Biography
Joseph Walker (born Joseph Bailey Walker) was an American cinematographer. Born in Denver, Colorado, on 22 August 1892, he died in Las Vegas, Nevada, on 1 August 1985. He began his career as a wireless telephone engineer and inventor, and worked as a photographer of Red Cross documentaries during the First World War. His first feature as cinematographer was the 1919 Canadian film Back to God's Country.
Walker joined Columbia Pictures in 1927 and remained there until his retirement in 1952. He collaborated with director Frank Capra on 20 films, including It Happened One Night (1934), Mr Deeds Goes to Town (1936), Lost Horizon (1937), You Can't Take It with You (1938), Mr Smith Goes to Washington (1939), His Girl Friday (1940) and It's a Wonderful Life (1946). He also worked with Howard Hawks on Only Angels Have Wings (1939) and His Girl Friday.
Walker held 20 patents for camera-related inventions, including zoom lenses and the Duomar lens. He received four Academy Award nominations for cinematography and was the first recipient of the Gordon E. Sawyer Award in 1982 for technological contributions to the industry. He co-wrote the memoir The Light on Her Face, published in 1984.
