---
name: "Leo Tover"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/leo-tover"
roles: ["Cinematographer"]
born: "6 December 1902"
died: "30 December 1964"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 3
average_fi1m_score: 81
average_over: 3
updated: "2026-09-20T01:48:45.174304+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."
---

# Leo Tover

Cinematographer. Born 6 December 1902 in New Haven, Connecticut, USA. Died 30 December 1964.

## Details

- **Work:** Cinematographer
- **Born:** 6 December 1902, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- **Died:** 30 December 1964
- **Active:** 1941–1949
- **Frequently works with:** [Olivia de Havilland](https://film.one/person/olivia-de-havilland.md)
- **Academy Awards:** 2 Oscar nominations
- **Score spread:** 1 at 80+, 2 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Genres:** Drama 3, Romance 2, History 1, Mystery 1
- **Screen time:** 6 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $2m across 1 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Tover, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q328403, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0869860/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/12279

## Biography

Leo Tover (1902–1964) was an American cinematographer. He began his career in 1918 as a clapper boy and camera assistant, becoming a director of photography in 1926. He worked primarily under contract to Paramount and 20th Century Fox.

Tover received Academy Award nominations for his cinematography on *Hold Back the Dawn* (1941) and *The Heiress* (1949). His other credits include *The Day the Earth Stood Still* (1951), *The Snake Pit* (1948), *Journey to the Center of the Earth* (1959) and *The Tall Men* (1955). He served in the US Army Signal Corps Photographic Center during the Second World War.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (3)

- *The Heiress* (1949), Fi1m 90, Cinematography, Director of Photography — [page](https://film.one/film/the-heiress.md)
- *The Snake Pit* (1948), Fi1m 76, Director of Photography, Cinematography — [page](https://film.one/film/the-snake-pit.md)
- *Hold Back the Dawn* (1941), Fi1m 78, Director of Photography, Cinematography — [page](https://film.one/film/hold-back-the-dawn.md)

