filmica.

HM

Hal Mohr

Camera
1894(USA)-1974
Hal Mohr, A.S.C. (August 2, 1894 in San Francisco – May 10, 1974 in Santa Monica, California) was a famed movie cinematographer. He is known for his Oscar-winning work on the 1935 film, A Midsummer Night's Dream. He was awarded another Oscar for his work on The Phantom of the Opera in 1943, and received a nomination for The Four Poster in 1952. From a young age, Hal Mohr wanted to pursue a career in cinematography because he was curious to learn about how to make pictures move onscreen. He worked as a photo finisher in a photo lab to gain experience with the camera. When he was 19 years old, he filmed his first movie, Pam's Daughter, which, unfortunately, was never seen by the public because of problems with the motion picture distribution company. Although Mohr mainly worked as a cinema portraitist on movies such as The Wedding March, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and the Technicolor The Phantom of the Opera, he was passionate about exploring the limits of the camera. Mohr shot in deep focus years before Gregg Toland -- Bullets or Ballots and The Green Pastures were both shot in deep focus. He was inspired by the moving shots in the Italian movie, Cabiria, and developed a camera with special tracking abilities for his 1914 film, Pan's Mountain. Notably, Mohr is the only person to have won a competitive Academy Award without being nominated for it. In 1936, a write-in campaign won him the Best Cinematography Oscar for his work on A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935). The Academy later changed the Oscar rules, making write-in voting impossible. In 1944, Mohr became the first person to win an Oscar for both Black-and-White and Color cinematography when he won his second Academy Award, this time with W. Howard Greene for Best Cinematography in a Color Film, for their work on The Phantom of the Opera (1943). Mohr was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematographer for his work on The Four Poster (1952), a film based on a play of the same name, written by Jan de Hartog. He was also nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Cinematography in a Black and White Film, for his work on the same movie. Other film cinematographer credits include Little Annie Rooney (1925), The Big Gamble (1931), Cheers for Miss Bishop (1941), Another Part of the Forest (1948) and The Wild One (1953). Mohr served as president of the American Society of Cinematographers from 1930 to 1931. Then, for two terms from 1963 to 1965 and finally from 1969 to 1970. He was one of the first members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and a senior member of the Academy's Board of Directors. He headed the Academy's Cinematography Branch for over 20 years, and was also a part of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Before his death, he would travel the country promoting cameramen and the industry of cinematography. For his many contributions to motion pictures and the film industry, Hal Mohr received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame located at 6433 Hollywood Blvd.

Participates in

  • The Jazz Singer
  • Perils of the Secret Service
  • The Walking Dead
  • The Monster
  • Bullets or Ballots
  • Woman on the Run
  • Rancho Notorious
  • Baby Face Nelson
  • The Big Night
  • The Second Woman
  • The Big Gamble
  • Destry Rides Again
  • The Boss
  • The Lost Moment
  • Because of Him
  • Change of Heart
  • The Last Warning
  • The Last Performance
  • Another Part of the Forest
  • An Act of Murder
  • Enter Arsène Lupin
  • Her Lucky Night
  • Top Man
  • Phantom of the Opera
  • A Woman of Experience
  • The Heart of Maryland
  • The Third Degree
  • David Harum
  • Old San Francisco
  • Tenderloin
  • Noah's Ark
  • Broadway
  • Big Boy
  • Outward Bound
  • Devotion
  • Tess of the Storm Country
  • State Fair
  • The Warrior's Husband
  • I Loved You Wednesday
  • The Devil's in Love
  • Back Door to Heaven
  • Rio
  • Underworld U.S.A.
  • Glorious Betsy
  • Little Annie Rooney
  • I'll Be Yours
  • King of Jazz
  • Captain Blood
  • The Green Pastures
  • Watch on the Rhine
  • The Big Idea
  • The Big Idea
  • The Big Idea
  • Song of Scheherazade
  • Servants' Entrance
  • When Love Is Young
  • The Creation of the Humanoids
  • A Woman Commands
  • A Midsummer Night's Dream
  • Week Ends Only
  • When the Daltons Rode
  • No Time at All
  • The Climax
  • Salome, Where She Danced
  • I Met My Love Again
  • International Lady
  • The First Year
  • Ladies in Love
  • Day is Done
  • The Four Poster
  • The Bamboo Saucer
  • The Man from the Diners' Club
  • Jack and the Beanstalk
  • The Last Voyage
  • The Gun Runners
  • The Lineup
  • The Wild One
  • The Member of the Wedding
  • Johnny Holiday
  • The Strange Adventures of Prince Courageous
  • Sparrows
  • The Marriage Clause
  • The Czar of Broadway
  • Bag and Baggage
  • Topaz
  • Shanghai Lady
  • Lady with a Past
  • Pot o' Gold
  • Vanity's Price
  • Invisible Diplomats
  • Lady in a Jam
  • Watch Him Step
  • The Honeymoon

Acts in

  • I Met My Love Again
  • The Man You Loved to Hate