---
name: "Bruce Surtees"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/bruce-surtees"
fi1m_id: "bruce-surtees"
imdb_id: "nm0839732"
tmdb_id: 792
wikidata_id: "Q287778"
roles: ["Cinematographer"]
born: "3 August 1937"
died: "23 February 2012"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 10
average_fi1m_score: 69
average_over: 10
updated: "2026-10-04T18:41:39.146779+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Bruce Surtees

## Identity

Bruce Surtees

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/bruce-surtees
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** bruce-surtees
- **IMDb ID:** nm0839732
- **TMDB ID:** 792
- **Wikidata ID:** Q287778
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Surtees, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q287778, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0839732/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/792

Cinematographer. Born 3 August 1937 in Los Angeles, California, USA. Died 23 February 2012.

## Details

- **Work:** Cinematographer
- **Born:** 3 August 1937, Los Angeles, California, USA
- **Died:** 23 February 2012
- **Active:** 1971–1985
- **Also known as:** Pierre William Glenn
- **Frequently works with:** [Clint Eastwood](https://film.one/person/clint-eastwood.md), [Dean Riesner](https://film.one/person/dean-riesner.md), [Don Siegel](https://film.one/person/don-siegel.md), [John Vernon](https://film.one/person/john-vernon.md), [Richard Tuggle](https://film.one/person/richard-tuggle.md), [Sondra Locke](https://film.one/person/sondra-locke.md), Robert Daley
- **Academy Awards:** 1 Oscar nomination
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1970s 74 (4), 1980s 65 (6)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 67 to 61 across 8 titles
- **Score spread:** 2 at 80+, 6 at 60–79, 2 under 60
- **Genres:** Action 5, Drama 5, Thriller 5, Crime 4, Comedy 2, Science Fiction 2
- **Screen time:** 18 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $779m across 9 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Surtees, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q287778, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0839732/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/792

## Streaming the US now

- **Hulu:** [*Escape from Alcatraz*](https://film.one/film/escape-from-alcatraz.md) (82)
- **HBO Max:** [*Risky Business*](https://film.one/film/risky-business.md) (81)
- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*Conquest of the Planet of the Apes*](https://film.one/film/conquest-of-the-planet-of-the-apes.md) (73)
- **Apple TV:** [*Lenny*](https://film.one/film/lenny.md) (67)
- **Pluto TV:** [*Beverly Hills Cop*](https://film.one/film/beverly-hills-cop.md) (55)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Biography

Bruce Surtees was an American cinematographer. Born in Los Angeles in 1937, he was the son of three-time Oscar-winning cinematographer Robert Surtees. He studied at the ArtCenter College of Design and began his career as a camera operator before making his debut as director of photography on Don Siegel’s *The Beguiled* (1971).

Surtees collaborated frequently with Siegel and Clint Eastwood, serving as cinematographer on *Dirty Harry* (1971), *High Plains Drifter* (1973), *The Outlaw Josey Wales* (1976), *Escape from Alcatraz* (1979), *Firefox* (1982), *Sudden Impact* (1983) and *Pale Rider* (1985). His other credits include *Lenny* (1974), for which he received an Academy Award nomination, *Risky Business* (1983), *Beverly Hills Cop* (1984) and *Conquest of the Planet of the Apes* (1972). He received an Emmy nomination for the television film *Dash and Lilly* (1999). Surtees died in Carmel, California, in 2012.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, theguardian.com, latimes.com.*

## On Fi1m (10)

- *Pale Rider* (1985), Fi1m 77, Cinematography, Director of Photography — [page](https://film.one/film/pale-rider.md)
- *Beverly Hills Cop* (1984), Fi1m 55, Cinematography, Director of Photography — [page](https://film.one/film/beverly-hills-cop.md)
- *Tightrope* (1984), Fi1m 66, Director of Photography, Cinematography — [page](https://film.one/film/tightrope.md)
- *Risky Business* (1983), Fi1m 81, Director of Photography, Cinematography — [page](https://film.one/film/risky-business.md)
- *Sudden Impact* (1983), Fi1m 65, Director of Photography, Cinematography — [page](https://film.one/film/sudden-impact.md)
- *Firefox* (1982), Fi1m 47, Director of Photography, Cinematography — [page](https://film.one/film/firefox.md)
- *Escape from Alcatraz* (1979), Fi1m 82, Cinematography, Director of Photography — [page](https://film.one/film/escape-from-alcatraz.md)
- *Lenny* (1974), Fi1m 67, Director of Photography, Cinematography — [page](https://film.one/film/lenny.md)
- *Conquest of the Planet of the Apes* (1972), Fi1m 73, Director of Photography, Cinematography — [page](https://film.one/film/conquest-of-the-planet-of-the-apes.md)
- *Dirty Harry* (1971), Fi1m 74, Director of Photography, Cinematography — [page](https://film.one/film/dirty-harry.md)

