Biography
Boris Kaufman (1906–1980) was a Russian-born American cinematographer. He was the younger brother of Soviet filmmakers Dziga Vertov and Mikhail Kaufman. After studying at the University of Paris, he began working in cinematography in France, collaborating with directors including Jean Vigo on films such as À propos de Nice (1930), Taris (1931), Zero for Conduct (1933) and L'Atalante (1934).
Following service in the French Army during the Second World War, Kaufman moved to Canada and then the United States in 1942. He worked on documentaries and short films before his first American feature, On the Waterfront (1954) directed by Elia Kazan, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography (Black and White). He received a further Oscar nomination for Kazan's Baby Doll (1956).
Kaufman shot Sidney Lumet's debut feature 12 Angry Men (1957) and collaborated with Lumet on several later films, including The Fugitive Kind (1960), Long Day's Journey Into Night (1962) and The Pawnbroker (1965). Other credits include Splendor in the Grass (1961). He retired in 1970 and died in New York City.
