---
name: "Gregg Toland"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/gregg-toland"
fi1m_id: "gregg-toland"
imdb_id: "nm0005904"
tmdb_id: 8504
wikidata_id: "Q166000"
roles: ["Cinematographer"]
born: "29 May 1904"
died: "26 September 1948"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 10
average_fi1m_score: 81
average_over: 9
updated: "2026-09-20T01:34:19.394732+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."
---

# Gregg Toland

## Identity

Gregg Toland

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/gregg-toland
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** gregg-toland
- **IMDb ID:** nm0005904
- **TMDB ID:** 8504
- **Wikidata ID:** Q166000
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregg_Toland, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q166000, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005904/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/8504

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

## Details

- **Work:** Cinematographer
- **Born:** 29 May 1904, Charleston, Illinois, USA
- **Died:** 26 September 1948
- **Active:** 1935–1947
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 10: 1 acting, 9 crew
- **Frequently works with:** [Samuel Goldwyn](https://film.one/person/samuel-goldwyn.md), [William Wyler](https://film.one/person/william-wyler.md), [Darryl F. Zanuck](https://film.one/person/darryl-f-zanuck.md), [David Niven](https://film.one/person/david-niven.md), [Fredric March](https://film.one/person/fredric-march.md), [John Ford](https://film.one/person/john-ford.md), [Lillian Hellman](https://film.one/person/lillian-hellman.md), [Robert E. Sherwood](https://film.one/person/robert-e-sherwood.md)
- **Academy Awards:** 1 Oscar (1 won · 4 nominated)
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1930s 74 (3), 1940s 86 (7)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 83 to 80 across 6 titles
- **Score spread:** 5 at 80+, 4 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Genres:** Drama 9, Romance 5, Crime 2, War 2, Comedy 1, Fantasy 1
- **Screen time:** 17 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $50m across 3 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregg_Toland, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q166000, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005904/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/8504

## Streaming the US now

- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*The Little Foxes*](https://film.one/film/the-little-foxes.md) (85), [*Wuthering Heights*](https://film.one/film/wuthering-heights.md) (76), [*Dead End*](https://film.one/film/dead-end.md) (73)
- **Pluto TV:** [*The Best Years of Our Lives*](https://film.one/film/the-best-years-of-our-lives.md) (90), [*The Bishop's Wife*](https://film.one/film/the-bishops-wife.md) (74)
- **HBO Max:** [*The Long Voyage Home*](https://film.one/film/the-long-voyage-home.md) (80)

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

## 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.

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

## On Fi1m (10)

### Performed in (1)

- *Citizen Kane* (1941), Fi1m 93, as Interviewer — [page](https://film.one/film/citizen-kane.md)

### Crew (9) — the average rests on these

- *The Bishop's Wife* (1947), Fi1m 74, Cinematography, Director of Photography — [page](https://film.one/film/the-bishops-wife.md)
- *Notorious* (1946), Fi1m 92, Second Unit Director of Photography — [page](https://film.one/film/notorious.md)
- *The Best Years of Our Lives* (1946), Fi1m 90, Director of Photography, Cinematography — [page](https://film.one/film/the-best-years-of-our-lives.md)
- *The Little Foxes* (1941), Fi1m 85, Cinematography, Director of Photography — [page](https://film.one/film/the-little-foxes.md)
- *The Grapes of Wrath* (1940), Fi1m 86, Director of Photography, Cinematography — [page](https://film.one/film/the-grapes-of-wrath.md)
- *The Long Voyage Home* (1940), Fi1m 80, Cinematography, Director of Photography — [page](https://film.one/film/the-long-voyage-home.md)
- *Wuthering Heights* (1939), Fi1m 76, Cinematography, Director of Photography — [page](https://film.one/film/wuthering-heights.md)
- *Dead End* (1937), Fi1m 73, Cinematography, Director of Photography — [page](https://film.one/film/dead-end.md)
- *Les Misérables* (1935), Fi1m 74, Director of Photography, Cinematography — [page](https://film.one/film/les-miserables-1935.md)

