Biography
Wilmer C. Butler (7 April 1921 – 5 April 2023) was an American cinematographer. Born in Cripple Creek, Colorado, he earned a degree in engineering from the University of Iowa and began his career in local television before working on documentaries with William Friedkin.
Butler served as director of photography on The Conversation (1974), Jaws (1975) and Grease (1978). He replaced Haskell Wexler on One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), sharing an Academy Award nomination for the film, and photographed three Rocky sequels. He also contributed second-unit photography to The Godfather (1972) and worked on films including Child's Play (1988) and Anaconda (1997).
Butler collaborated frequently with Francis Ford Coppola and Steven Spielberg. He won Primetime Emmy Awards for the television films Raid on Entebbe (1977) and A Streetcar Named Desire (1984).
