Biography
L. William O'Connell (also credited as Lewis W. O'Connell, L. Wm. O'Connell and similar variants) was an American cinematographer active in Hollywood from around 1918 to 1950. Born Lewis William O'Connell on 31 July 1890 in Chicago, Illinois, he began his career in the silent era and later worked as head cameraman at Fox. He served in the US Army during the First World War as a photographer in Siberia.
O'Connell contributed cinematography to numerous films, including Scarface (1932), The Return of the Vampire (1943) and Repeat Performance (1947). He frequently collaborated with directors Howard Hawks and William K. Howard. He was married to Joyce Burns, a dancer in Busby Berkeley productions, and their son Lew worked as a sound editor.
