a focus puller on Alien (1979).

He then returned working as a cinematographer on advertisements, where he developed some new lighting techniques and worked on several famous campaigns, most notably the 1984 ad for Apple, also directed by Scott.

The advert's photography, along with a personal recommendation from Scott, prompted James Cameron to hire Biddle for Aliens (1986), after the original cinematographer Dick Bush left over creative differences.[1]

Biddle was a cinematographer on another 25 feature films, including Thelma & Louise (1991), which earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography.

Death

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Biddle died at the age of 53 on December 7, 2005. His wife was driving him to shoot a commercial in Central London when he suffered a heart attack.[2]

He was survived by his wife Mo and his three children, Alice, Esther and Alfie, who is also a cinematographer.[3]

V for Vendetta, which he had finished filming, was dedicated to his memory.[4]

Filmography

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Film

Year Title Director Notes
1986 Aliens James Cameron
1987 The Princess Bride Rob Reiner
1988 Willow Ron Howard
The Dawning Robert Knights
1989 The Tall Guy Mel Smith
1991 Thelma & Louise Ridley Scott
1992 1492: Conquest of Paradise
1994 City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold Paul Weiland
1995 Judge Dredd Danny Cannon
1996 101 Dalmatians Stephen Herek
1997 The Butcher Boy Neil Jordan
Event Horizon Paul W. S. Anderson
Fierce Creatures Robert Young
Fred Schepisi 		With Ian Baker
1998 Holy Man Stephen Herek
1999 The World Is Not Enough Michael Apted
The Mummy Stephen Sommers
2000 The Weight of Water Kathryn Bigelow
102 Dalmatians Kevin Lima With Roger Pratt
2001 The Mummy Returns Stephen Sommers
2002 Reign of Fire Rob Bowman
2003 Shanghai Knights David Dobkin
2004 Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason Beeban Kidron
Laws of Attraction Peter Howitt
2005 An American Haunting Courtney Solomon Posthumous release
V for Vendetta James McTeigue

Television

Year Title Director Notes
1989 Smith and Jones in Small Doses Paul Weiland Episode "Second Thoughts"

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Title Result
1991 Academy Awards Best Cinematography Thelma & Louise Nominated
BAFTA Awards Best Cinematography Nominated
British Society of Cinematographers Best Cinematography Nominated
1992 1492: Conquest of Paradise Nominated
1997 European Film Awards Best Cinematographer The Butcher Boy Won

References

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  1. ^ Alien Quadrillogy DVD Set, Aliens Special Features: 'This Time It's War' (1985) production documentary
  2. ^ "Cinematographer Adrian Biddle dies aged 53".
  3. ^ "Cinematographer Adrian Biddle Dies Aged 54". The Irish Film & Television Network. 8 December 2005. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  4. ^ Mitchell, Wendy (9 December 2005). "Cinematographer Adrian Biddle dies aged 53". Screen Daily. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
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