---
name: "Daniel L. Fapp"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/daniel-l-fapp"
fi1m_id: "daniel-l-fapp"
imdb_id: "nm0005701"
tmdb_id: 5806
wikidata_id: "Q462027"
roles: ["Cinematographer"]
born: "21 April 1904"
died: "19 July 1986"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 4
average_fi1m_score: 78
average_over: 4
updated: "2026-09-25T06:58:06.988886+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."
---

# Daniel L. Fapp

## Identity

Daniel L. Fapp

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/daniel-l-fapp
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** daniel-l-fapp
- **IMDb ID:** nm0005701
- **TMDB ID:** 5806
- **Wikidata ID:** Q462027
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_L._Fapp, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q462027, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005701/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/5806

Cinematographer. Born 21 April 1904 in Kansas City, Kansas, USA. Died 19 July 1986.

## Details

- **Work:** Cinematographer
- **Born:** 21 April 1904, Kansas City, Kansas, USA
- **Died:** 19 July 1986
- **Active:** 1932–1963
- **Also known as:** Daniel Fapp, Dan Fapp
- **Academy Awards:** 1 Oscar (1 won · 6 nominated)
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1930s 80 (1), 1950s 72 (1), 1960s 81 (2)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 81 to 74 across 3 titles
- **Score spread:** 3 at 80+, 1 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Genres:** Drama 3, Romance 2, War 2, Adventure 1, Comedy 1, Crime 1
- **Screen time:** 9 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $59m across 3 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_L._Fapp, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q462027, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005701/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/5806

## Streaming the US now

- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*The Great Escape*](https://film.one/film/the-great-escape.md) (82)
- **Tubi:** [*West Side Story*](https://film.one/film/west-side-story.md) (80)

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

## Biography

Daniel L. Fapp (also credited as Daniel Fapp or Dan Fapp) was an American cinematographer. He began his career at Paramount in 1923, working in the studio lab before becoming an assistant cameraman in 1925 and a director of photography in 1941. He remained with the studio until 1959, after which he worked freelance until retiring in 1969. He was a member of the American Society of Cinematographers from 1941.

Fapp served as director of photography on *The Great Escape* (1963). He is best known for *West Side Story* (1961), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography (Colour). He received further Academy Award nominations for *Desire Under the Elms* (1958), *The Five Pennies* (1959), *One, Two, Three* (1961), *The Unsinkable Molly Brown* (1964), *Ice Station Zebra* (1968) and *Marooned* (1969). Other credits include *Let's Make Love* (1960), *Artists and Models* (1955) and *Our Man Flint* (1966).

*Sources: imdb.com, en.wikipedia.org, web.archive.org.*

## On Fi1m (4)

- *The Great Escape* (1963), Fi1m 82, Director of Photography, Cinematography — [page](https://film.one/film/the-great-escape.md)
- *West Side Story* (1961), Fi1m 80, Director of Photography, Cinematography — [page](https://film.one/film/west-side-story.md)
- *Artists and Models* (1955), Fi1m 72, Cinematography, Director of Photography — [page](https://film.one/film/artists-and-models.md)
- *Shanghai Express* (1932), Fi1m 80, Second Assistant Camera — [page](https://film.one/film/shanghai-express.md)

## Complete filmography (83)

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

- *Marooned* (1969), Director of Photography
- *5 Card Stud* (1968), Director of Photography
- *Ice Station Zebra* (1968), Director of Photography
- *Sweet November* (1968), Director of Photography
- *Double Trouble* (1967), Director of Photography
- *Spinout* (1966), Director of Photography
- *Lord Love a Duck* (1966), Director of Photography
- *Our Man Flint* (1966), Director of Photography
- *I'll Take Sweden* (1965), Director of Photography
- *The Pleasure Seekers* (1964), Director of Photography
- *Send Me No Flowers* (1964), Director of Photography
- *The Unsinkable Molly Brown* (1964), Director of Photography
- *Move Over, Darling* (1963), Director of Photography
- *Fun in Acapulco* (1963), Director of Photography
- *A New Kind of Love* (1963), Director of Photography
- *The Great Escape* (1963), Director of Photography — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/film/the-great-escape.md)
- *The Pigeon That Took Rome* (1962), Director of Photography
- *One, Two, Three* (1961), Director of Photography
- *West Side Story* (1961), Director of Photography — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/film/west-side-story.md)
- *Bachelor Flat* (1961), Director of Photography
- *Let's Make Love* (1960), Director of Photography
- *All the Young Men* (1960), Director of Photography
- *Li'l Abner* (1959), Director of Photography
- *The Five Pennies* (1959), Director of Photography
- *The Trap* (1959), Director of Photography
- *Kings Go Forth* (1958), Director of Photography
- *Desire Under the Elms* (1958), Director of Photography
- *The Devil's Hairpin* (1957), Director of Photography
- *The Joker is Wild* (1957), Director of Photography
- *Hollywood or Bust* (1956), Director of Photography
- *Pardners* (1956), Director of Photography
- *The Birds and the Bees* (1956), Director of Photography
- *Artists and Models* (1955), Director of Photography — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/film/artists-and-models.md)
- *You're Never Too Young* (1955), Director of Photography
- *The Far Horizons* (1955), Director of Photography
- *Run for Cover* (1955), Director of Photography
- *Living It Up* (1954), Director of Photography
- *Knock on Wood* (1954), Director of Photography
- *Money from Home* (1953), Director of Photography
- *The Caddy* (1953), Director of Photography
- *The Girls of Pleasure Island* (1953), Director of Photography
- *Jumping Jacks* (1952), Director of Photography
- *Anything Can Happen* (1952), Director of Photography
- *Sailor Beware* (1952), Director of Photography
- *The Stooge* (1951), Director of Photography
- *Darling, How Could You!* (1951), Director of Photography
- *The Lemon Drop Kid* (1951), Director of Photography
- *The Redhead and the Cowboy* (1951), Director of Photography
- *Union Station* (1950), Director of Photography
- *No Man of Her Own* (1950), Director of Photography
- *Song of Surrender* (1949), Director of Photography
- *Red, Hot and Blue* (1949), Director of Photography
- *Sorrowful Jones* (1949), Director of Photography
- *Bride of Vengeance* (1949), Director of Photography
- *Dream Girl* (1948), Cinematography, Director of Photography
- *Hazard* (1948), Director of Photography
- *Golden Earrings* (1947), Director of Photography
- *Easy Come, Easy Go* (1947), Director of Photography
- *Suddenly It's Spring* (1947), Director of Photography
- *To Each His Own* (1946), Director of Photography
- *Hold That Blonde!* (1945), Director of Photography
- *Kitty* (1945), Director of Photography
- *You Came Along* (1945), Director of Photography
- *And Now Tomorrow* (1944), Director of Photography
- *Henry Aldrich's Little Secret* (1944), Director of Photography
- *Henry Aldrich Plays Cupid* (1944), Director of Photography
- *Henry Aldrich, Boy Scout* (1944), Director of Photography
- *Henry Aldrich Haunts a House* (1943), Director of Photography
- *Henry Aldrich Swings It* (1943), Director of Photography
- *Henry Aldrich Gets Glamour* (1943), Director of Photography
- *Lady Bodyguard* (1943), Director of Photography
- *My Heart Belongs to Daddy* (1942), Director of Photography
- *Priorities on Parade* (1942), Director of Photography
- *Henry and Dizzy* (1942), Director of Photography
- *True to the Army* (1942), Director of Photography
- *Glamour Boy* (1941), Director of Photography
- *World Premiere* (1941), Director of Photography, Cinematography
- *Thirty Day Princess* (1934), Camera Operator
- *Shanghai Express* (1932), Second Assistant Camera — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/film/shanghai-express.md)
- *This Reckless Age* (1932), Camera Operator
- *Rich Man's Folly* (1931), Camera Operator
- *Huckleberry Finn* (1931), Camera Operator
- *The Wild Party* (1929), Assistant Camera

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 1 won, 6 nominated

- 1970: Best Cinematography (nominated), for *Marooned*
- 1969: Best Cinematography (nominated), for *Ice Station Zebra*
- 1965: Best Cinematography, Color (nominated), for *The Unsinkable Molly Brown*
- 1962: Best Cinematography, Color (won), for *West Side Story*
- 1962: Best Cinematography, Black-and-White (nominated), for *One, Two, Three*
- 1960: Best Cinematography, Color (nominated), for *The Five Pennies*
- 1959: Best Cinematography, Black-and-White (nominated), for *Desire Under the Elms*

*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/daniel-l-fapp