Gregg Toland

Gregg Toland

Cinematographer. Born 29 May 1904 in Charleston, Illinois, USA. Died 26 September 1948.

CinematographerAmerican
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Title on Fi1m
Born
29 May 1904, Charleston, Illinois, USA
Died
26 September 1948

Biography

Gregg Toland was an American cinematographer. Born on 29 May 1904 in Charleston, Illinois, he entered the film industry as an office boy at the Fox studio at the age of 15 and became an assistant cameraman soon after. He received his first solo credit in 1931 and worked primarily for Samuel Goldwyn from the late 1920s.

Toland was known for his innovative lighting and deep-focus techniques. He served as director of photography on Wuthering Heights (1939), for which he won an Academy Award, as well as The Grapes of Wrath (1940), Citizen Kane (1941), The Little Foxes (1941) and The Best Years of Our Lives (1946). He collaborated with directors including William Wyler, John Ford and Orson Welles, and received six Academy Award nominations for cinematography in total.

Toland died on 28 September 1948 in Hollywood, California, at the age of 44.

Films and series

Beyond what we have reviewed, Gregg Toland is known for Citizen Kane (1941), The Grapes of Wrath (1940), The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), Song of the South (1946), The Bishop's Wife (1947), Ball of Fire (1941), The Little Foxes (1941) and Dead End (1937).