Roger Deakins trivia: 55 facts about the famous cinematographer

Roger Deakins is one of the most acclaimed cinematographers. He has worked with many famous directors.

So let’s dive into some trivia and facts about his life and career.

1. His full name is Roger Alexander Deakins CBE, BSC, ASC
2. He was born on May 24, 1949
3. He is an English cinematographer
4. He is best known for his work on the films of the Coen brothers, Sam Mendes, and Denis Villeneuve
5. Deakins is a member of both the American and British Society of Cinematographers
6. He received the 2011 American Society of Cinematographers (A.S.C.) Lifetime Achievement Award
7. In recognition of outstanding contribution to the British film industry, Deakins is an honorary fellow of the National Film School in Buckinghamshire of which he is an alumnus
8. In 2013 he received a CBE at Buckingham Palace for “services to film”
9. He is a recipient of four BAFTA Awards for Best Cinematography
10. Deakins has received fourteen nominations and one win for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography
11. His most well-known works include The Shawshank Redemption, Fargo, A Beautiful Mind, Skyfall, Sicario, and Blade Runner 2049
12. The latter of which earned him his first Academy Award
13. Deakins is considered to be the greatest and most influential cinematographer of all time
14. Deakins was born in Torquay in the English county of Devon
15. His father ran a construction company
16. While his mother was an actress and amateur painter
17. Deakins attended Torquay Boys’ Grammar School
18. He took up painting from a young age
19. He subsequently enrolled in the Bath Academy of Art in Bath, Somerset
20. There he studied graphic design
21. While studying in Bath, Deakins developed a passion for photography
22. He cited the photographer Roger Mayne, who was then a guest lecturer at the academy, as a major source of inspiration
23. After college, Deakins applied to the newly-opened National Film School
24. But was denied admission as his photography was considered not “filmic” enough
25. He spent the following year wandering the countryside, photographing rural life in North Devon
26. He was finally being admitted to the National Film School in 1972
27. Director Michael Radford was one of Deakins’ schoolmates
28. After graduating, Deakins found work as a cameraman
29. Assisting in the production of various projects for approximately seven years
30. An early project of his involved filming a nine-month trip on a yacht as an entrant of the Whitbread Round the World Race, titled Around the World with Ridgeway
31. Deakins was subsequently hired to film two documentaries in Africa
32. His first, Zimbabwe, was a clandestine documentation of the Rhodesian Bush War
33. While his second, Eritrea – Behind Enemy Lines, depicted the Eritrean War of Independence
34. He also shot anthropological documentaries in India and Sudan
35. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Deakins was also involved in a number of music-related projects
36. Including Blue Suede Shoes, a music documentary about the British rockabilly scene, the concert film Van Morrison in Ireland, and the Ray Davies musical film Return to Waterloo
37. He also made short music videos for Herbie Hancock, Eric Clapton, Marvin Gaye, Tracey Ullman, Madness, Level 42 and Meat Loaf
38. Deakins met script supervisor Isabella James Purefoy Ellis (professionally known as James Ellis) in 1991 during the production of David Mamet’s Homicide
39. They married on 11 December 1991
40. Since then James Ellis Deakins and Roger have worked together as a team
41. As of July 2017, they reside in Kingswear, Devon and Santa Monica, California
42. Since 2005, Deakins has maintained a website through which he frequently communicates with admirers and other industry practitioners
43. His correspondence includes answering fan questions and offering cinematography tips
44. Deakins is often cited as one of the greatest and most influential cinematographers of all time
45. His consistent output led fellow cinematographer Robert Elswit to jokingly suggest that the American Society of Cinematographers should establish a special award for “films shot by Roger Deakins”
46. Deakins did achieve a degree of notoriety, however, for his lack of success at the Academy Awards
47. There he received 13 nominations without a win
48. A fact often lamented by journalists and film critics
49. His first Oscar win (on his 14th nomination) for Blade Runner 2049 at the 90th Academy Awards was widely reported and met with great enthusiasm
50. Deakins is considered to be among the most respected and sought-after cinematographers in the film business
51. His involvement in a film could secure the casting of established stars
52. A distinction usually reserved for auteur directors
53. He landed the role of director of photography in The Shawshank Redemption at the insistence of Tim Robbins, who had previously worked with him on the Coen brothers film The Hudsucker Proxy
54. Josh Brolin agreed to join to cast of Sicario only after hearing of Deakins’ involvement
55. When Ryan Gosling accepted his role in Blade Runner 2049, he cited the involvement of Deakins as a factor for his decision