---
name: "John Elsenbach"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/john-elsenbach"
roles: ["Cinematographer"]
born: "1 March 1925"
died: "13 November 2004"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
updated: "2026-09-16T16:50:25.598890+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 Elsenbach

Cinematographer. Born 1 March 1925 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. Died 13 November 2004.

## Details

- **Work:** Cinematographer
- **Born:** 1 March 1925, Chicago, Illinois, USA
- **Died:** 13 November 2004

## Biography

John Elsenbach was an American cinematographer. Born on 1 March 1925 in Chicago, Illinois, he studied photography at the Bauhaus Institute of Design and served in the US Army during the Second World War. He began his career as a freelance assistant cameraman and camera operator, working on documentaries and films including *Picnic*, *Nashville Rebel* and *Bloody Mama*.

As director of photography, Elsenbach contributed to numerous television series and films. His credits include episodes of *Kojak* (1973 series), *Knots Landing* (1980–1981) and *Murder, She Wrote* (1988–1991, 62 episodes). He also shot television movies such as *The Alamo: Thirteen Days to Glory* (1987).

Elsenbach received several Emmy nominations and won American Society of Cinematographers awards for his work on *Murder, She Wrote* and *The Alamo: Thirteen Days to Glory*. He was an honorary lifetime member of the International Cinematographers Guild Local 600. He died on 13 November 2004 in California.

*Sources: imdb.com, findagrave.com, volgagermaninstitute.org.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *Kojak* (1973), Fi1m 80, Cinematography — [page](https://film.one/tv/kojak.md)

---
© 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-elsenbach