---
name: "Leonard Smith"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/leonard-smith"
roles: ["Cinematographer"]
born: "19 April 1894"
died: "20 October 1947"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
average_over: 1
updated: "2026-09-20T01:35:55.347346+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."
---

# Leonard Smith

Cinematographer. Born 19 April 1894 in Brooklyn [now in New York City], New York, USA. Died 20 October 1947.

## Details

- **Work:** Cinematographer
- **Born:** 19 April 1894, Brooklyn [now in New York City], New York, USA
- **Died:** 20 October 1947
- **Also known as:** Arthur Miller, Len Smith, Leonard M. Smith
- **Academy Awards:** 1 Oscar (1 won · 3 nominated)
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_Smith_(cinematographer), https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1819039, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0809079/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/14864

## Streaming the US now

- **HBO Max:** [*The Yearling*](https://film.one/film/the-yearling.md) (79)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Biography

Leonard Smith was an American cinematographer. Born in Brooklyn, New York, on 19 April 1894, he began his career in 1915 on the silent film *The Battle Cry of Peace* and accumulated over 70 credits before retiring in 1946.

He worked frequently at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and was known for his Technicolor work on films including *A Day at the Races* (1937), *Tarzan Escapes* (1936), *Lassie Come Home* (1943), *National Velvet* (1944) and *The Yearling* (1946). Smith shared the Academy Award for Best Cinematography (Color) for *The Yearling* with Arthur Arling and Charles Rosher. He received earlier nominations in the same category for *Billy the Kid* (1941), *Lassie Come Home* and *National Velvet*.

Smith served as president of the American Society of Cinematographers from 1941 until his death on 20 October 1947 in Los Angeles, aged 53.

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

## On Fi1m (1)

- *The Yearling* (1946), Fi1m 79, Director of Photography, Cinematography — [page](https://film.one/film/the-yearling.md)

## Complete filmography (60)

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

- *Our Miss Brooks* (1956), as Fabian "Stretch" Snodgrass
- *The Yearling* (1946), Director of Photography — Fi1m 79, [page](https://film.one/film/the-yearling.md)
- *Courage of Lassie* (1946), Director of Photography
- *National Velvet* (1945), Director of Photography
- *Broadway Rhythm* (1944), Director of Photography
- *Lassie Come Home* (1943), Director of Photography
- *Best Foot Forward* (1943), Director of Photography
- *Seven Sweethearts* (1942), Director of Photography
- *Ship Ahoy* (1942), Director of Photography
- *Design for Scandal* (1941), Director of Photography
- *Smilin' Through* (1941), Director of Photography
- *Billy the Kid* (1941), Director of Photography
- *Go West* (1940), Director of Photography
- *The Golden Fleecing* (1940), Director of Photography
- *The Captain is a Lady* (1940), Director of Photography
- *The Mortal Storm* (1940), Director of Photography
- *The Ghost Comes Home* (1940), Director of Photography
- *Joe and Ethel Turp Call on the President* (1939), Director of Photography
- *At the Circus* (1939), Director of Photography
- *Maisie* (1939), Director of Photography
- *Tarzan Finds a Son!* (1939), Director of Photography
- *Four Girls in White* (1939), Director of Photography
- *Stand Up and Fight* (1939), Director of Photography
- *Marie Antoinette* (1938), Director of Photography
- *Paradise for Three* (1938), Director of Photography
- *Thoroughbreds Don't Cry* (1937), Director of Photography
- *Married Before Breakfast* (1937), Director of Photography
- *A Day at the Races* (1937), Director of Photography
- *Dangerous Number* (1937), Director of Photography
- *Sinner Take All* (1936), Director of Photography
- *Tarzan Escapes* (1936), Director of Photography
- *The Devil-Doll* (1936), Director of Photography
- *Tough Guy* (1936), Director of Photography
- *Trained Hoofs* (1935), Director of Photography
- *Donkey Baseball* (1935), Director of Photography
- *Murder in the Private Car* (1934), Director of Photography
- *You Can't Buy Everything* (1934), Director of Photography
- *Eskimo* (1933), Director of Photography
- *So This Is Africa* (1933), Director of Photography
- *Hold 'Em Jail* (1932), Director of Photography
- *Casanova Against His Will* (1931), Director of Photography
- *Cheri-Bibi* (1931), Director of Photography
- *Sidewalks of New York* (1931), Cinematography
- *Buster se marie* (1931), Cinematography
- *Stepping Out* (1931), Director of Photography
- *Love in Every Port* (1931), Cinematography
- *Parlor, Bedroom and Bath* (1931), Director of Photography
- *Reducing* (1931), Director of Photography
- *The Big House* (1930), Director of Photography
- *Doughboys* (1930), Cinematography
- *Free and Easy* (1930), Director of Photography
- *They Learned About Women* (1930), Director of Photography
- *So This Is College* (1929), Director of Photography
- *The Idle Rich* (1929), Director of Photography
- *Careful Please* (1926), Cinematography
- *Cheap Skates* (1925), Cinematography
- *The Cloudhopper* (1925), Director of Photography
- *The Wizard of Oz* (1925), Director of Photography
- *Jonah Jones* (1924), Director of Photography
- *The Battle Cry of Peace* (1915), Director of Photography

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 1 won, 3 nominated

- 1947: Best Cinematography, Color (won), for *The Yearling*
- 1946: Best Cinematography, Color (nominated), for *National Velvet*
- 1944: Best Cinematography, Color (nominated), for *Lassie Come Home*
- 1942: Best Cinematography, Color (nominated), for *Billy the Kid*

*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/leonard-smith