## Complete filmography (58)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Joshua* (2002), Director of Photography
- *And Never Let Her Go* (2001), series, Director of Photography
- *American Tragedy* (2000), Director of Photography
- *Thin Air* (2000), Director of Photography
- *The Lady in Question* (1999), Director of Photography
- *Lethal Vows* (1999), Director of Photography
- *Just a Little Harmless Sex* (1999), Director of Photography
- *That Championship Season* (1999), Director of Photography
- *Dash and Lilly* (1999), Director of Photography
- *Murder in a Small Town* (1999), Director of Photography
- *The Substitute* (1996), Director of Photography
- *The Stars Fell on Henrietta* (1995), Director of Photography
- *Corrina, Corrina* (1994), Director of Photography
- *The Birds II: Land's End* (1994), Director of Photography
- *The Crush* (1993), Director of Photography
- *That Night* (1992), Director of Photography
- *The Super* (1991), Director of Photography
- *Chains of Gold* (1991), Director of Photography
- *Run* (1991), Director of Photography
- *Men Don't Leave* (1990), Director of Photography
- *License to Drive* (1988), Director of Photography
- *Back to the Beach* (1987), Director of Photography
- *Ratboy* (1986), Director of Photography
- *Out of Bounds* (1986), Director of Photography
- *Psycho III* (1986), Director of Photography
- *Pale Rider* (1985), Director of Photography — Fi1m 77, [page](https://film.one/film/pale-rider.md)
- *Beverly Hills Cop* (1984), Director of Photography — Fi1m 55, [page](https://film.one/film/beverly-hills-cop.md)
- *Tightrope* (1984), Director of Photography — Fi1m 66, [page](https://film.one/film/tightrope.md)
- *Sudden Impact* (1983), Director of Photography — Fi1m 65, [page](https://film.one/film/sudden-impact.md)
- *Risky Business* (1983), Director of Photography — Fi1m 81, [page](https://film.one/film/risky-business.md)
- *Bad Boys* (1983), Director of Photography
- *Honkytonk Man* (1982), Director of Photography
- *Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains* (1982), Director of Photography
- *White Dog* (1982), Director of Photography
- *Firefox* (1982), Director of Photography — Fi1m 47, [page](https://film.one/film/firefox.md)
- *Inchon* (1981), Director of Photography
- *Escape from Alcatraz* (1979), Director of Photography — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/film/escape-from-alcatraz.md)
- *Dreamer* (1979), Director of Photography
- *Movie Movie* (1978), Director of Photography
- *Big Wednesday* (1978), Director of Photography
- *Three Warriors* (1977), Director of Photography
- *The Shootist* (1976), Director of Photography
- *The Outlaw Josey Wales* (1976), Director of Photography
- *Leadbelly* (1976), Director of Photography
- *Sparkle* (1976), Director of Photography
- *Night Moves* (1975), Director of Photography
- *Lenny* (1974), Director of Photography — Fi1m 67, [page](https://film.one/film/lenny.md)
- *The Outfit* (1973), Director of Photography
- *Blume in Love* (1973), Director of Photography
- *High Plains Drifter* (1973), Director of Photography
- *Joe Kidd* (1972), Director of Photography
- *Conquest of the Planet of the Apes* (1972), Director of Photography — Fi1m 73, [page](https://film.one/film/conquest-of-the-planet-of-the-apes.md)
- *The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid* (1972), Director of Photography
- *Dirty Harry* (1971), Director of Photography — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/film/dirty-harry.md)
- *Play Misty for Me* (1971), Director of Photography
- *The Beguiled* (1971), Director of Photography
- *Lost Command* (1966), Camera Operator
- *The Hallelujah Trail* (1965), Assistant Camera

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 0 won, 1 nominated

- 1975: Best Cinematography (nominated), for *Lenny*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/bruce-surtees