---
name: "Stanley Cortez"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/stanley-cortez"
roles: ["Cinematographer"]
born: "4 November 1908"
died: "23 December 1997"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 5
average_fi1m_score: 82
average_over: 5
updated: "2026-09-20T01:08:28.822650+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."
---

# Stanley Cortez

Cinematographer. Born 4 November 1908 in New York, New York, USA. Died 23 December 1997.

## Details

- **Work:** Cinematographer
- **Born:** 4 November 1908, New York, New York, USA
- **Died:** 23 December 1997
- **Active:** 1935–1974
- **Frequently works with:** [Joseph Cotten](https://film.one/person/joseph-cotten.md)
- **Academy Awards:** 2 Oscar nominations
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1930s 74 (1), 1940s 76 (2), 1950s 91 (1), 1970s 93 (1)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 91 to 87 across 3 titles
- **Score spread:** 3 at 80+, 2 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Genres:** Drama 3, Crime 2, Romance 2, Thriller 2, Comedy 1, Fantasy 1
- **Screen time:** 11 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $55m across 2 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_Cortez, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q711913, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005673/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/7648

## Streaming the US now

- **The Criterion Channel:** [*The Night of the Hunter*](https://film.one/film/the-night-of-the-hunter.md) (91)

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

## Biography

Stanley Cortez (born Stanislaus Samuel Kranz) was an American cinematographer. He began his career in portrait photography in New York before moving to Los Angeles in the 1920s, where he worked as a camera assistant on films including those directed by D. W. Griffith. He became a director of photography in the late 1930s.

Cortez shot over 100 films between 1929 and 1980. His credits include *The Magnificent Ambersons* (1942), *The Night of the Hunter* (1955), *The Three Faces of Eve* (1957), *Shock Corridor* (1963) and *The Naked Kiss* (1964). He was twice nominated for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography and served as president of the American Society of Cinematographers from 1985 to 1987. He was the younger brother of actor Ricardo Cortez.

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

## On Fi1m (5)

- *Chinatown* (1974), Fi1m 93, Additional Photography — [page](https://film.one/film/chinatown.md)
- *The Night of the Hunter* (1955), Fi1m 91, Cinematography, Director of Photography — [page](https://film.one/film/the-night-of-the-hunter.md)
- *Since You Went Away* (1944), Fi1m 63, Cinematography, Director of Photography — [page](https://film.one/film/since-you-went-away.md)
- *The Magnificent Ambersons* (1942), Fi1m 89, Director of Photography, Cinematography — [page](https://film.one/film/the-magnificent-ambersons.md)
- *A Midsummer Night's Dream* (1935), Fi1m 74, Camera Operator — [page](https://film.one/film/a-midsummer-nights-dream.md)

## Complete filmography (58)

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

- *Damien - Omen II* (1978), Camera Operator
- *Another Man, Another Chance* (1977), Director of Photography
- *Chinatown* (1974), Additional Photography — Fi1m 93, [page](https://film.one/film/chinatown.md)
- *Doomsday Machine* (1972), Director of Photography
- *Do Not Fold, Spindle, or Mutilate* (1971), Director of Photography
- *The Bridge at Remagen* (1969), Director of Photography
- *They Saved Hitler's Brain* (1968), Director of Photography
- *Blue* (1968), Director of Photography
- *The Navy vs. the Night Monsters* (1966), Director of Photography
- *The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini* (1966), Director of Photography
- *The Naked Kiss* (1964), Director of Photography
- *The Madmen of Mandoras* (1963), Director of Photography
- *Shock Corridor* (1963), Director of Photography
- *Back Street* (1961), Director of Photography
- *Dinosaurus!* (1960), Director of Photography
- *Vice Raid* (1959), Director of Photography
- *The Angry Red Planet* (1959), Director of Photography
- *Thunder in the Sun* (1959), Director of Photography
- *The Three Faces of Eve* (1957), Director of Photography
- *Top Secret Affair* (1957), Director of Photography
- *Man from Del Rio* (1956), Director of Photography
- *The Night of the Hunter* (1955), Director of Photography — Fi1m 91, [page](https://film.one/film/the-night-of-the-hunter.md)
- *Black Tuesday* (1954), Director of Photography
- *Apache* (1954), Director of Photography
- *Dragon's Gold* (1954), Cinematography
- *Riders to the Stars* (1954), Director of Photography
- *The Diamond Queen* (1953), Director of Photography
- *The Neanderthal Man* (1953), Director of Photography
- *Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd* (1952), Director of Photography
- *Furia roja* (1951), Cinematography
- *Stronghold* (1951), Director of Photography
- *Fort Defiance* (1951), Director of Photography
- *The Admiral Was a Lady* (1950), Director of Photography
- *The Underworld Story* (1950), Director of Photography
- *The Man on the Eiffel Tower* (1949), Director of Photography
- *Smart Woman* (1948), Director of Photography
- *Secret Beyond the Door* (1947), Director of Photography
- *Smash-Up: The Story of a Woman* (1947), Director of Photography
- *Since You Went Away* (1944), Director of Photography — Fi1m 63, [page](https://film.one/film/since-you-went-away.md)
- *Flesh and Fantasy* (1943), Director of Photography
- *The Powers Girl* (1943), Director of Photography
- *The Magnificent Ambersons* (1942), Director of Photography — Fi1m 89, [page](https://film.one/film/the-magnificent-ambersons.md)
- *Eagle Squadron* (1942), Cinematography
- *Bombay Clipper* (1942), Director of Photography
- *Sealed Lips* (1942), Director of Photography
- *Moonlight in Hawaii* (1941), Director of Photography
- *Badlands of Dakota* (1941), Director of Photography
- *A Dangerous Game* (1941), Cinematography
- *The Black Cat* (1941), Director of Photography
- *Meet the Wildcat* (1940), Director of Photography
- *The Leather Pushers* (1940), Director of Photography
- *For Love or Money* (1939), Director of Photography
- *Risky Business* (1939), Director of Photography
- *Danger on the Air* (1938), Director of Photography
- *Armored Car* (1937), Director of Photography
- *Four Days Wonder* (1936), Cinematography
- *A Midsummer Night's Dream* (1935), Camera Operator — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/film/a-midsummer-nights-dream.md)
- *Lady with a Past* (1932), Camera Operator

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 0 won, 2 nominated

- 1945: Best Cinematography, Black-and-White (nominated), for *Since You Went Away*
- 1943: Best Cinematography, Black-and-White (nominated), for *The Magnificent Ambersons*

*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/stanley-cortez