## Complete filmography (61)

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

- *Enchantment* (1948), Director of Photography
- *A Song Is Born* (1948), Director of Photography
- *The Bishop's Wife* (1947), Director of Photography — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/film/the-bishops-wife.md)
- *The Best Years of Our Lives* (1946), Director of Photography — Fi1m 90, [page](https://film.one/film/the-best-years-of-our-lives.md)
- *Song of the South* (1946), Director of Photography
- *Notorious* (1946), Second Unit Director of Photography — Fi1m 92, [page](https://film.one/film/notorious.md)
- *The Kid from Brooklyn* (1946), Director of Photography
- *The Fighting Generation* (1944), Director of Photography
- *December 7th* (1943), Director, Director of Photography
- *The Outlaw* (1943), Director of Photography
- *Ball of Fire* (1941), Director of Photography
- *The Little Foxes* (1941), Director of Photography — Fi1m 85, [page](https://film.one/film/the-little-foxes.md)
- *Citizen Kane* (1941), as Interviewer · Director of Photography — Fi1m 93, [page](https://film.one/film/citizen-kane.md)
- *The Long Voyage Home* (1940), Director of Photography — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/film/the-long-voyage-home.md)
- *The Westerner* (1940), Director of Photography
- *The Grapes of Wrath* (1940), Director of Photography — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/film/the-grapes-of-wrath.md)
- *Raffles* (1939), Director of Photography
- *Intermezzo: A Love Story* (1939), Director of Photography
- *They Shall Have Music* (1939), Director of Photography
- *Wuthering Heights* (1939), Director of Photography — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/film/wuthering-heights.md)
- *The Cowboy and the Lady* (1938), Director of Photography
- *The Goldwyn Follies* (1938), Director of Photography
- *Dead End* (1937), Director of Photography — Fi1m 73, [page](https://film.one/film/dead-end.md)
- *Woman Chases Man* (1937), Director of Photography
- *History Is Made at Night* (1937), Director of Photography
- *Beloved Enemy* (1936), Director of Photography
- *Come and Get It* (1936), Director of Photography
- *The Road to Glory* (1936), Director of Photography
- *These Three* (1936), Director of Photography
- *Splendor* (1935), Director of Photography
- *The Dark Angel* (1935), Director of Photography
- *Mad Love* (1935), Director of Photography
- *Public Hero Number 1* (1935), Director of Photography
- *Les Misérables* (1935), Director of Photography — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/film/les-miserables-1935.md)
- *The Wedding Night* (1935), Director of Photography
- *Forsaking All Others* (1934), Director of Photography
- *We Live Again* (1934), Director of Photography
- *Nana* (1934), Director of Photography
- *Roman Scandals* (1933), Director of Photography
- *The Masquerader* (1933), Director of Photography
- *The Nuisance* (1933), Director of Photography
- *The Kid from Spain* (1932), Director of Photography
- *The Washington Masquerade* (1932), Director of Photography
- *The Tenderfoot* (1932), Director of Photography
- *Man Wanted* (1932), Director of Photography
- *Palmy Days* (1931), Director of Photography
- *Street Scene* (1931), Director of Photography
- *Tonight or Never* (1931), Director of Photography
- *One Heavenly Night* (1930), Director of Photography
- *The Devil to Pay!* (1930), Director of Photography
- *Whoopee!* (1930), Director of Photography
- *Raffles* (1930), Director of Photography, Cinematography
- *Queen Kelly* (1929), Cinematography
- *The Trespasser* (1929), Director of Photography
- *Condemned!* (1929), Director of Photography
- *This Is Heaven* (1929), Director of Photography
- *Bulldog Drummond* (1929), Director of Photography
- *The Life and Death of 9413: A Hollywood Extra* (1928), Director of Photography
- *The Winning of Barbara Worth* (1926), Director of Photography
- *The Bat* (1926), Assistant Camera
- *Bulldog Drummond* (1922), Cinematography

## Gallery

- ![Promotional still for the 1941 film, Citizen Kane](https://film.one/media/person/7138/gallery-69ee6c6d2a33.jpg) Promotional still for the 1941 film, Citizen Kane — RKO Radio Pictures, still photographer Alexander Kahle, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4b/Citizen-Kane-Filming-Low-Angle.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Promotional still for the 1941 film Citizen Kane, showing Orson Welles and cinematographer Gregg Toland](https://film.one/media/person/7138/gallery-9a486dc6cb75.jpg) Promotional still for the 1941 film Citizen Kane, showing Orson Welles and cinematographer Gregg Toland — RKO Radio Pictures, still photographer Alexander Kahle, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Citizen-Kane-Welles-Toland.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Gregg Toland](https://film.one/media/person/7138/gallery-ebba8cb6b5da.jpg) Gregg Toland — unknown (Samuel Goldwyn Prod.), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1e/Gregg_Toland.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Gregg Toland](https://film.one/media/person/7138/gallery-6fced83aa31e.jpg) Gregg Toland — Image via TMDB

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 1 won, 4 nominated

- 1942: Best Cinematography, Black-and-White (nominated), for *Citizen Kane*
- 1941: Best Cinematography, Black-and-White (nominated), for *The Long Voyage Home*
- 1940: Best Cinematography, Black-and-White (won), for *Wuthering Heights*
- 1938: Best Cinematography (nominated), for *Dead End*
- 1936: Best Cinematography (nominated), for *Les Misérables*

*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/gregg-toland