Director of photography Stephen Goldblatt has created palettes and tapestries that are visually delectable, exhibiting a bold approach to cinematography. He earned his first Academy Award nomination for "The Prince of Tides" (1991), in which he created for director Barbra Streisand a lulling, inviting and enveloping aura in the Carolina sequences which contrasted to the abusive horrors of the children's lives, and made the subsequent screeching lighting understandable. His work on his second Oscar-nominated effort, "Batman Forever" (1995), moved in yet another direction, with a flashy color scheme and contrasts of light and shadows which, while not as dark as the first film in the series, nevertheless bowed to expressionism. Born in South Africa and raised in Britain from age seven, Goldblatt began his career as a news photographer, including work for the LONDON SUNDAY TIMES, and later specializing in shooting rock stars, including The Beatles at the peak of their popularity. He ran Anthony Armstrong-Jones' studio in Pimlico for three years before attending the Royal College of Art Film School. Upon graduation, he went to work shooting documentaries and animation, much of it in 16mm. Among his assignments were two "Disappearing World" episodes for Granada TV. From 1972-75, Goldblatt worked shooting TV commercials for such directors as Hugh Hudson, Alan Parker, Ridley Scott, and Brian Gibson. It was with Gibson that Goldblatt first got his chance to serve as d.p. on a feature, "Breaking Glass" (1980). His second effort, "Outland" (1981), made life on Jupiter seem sumptuous. Other work quickly followed, including Tony Scott's "The Hunger" (1983), and by 1987, Goldblatt had moved to Hollywood where he shot "Lethal Weapon" and its first sequel. Subsequent films included "The Pelican Brief" (1993), in which the lighting bespeaks of the inner sadness and inevitability of Julia Roberts' life. His work on "Striptease" (1996) continued the bold style, now adding a dimension of contrasting whiteness. Goldblatt returned to the "Batman" fold with "Batman and Robin" (1997).
Profession(s):
director of photography, photojournalist, print editor
Sometimes Credited As:
2001 Picked up Emmy nomination for work on the HBO drama "Conspiracy"
1997 Reteamed with Schumacher for "Batman and Robin"
1995 Earned second Oscar nomination for "Batman Forever", directed by Joel Schumacher
1991 Earned first Oscar nomination for "The Prince of Tides"
1987 Served as cinematographer on "Lethal Weapon", directed by Richard Donner
1980 Photographed first feature film, "Breaking Glass"
1972 - 1975 Was director of photography on TV commercials for directors such as Ridley Scott, Hugh Hudson, and Alan Parker
Immigrated to England at age 7
By age 18 was news photographer; specialized in photos of rock stars
Ran Anthony Armstrong-Jones' photo studio for three years
As 16mm cameraperson, shot documentaries, including the "Disappearing World" series