Freddie Francis

Acclaimed Oscar winning director Freddie Francis made a name for himself on the set of such classics as Room At the Top, The Elephant Man and Sons & Lovers, for which he was awarded the Cinematography Academy Award.

He started his professional life in 1932 as an apprentice to a still photographer, and was soon hired a clapper boy at British International Pictures.

By the late 30's Francis was working as a camera assistant in Pinewood Studios and during WW2 he was a member of the Army Kinematographic Unit.

His career really started to take off post-war.

A job as a camera operator on the set of The Macomber Affair led to his first employment under the watchful eye of John Huston on the original Moulin Rouge and Beat the Devil.

In 1956 Francis won attention for his second unit photography of Moby Dick, also directed by Huston, and in the same year he worked on his first film as director of photography - Hell in Korea.

In 1958 he worked on Room at the Top, and two years later won his first Academy Award for his cinematography on Sons and Lovers.

It was 1962 before Francis directed his first feature - Two and Two Make Six - a project, which was followed by some work directing some episodes of American classic TV hit The Saint.

Almost twenty years, and much success later, Francis earned his second Best Cinematography Oscar for Glory, and in 1991 he shot the remake of Cape Fear, directed by Martin Scorsese.