William A. Fraker

A product of the USC film school, William A. Fraker moved up the Hollywood professional ladder as still photographer, film editor, cameraman's assistant and camera operator. Fraker's first director of photography credit appeared on a 1962 documentary. He went on to lens the weekly TV series Daktari, then graduated to feature-film cinematographer with 1967's The Games. He has since received Academy Award nominations for his work on Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977), Heaven Can Wait (1978), War Games (1983) and Murphy's Romance (1985). While photographing the 1969 musical Paint Your Wagon, Fraker befriended star Lee Marvin, who cleared the path for Fraker's directorial debut, Monte Walsh (1970). He has subsequently directed only two features -- the interesting A Reflection of Fear (1973) and the atrocious Legend of the Lone Ranger (1981), and a 2-hour installment of TV's B. L. Stryker. Fraker's most recent cinematography credits include the TV series Frank's Place (1987-88) and the multi-star theatrical western Tombstone (1993). He made his first (and last) acting appearance as himself in Irreconcilable Differences (1983). William A. Fraker is a past president of the American Society of Cinematographers.

~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide