---
name: "David Watkin"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/david-watkin"
fi1m_id: "david-watkin"
imdb_id: "nm0914239"
tmdb_id: 10639
wikidata_id: "Q1177096"
roles: ["Cinematographer"]
born: "23 March 1925"
died: "19 February 2008"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 6
average_fi1m_score: 70
average_over: 6
updated: "2026-10-24T04:00:15.769583+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."
---

# David Watkin

## Identity

David Watkin

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/david-watkin
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** david-watkin
- **IMDb ID:** nm0914239
- **TMDB ID:** 10639
- **Wikidata ID:** Q1177096
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Watkin_(cinematographer), https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1177096, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0914239/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/10639

Cinematographer. Born 23 March 1925 in Margate, Kent, England, UK. Died 19 February 2008.

## Details

- **Work:** Cinematographer
- **Born:** 23 March 1925, Margate, Kent, England, UK
- **Died:** 19 February 2008
- **Active:** 1971–1990
- **Academy Awards:** 1 Oscar (1 won)
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1980s 69 (5), 1990s 72 (1)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 71 to 64 across 5 titles
- **Score spread:** 1 at 80+, 4 at 60–79, 1 under 60
- **Genres:** Drama 6, History 3, Romance 3, Adventure 1, Comedy 1, Music 1
- **Screen time:** 13 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $506m across 6 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Watkin_(cinematographer), https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1177096, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0914239/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/10639

## Streaming the US now

- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*Chariots of Fire*](https://film.one/film/chariots-of-fire.md) (78), [*Yentl*](https://film.one/film/yentl.md) (65)
- **Apple TV:** [*Moonstruck*](https://film.one/film/moonstruck.md) (84)
- **The Roku Channel:** [*Hamlet*](https://film.one/film/hamlet-1990.md) (72)
- **Netflix:** [*Out of Africa*](https://film.one/film/out-of-africa.md) (54)

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

## Biography

David Watkin (23 March 1925 – 19 February 2008) was an English cinematographer. He began his career in the 1950s and shot his first feature, *The Knack...and How to Get It*, in 1965. Over five decades he worked on more than sixty films, often collaborating with directors including Richard Lester, Ken Russell, Tony Richardson, Mike Nichols and Hugh Hudson.

His credits include *The Devils* (1971), *Jesus of Nazareth* (1977), *Chariots of Fire* (1981), *Yentl* (1983), *Out of Africa* (1985), *Moonstruck* (1987) and *Hamlet* (1990). Watkin received the Academy Award for Best Cinematography for *Out of Africa* in 1985. He was awarded lifetime achievement honours by the British Society of Cinematographers and the Camerimage Film Festival in 2004.

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

## On Fi1m (6)

- *Hamlet* (1990), Fi1m 72, Director of Photography, Cinematography — [page](https://film.one/film/hamlet-1990.md)
- *Moonstruck* (1987), Fi1m 84, Cinematography, Director of Photography — [page](https://film.one/film/moonstruck.md)
- *Out of Africa* (1985), Fi1m 54, Cinematography, Director of Photography — [page](https://film.one/film/out-of-africa.md)
- *Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes* (1984), Fi1m 65, Additional Photography — [page](https://film.one/film/greystoke-the-legend-of-tarzan-lord-of-the-apes.md)
- *Yentl* (1983), Fi1m 65, Director of Photography, Cinematography — [page](https://film.one/film/yentl.md)
- *Chariots of Fire* (1981), Fi1m 78, Director of Photography, Cinematography — [page](https://film.one/film/chariots-of-fire.md)

## Complete filmography (76)

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

- *All Forgotten* (2001), Director of Photography
- *Tea with Mussolini* (1999), Director of Photography
- *Gloria* (1999), Director of Photography
- *Critical Care* (1997), Director of Photography
- *Obsession* (1997), Director of Photography
- *Night Falls on Manhattan* (1997), Director of Photography
- *Bogus* (1996), Director of Photography
- *Jane Eyre* (1996), Director of Photography
- *It Is Now Our Time: Peter Sellars’ The Merchant of Venice* (1994), Cinematography
- *Milk Money* (1994), Director of Photography
- *Bopha!* (1993), Director of Photography
- *This Boy's Life* (1993), Director of Photography
- *Used People* (1992), Director of Photography
- *The Cabinet of Dr. Ramirez* (1991), Director of Photography
- *The Object of Beauty* (1991), Director of Photography
- *Hamlet* (1990), Director of Photography — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/film/hamlet-1990.md)
- *Memphis Belle* (1990), Director of Photography
- *Murder on the Moon* (1989), Director of Photography
- *Last Rites* (1988), Director of Photography
- *The Good Mother* (1988), Director of Photography
- *Journey to the Center of the Earth* (1988), Director of Photography
- *Masquerade* (1988), Director of Photography
- *Moonstruck* (1987), Director of Photography — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/moonstruck.md)
- *Sky Bandits* (1986), Director of Photography
- *Out of Africa* (1985), Director of Photography — Fi1m 54, [page](https://film.one/film/out-of-africa.md)
- *White Nights* (1985), Director of Photography
- *Return to Oz* (1985), Director of Photography
- *Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes* (1984), Additional Photography — Fi1m 65, [page](https://film.one/film/greystoke-the-legend-of-tarzan-lord-of-the-apes.md)
- *The Hotel New Hampshire* (1984), Director of Photography
- *Yentl* (1983), Director of Photography — Fi1m 65, [page](https://film.one/film/yentl.md)
- *Endless Love* (1981), Director of Photography
- *Chariots of Fire* (1981), Director of Photography — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/film/chariots-of-fire.md)
- *La Cenerentola* (1981), Director of Photography
- *Cuba* (1979), Director of Photography
- *That Summer!* (1979), Director of Photography
- *Hanover Street* (1979), Director of Photography
- *Jesus of Nazareth* (1977), series, Director of Photography
- *Joseph Andrews* (1977), Director of Photography
- *Robin and Marian* (1976), Director of Photography
- *To the Devil a Daughter* (1976), Director of Photography
- *Mahogany* (1975), Director of Photography
- *The Four Musketeers* (1974), Director of Photography
- *The Three Musketeers* (1973), Director of Photography
- *A Delicate Balance* (1973), Director of Photography
- *The Homecoming* (1973), Director of Photography
- *The Boy Friend* (1971), Director of Photography
- *The Devils* (1971), Director of Photography
- *Catch-22* (1970), Director of Photography
- *The Bed Sitting Room* (1969), Director of Photography
- *The Charge of the Light Brigade* (1968), Director of Photography
- *Red, White, and Zero* (1968), Director of Photography
- *How I Won the War* (1967), Director of Photography
- *The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade* (1967), Director of Photography
- *Mademoiselle* (1966), Director of Photography
- *Help!* (1965), Director of Photography
- *The Knack... and How to Get It* (1965), Director of Photography
- *Rhythm 'n' Greens* (1964), Cinematography
- *The Six-Sided Triangle* (1963), Cinematography
- *...All That Mighty Heart...* (1962), Camera Operator
- *Robert Reid Reports on British Waterways* (1962), Cinematography
- *The Signal Engineers* (1962), Director of Photography
- *The Travolators* (1961), Director of Photography
- *They Take the High Road* (1960), Director of Photography
- *Blue Pullman* (1960), Director of Photography
- *Diesel Trainride* (1959), Director of Photography
- *Groundwork for Progress* (1959), Cinematography
- *The Coasts of Clyde* (1959), Director of Photography
- *Care of St Christopher’s* (1959), Director of Photography
- *Under Night Streets* (1958), Director of Photography
- *A Desperate Case* (1958), Director of Photography
- *Lancashire Coast* (1957), Director of Photography
- *Holiday* (1957), Director of Photography
- *Service for Southend* (1957), Camera Operator
- *The England of Elizabeth* (1957), Director of Photography
- *The Long Night Haul* (1956), Director of Photography
- *Men on the Mend* (1956), Director of Photography

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 1 won

- 1986: Best Cinematography (won), for *Out of Africa*

### BAFTA Film Awards — 1 won

- 1987: Best Cinematography (won), for *Out of Africa*

*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/david-watkin