Biography
John F. Seitz (1892–1979) was an American cinematographer and inventor. He began working in the film industry in 1909 as a lab assistant in Chicago and became a director of photography during the silent era. He achieved early success with director Rex Ingram, including on The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921).
Seitz collaborated with Billy Wilder on several films, serving as cinematographer on Double Indemnity (1944), The Lost Weekend (1945) and Sunset Boulevard (1950), each earning him an Academy Award nomination. He also worked on Preston Sturges films including Sullivan's Travels (1941). He held 18 patents for photographic inventions and retired from cinematography in 1960.
Seitz was a member of the American Society of Cinematographers from 1923 and served as its president in 1929. He received seven Academy Award nominations for cinematography over the course of his career.
