Known for: Camera
Born: 1942-02-21 · London, England
Died: 2023-02-13

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Oliver Wood

Camera · follow into films and chains

Biography

Oliver Wood (February 21, 1942 – February 13, 2023) was a British cinematographer, best known for his work on blockbuster action and comedy films such as Die Hard 2, Face/Off, Freaky Friday, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, and the Bourne franchise. He collaborated with directors like Paul Greengrass, John Woo, Renny Harlin, Ron Underwood, and Adam McKay and was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Cinematography for The Bourne Ultimatum. Wood was born in London on 21 February 1942. At the age of 19, he moved to New York City. His first break came for director Leonard Kastle on the cult crime film The Honeymoon Killers (1969), where he used available light to give the dark comedy a newsreel look. He shot numerous B-movies and independent films throughout the late 1970s and 1980s, frequently collaborating with cinematographers Joseph Mangine and Fred Murphy. He also worked as a camera operator on higher-profile projects, including Body Rock (1984) and To Live and Die in L.A. (1985), both of which were shot by Robby Müller. He also became a music video and commercial cinematographer, working for directors like Bob Giraldi and Rupert Wainwright.[9] His big break came when he was director of photography for 53 episodes of the stylish crime drama Miami Vice, serving as the series primary DP between 1987 and 1989. His work on the series caught the attention of producers, enabling him to work on big-budget Hollywood films including Die Hard 2 (1990), Face/Off (1997), U-571 (2000), Fantastic Four (2005), and Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013). He was the original director of photography on the swashbuckling action film Cutthroat Island but suffered an on-set injury and was replaced by Peter Levy. He also shot the Bourne Trilogy, where he worked with director Paul Greengrass to produce a spontaneous, naturalistic effect, often using multiple cameras, frequently handheld, citing films such as The Battle of Algiers as an influence. He was nominated for a BAFTA for The Bourne Ultimatum (2007). In 2016, Wood shot the remake of Ben-Hur, directed by Timur Bekmambetov, utilising GoPro cameras to film the movie's action sequences. His last credit was for Morbius (2022). Wood died from cancer at his home in Los Angeles, California, on 13 February 2023 at the age of 80. He is survived by his wife, Sabina Groh; his daughters, Katharine Wood and Fiona Wood; and his son, Emerson Forth. Description above from the Wikipedia article Oliver Wood, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Notable films

Where to start

Highlights from credits and KinoChain journeys.

The Bourne Supremacy

Appears in a KinoChain journey

Step Brothers

Appears in a KinoChain journey

The Adventures of Pluto Nash

Appears in a KinoChain journey

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back

Director of Photography

The Bourne Identity

Director of Photography

Fantastic Four

Director of Photography

The Equalizer 2

Director of Photography

Die Hard 2

Director of Photography

Chains

KinoChain journeys

Public chains that pass through their films — or name them as a bridge.

Browse all chains

Riding the Circuit

From theme park gunslingers to bounty hunters on Mars, a journey through the sci-fi Western and the cultures that remade it.

8 films

When the Sequel Outshines the Original

From gritty crime epics to mind-bending sci-fi, these sequels didn't just continue stories, they redefined them. Here's a chain of films that prove the second (...

8 films

25 Years of Flailing: How Bridget Jones Perfected the Best Worst Fight Scene Ever

From Bridget Jones's iconic street brawl to a Greek restaurant showdown, trace the lineage of cinema's most gloriously awkward fights.

5 films

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