---
name: "John C. Flinn III"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/john-c-flinn-iii"
roles: ["Cinematographer","Director"]
born: "28 December 1944"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
updated: "2026-09-16T21:21:02.447616+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."
---

# John C. Flinn III

Cinematographer and director. Born 28 December 1944 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

## Details

- **Work:** Cinematographer, Director
- **Born:** 28 December 1944, Los Angeles, California, USA
- **Active:** 1981–2004
- **Also known as:**  John Flinn
- **Works often with:** Jeff Bleckner, Oz Scott, Richard Compton

## Biography

John C. Flinn III is an American cinematographer and director. Born on 28 December 1944 in Los Angeles, California, he comes from a film family: his grandfather John C. Flinn Sr. was a producer and executive who worked with Cecil B. DeMille, and his father John C. Flinn Jr. was director of advertising and publicity for Columbia Pictures.

He began his career as a second assistant cameraman and received his first cinematography credit on the 1979 television film *The Flame Is Love*. Flinn served as director of photography on series including *Hill Street Blues* (1981), *Magnum, P.I.* (1980s), *Jake and the Fatman* and *Babylon 5* (1994), where he also directed multiple episodes. His later credits include *Boston Legal* (2004) and *Jane the Virgin* (2014).

Flinn received the American Society of Cinematographers Career Achievement in Television Award in 2010 and has earned multiple Primetime Emmy nominations for cinematography.

*Sources: theasc.com, imdb.com, variety.com, rottentomatoes.com.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *Hill Street Blues* (1981), Fi1m 86, Cinematography — [page](https://film.one/tv/hill-street-blues.md)

## Also credited on (not yet reviewed)

- *Boston Legal* (2004), Cinematography
- *Babylon 5* (1994), Cinematography, Director

## Also known for

- *Jane the Virgin* (2014), Director of Photography
- *Magnum, P.I.* (1980), Director of Photography
- *Babylon 5: In the Beginning* (1998), Director of Photography
- *Babylon 5: Thirdspace* (1998), Director of Photography
- *Babylon 5: A Call to Arms* (1999), Director of Photography

---
© 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/john-c-flinn-iii