## Complete filmography (114)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *A Very Special Favor* (1965), Director of Photography
- *Strange Bedfellows* (1965), Director of Photography
- *Island of the Blue Dolphins* (1964), Director of Photography
- *Sunday in New York* (1963), Director of Photography
- *Follow That Dream* (1962), Director of Photography
- *The Home Owner* (1961), Director of Photography
- *Misty* (1961), Director of Photography
- *All Hands on Deck* (1961), Director of Photography
- *The Marriage-Go-Round* (1961), Director of Photography
- *From the Terrace* (1960), Director of Photography
- *Journey to the Center of the Earth* (1959), Director of Photography
- *Blue Denim* (1959), Director of Photography
- *Say One for Me* (1959), Director of Photography
- *A Nice Little Bank That Should Be Robbed* (1958), Director of Photography
- *In Love and War* (1958), Cinematography
- *Fraulein* (1958), Director of Photography
- *The Sun Also Rises* (1957), Director of Photography
- *Love Me Tender* (1956), Director of Photography
- *Between Heaven and Hell* (1956), Director of Photography
- *The Revolt of Mamie Stover* (1956), Director of Photography
- *The Conqueror* (1956), Director of Photography
- *The Lieutenant Wore Skirts* (1956), Director of Photography
- *The Tall Men* (1955), Director of Photography
- *Soldier of Fortune* (1955), Director of Photography
- *Untamed* (1955), Director of Photography
- *Man in the Attic* (1953), Director of Photography
- *A Blueprint for Murder* (1953), Director of Photography
- *The President's Lady* (1953), Director of Photography
- *My Pal Gus* (1952), Director of Photography
- *My Wife's Best Friend* (1952), Director of Photography
- *We're Not Married!* (1952), Director of Photography
- *The Day the Earth Stood Still* (1951), Director of Photography
- *The Secret of Convict Lake* (1951), Director of Photography
- *Follow the Sun* (1951), Director of Photography
- *Payment on Demand* (1951), Director of Photography
- *The Secret Fury* (1950), Director of Photography
- *When Willie Comes Marching Home* (1950), Director of Photography
- *Paid in Full* (1950), Director of Photography
- *My Friend Irma* (1949), Director of Photography
- *The Heiress* (1949), Director of Photography — Fi1m 90, [page](https://film.one/film/the-heiress.md)
- *Sealed Verdict* (1948), Director of Photography
- *The Snake Pit* (1948), Director of Photography — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/film/the-snake-pit.md)
- *I Walk Alone* (1947), Director of Photography
- *The Woman on the Beach* (1947), Director of Photography
- *Dead Reckoning* (1946), Director of Photography
- *China* (1943), Director of Photography
- *Young and Willing* (1943), Director of Photography
- *The Crystal Ball* (1943), Director of Photography
- *The Major and the Minor* (1942), Director of Photography
- *Night in New Orleans* (1942), Director of Photography
- *Star Spangled Rhythm* (1942), Director of Photography
- *Bahama Passage* (1941), Director of Photography
- *Hold Back the Dawn* (1941), Director of Photography — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/film/hold-back-the-dawn.md)
- *I Wanted Wings* (1941), Director of Photography
- *Life with Henry* (1941), Director of Photography
- *Victory* (1940), Director of Photography
- *Untamed* (1940), Director of Photography
- *The Farmer's Daughter* (1940), Director of Photography
- *The Night of Nights* (1939), Director of Photography
- *Invitation to Happiness* (1939), Director of Photography
- *King of Chinatown* (1939), Director of Photography
- *Never Say Die* (1939), Director of Photography
- *The Arkansas Traveler* (1938), Director of Photography
- *Cocoanut Grove* (1938), Director of Photography
- *Bluebeard's 8th Wife* (1938), Director of Photography
- *Night Club Scandal* (1937), Director of Photography
- *Ebb Tide* (1937), Director of Photography
- *I Met Him in Paris* (1937), Director of Photography
- *Maid of Salem* (1937), Director of Photography
- *Valiant Is the Word for Carrie* (1936), Director of Photography
- *The Arizona Raiders* (1936), Director of Photography
- *F-Man* (1936), Director of Photography
- *Florida Special* (1936), Director of Photography
- *Rose of the Rancho* (1936), Director of Photography
- *The Bride Comes Home* (1935), Director of Photography
- *The Big Broadcast of 1936* (1935), Director of Photography
- *Love in Bloom* (1935), Director of Photography
- *College Rhythm* (1934), Director of Photography
- *You Belong to Me* (1934), Director of Photography
- *Shoot the Works* (1934), Director of Photography
- *Murder at the Vanities* (1934), Director of Photography
- *Bolero* (1934), Director of Photography
- *Girl Without a Room* (1933), Director of Photography
- *I'm No Angel* (1933), Director of Photography
- *College Humor* (1933), Director of Photography
- *The Great Jasper* (1933), Director of Photography
- *The Monkey's Paw* (1933), Director of Photography
- *No Man of Her Own* (1932), Director of Photography
- *The Flag Lieutenant* (1932), Theatre Play
- *Thirteen Women* (1932), Director of Photography
- *Is My Face Red?* (1932), Director of Photography
- *State's Attorney* (1932), Director of Photography
- *Symphony of Six Million* (1932), Director of Photography
- *The Lost Squadron* (1932), Director of Photography
- *Girl of the Rio* (1932), Director of Photography
- *Are These Our Children?* (1931), Director of Photography
- *The Gay Diplomat* (1931), Director of Photography
- *Traveling Husbands* (1931), Director of Photography
- *Transgression* (1931), Director of Photography
- *Bachelor Apartment* (1931), Director of Photography
- *The Lady Refuses* (1931), Director of Photography
- *The Royal Bed* (1931), Director of Photography
- *The Silver Horde* (1930), Director of Photography
- *The Fall Guy* (1930), Director of Photography
- *The Runaway Bride* (1930), Director of Photography
- *Framed* (1930), Director of Photography
- *Girl of the Port* (1930), Director of Photography
- *The Vagabond Lover* (1929), Director of Photography
- *Tanned Legs* (1929), Director of Photography
- *The Very Idea* (1929), Director of Photography
- *Street Girl* (1929), Director of Photography
- *The Flag Lieutenant* (1927), Theatre Play
- *The Telephone Girl* (1927), Director of Photography
- *The Great Gatsby* (1926), Director of Photography

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 0 won, 2 nominated

- 1950: Best Cinematography, Black-and-White (nominated), for *The Heiress*
- 1942: Best Cinematography, Black-and-White (nominated), for *Hold Back the Dawn*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© 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/leo-tover