---
name: "Jack Hildyard"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/jack-hildyard"
fi1m_id: "jack-hildyard"
imdb_id: "nm0005742"
tmdb_id: 12242
wikidata_id: "Q436584"
roles: ["Cinematographer"]
born: "17 March 1908"
died: "5 September 1990"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 5
average_fi1m_score: 76
average_over: 5
updated: "2026-09-20T03:41:46.885449+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."
---

# Jack Hildyard

## Identity

Jack Hildyard

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/jack-hildyard
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** jack-hildyard
- **IMDb ID:** nm0005742
- **TMDB ID:** 12242
- **Wikidata ID:** Q436584
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Hildyard, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q436584, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005742/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/12242

Cinematographer. Born 17 March 1908 in London, England. Died 5 September 1990.

## Details

- **Work:** Cinematographer
- **Born:** 17 March 1908, London, England
- **Died:** 5 September 1990
- **Active:** 1938–1967
- **Also known as:** J. Hildyard
- **Academy Awards:** 1 Oscar (1 won)
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1930s 84 (1), 1940s 82 (1), 1950s 88 (1), 1960s 62 (2)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 73 to 69 across 3 titles
- **Score spread:** 3 at 80+, 1 at 60–79, 1 under 60
- **Genres:** Drama 4, Adventure 2, Comedy 2, History 2, War 2, Action 1
- **Screen time:** 11 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $87m across 2 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Hildyard, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q436584, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005742/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/12242

## Streaming the US now

- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*The Sundowners*](https://film.one/film/the-sundowners.md) (74)

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

## Biography

Jack Hildyard (17 March 1908 – 5 September 1990) was a British cinematographer. He began working in films in 1932 as a clapper boy at Elstree Studios and progressed to focus puller and camera operator on productions including *Pygmalion* (1938) and *Henry V* (1944). His first solo credit as cinematographer was on *While the Sun Shines* (1947).

Hildyard collaborated with director David Lean on *The Sound Barrier* (1952), *Hobson's Choice* (1954) and *The Bridge on the River Kwai* (1957), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography. A founding member of the British Society of Cinematographers, he received its Lifetime Achievement Award in 1990. He photographed more than 80 films, among them *Anastasia* (1956), *Suddenly, Last Summer* (1959), *55 Days at Peking* (1963), *Casino Royale* (1967) and *The Wild Geese* (1978). He was the brother of sound engineer David Hildyard.

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

## On Fi1m (5)

- *Casino Royale* (1967), Fi1m 50, Cinematography, Director of Photography — [page](https://film.one/film/casino-royale-1967.md)
- *The Sundowners* (1960), Fi1m 74, Director of Photography, Cinematography — [page](https://film.one/film/the-sundowners.md)
- *The Bridge on the River Kwai* (1957), Fi1m 88, Director of Photography, Cinematography — [page](https://film.one/film/the-bridge-on-the-river-kwai.md)
- *Henry V* (1944), Fi1m 82, Camera Operator — [page](https://film.one/film/henry-v-1944.md)
- *Pygmalion* (1938), Fi1m 84, Camera Operator — [page](https://film.one/film/pygmalion.md)

## Complete filmography (68)

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

- *Florence Nightingale* (1985), Director of Photography
- *Ellis Island* (1984), series, Director of Photography
- *Clash of Loyalties* (1983), Director of Photography
- *Lion of the Desert* (1981), Director of Photography
- *The Wild Geese* (1978), Director of Photography
- *Emily* (1976), Director of Photography
- *The Message* (1976), Director of Photography
- *The Message* (1976), Director of Photography
- *Not Now, Comrade* (1976), Cinematography
- *Mousey* (1974), Director of Photography
- *The Beast Must Die* (1974), Director of Photography
- *The Last Chapter* (1974), Director of Photography
- *Mafia Junction* (1973), Director of Photography
- *Puppet on a Chain* (1970), Cinematography
- *Topaz* (1969), Director of Photography
- *Hard Contract* (1969), Director of Photography
- *Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter* (1968), Director of Photography
- *Villa Rides* (1968), Director of Photography
- *The Long Duel* (1967), Director of Photography
- *Casino Royale* (1967), Director of Photography — Fi1m 50, [page](https://film.one/film/casino-royale-1967.md)
- *Modesty Blaise* (1966), Director of Photography
- *Battle of the Bulge* (1965), Director of Photography
- *The Yellow Rolls-Royce* (1964), Director of Photography
- *Circus World* (1964), Director of Photography
- *The V.I.P.s* (1963), Director of Photography
- *55 Days at Peking* (1963), Director of Photography
- *Live Now - Pay Later* (1962), Director of Photography
- *The Road to Hong Kong* (1962), Director of Photography
- *The Sundowners* (1960), Director of Photography — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/film/the-sundowners.md)
- *The Millionairess* (1960), Director of Photography
- *Suddenly, Last Summer* (1959), Director of Photography
- *Jet Storm* (1959), Director of Photography
- *The Devil's Disciple* (1959), Director of Photography
- *The Journey* (1959), Director of Photography
- *Another Time, Another Place* (1958), Director of Photography
- *The Gypsy and the Gentleman* (1958), Director of Photography
- *The Bridge on the River Kwai* (1957), Director of Photography — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/film/the-bridge-on-the-river-kwai.md)
- *The Living Idol* (1957), Director of Photography
- *Anastasia* (1956), Director of Photography
- *Charley Moon* (1956), Director of Photography
- *The March Hare* (1956), Director of Photography
- *The Deep Blue Sea* (1955), Director of Photography
- *Summertime* (1955), Director of Photography
- *The Teckman Mystery* (1954), Director of Photography
- *Hobson's Choice* (1954), Director of Photography
- *The Heart of the Matter* (1953), Director of Photography
- *Folly to Be Wise* (1952), Director of Photography
- *The Sound Barrier* (1952), Director of Photography
- *Home at Seven* (1952), Director of Photography
- *Talk of a Million* (1951), Director of Photography
- *The Reluctant Widow* (1950), Director of Photography
- *The Chiltern Hundreds* (1949), Director of Photography
- *The Perfect Woman* (1949), Director of Photography
- *Cardboard Cavalier* (1949), Director of Photography
- *Sleeping Car to Trieste* (1948), Director of Photography
- *The First Gentleman* (1948), Director of Photography
- *Vice Versa* (1948), Director of Photography
- *While the Sun Shines* (1947), Director of Photography
- *School for Secrets* (1946), Director of Photography
- *Caesar and Cleopatra* (1945), Director of Photography
- *Henry V* (1944), Camera Operator — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/film/henry-v-1944.md)
- *The Lamp Still Burns* (1943), Camera Operator
- *Escape to Danger* (1943), Camera Operator
- *The Flemish Farm* (1943), Camera Operator
- *Thunder Rock* (1942), Camera Operator
- *The First of the Few* (1942), Camera Operator
- *"Pimpernel" Smith* (1941), Camera Operator
- *Pygmalion* (1938), Camera Operator — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/pygmalion.md)

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 1 won

- 1958: Best Cinematography (won), for *The Bridge on the River Kwai*

*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/jack-hildyard