Ronnie Taylor

For the English comedy scriptwriter, see Ronnie Taylor (scriptwriter).

Ronald  “Ronnie” Charles Taylor BSC (27 October 1924 – 3 August 2018) was a British cinematographer, best known for his collaborations with directors Richard Attenborough and Dario Argento. Throughout his career, he was nominated for two BAFTA Awards for Best Cinematography: Gandhi (1982) and Cry Freedom (1987). Taylor won an Academy Award for his work on Gandhi (1982), which he shared with Billy Williams.

Ronnie Taylor
Born	Ronald Charles Taylor (1924-10-27)27 October 1924 Hampstead, London, England
Died	3 August 2018(2018-08-03) (aged 93) Ibiza, Spain
Occupation	Cinematographer
Years active	1942–2002
Spouse	Mary Devetta (married 1952-2018)
Children	2, Tracey Taylor • Nikki Watson

Career

Taylor had taken upon different fields of film, initially starting as a clapper boy, then working his way up to a camera operator where he spent most of his time in the field. In 1975, Taylor worked with director Ken Russel on Tommy (1975). Russel and film set Photographer Dick Bush got into a disagreement, leading to Dick leaving the project. Taylor took up the mantle and expanded his skill set into lighting and electrical work. This decision would lead to an expansion into television series production and commercial creation. While his catalogue of television production is less extensive than his filmography, he worked on TV series such as The Avengers (1965), Master of the Game (1984), and Jewels (1992).

After some time, he decided to transition into the Director of Photography and is most known for his work on the completion of Gandhi (1982) as the new director of Photography after the original, Billy Williams, had a medical emergency. Afterward, Taylor would continue working on films and commercials. It was through a chance meeting during the production of commercials that he came to become acquainted with Italian director Dario Argento. The two would pair up again and form a partnership. Taylor worked on three films with Argento: Phantom of the Opera (1998), and Sleepless (2001). Sleepless is marked as the final film in Taylor's filmography and decided to officially retire in 2001, at the age of 77. He bought a property in Ibiza, Spain where he spent the rest of his life. Taylor continued his passion for film past his retirement, frequently participating in the Ibiza International Film Festival and was awarded the Ibiza IFF's achievement award.

He is featured in the book Conversations with Cinematographers by David A Ellis, published by Scarecrow Press.

Selected filmography

Year	Title	Notes
1942	The Young Mr. Pitt	clapper boy
1942	The Man in Gray	focus puller
1949	Boys in Brown	camera operator
1962	Two and Two Make Six	With Desmond Dickinson, Cinematographer
1965	The Avengers	5 episodes, camera operator
1971	Murphy's War	Aerial photography
	The Devils	Additional photography
1973	Theatre of Blood	Camera operator
1974	Phantom of the Paradise	Camera operator
1975	Barry Lyndon	Camera operator
	Tommy	With Dick Bush
1977	Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope	Additional photography
	The Island of Dr. Moreau	Director of photography; Second unit
	Valentino	Additional photography
1978	Circle of Iron	Cinematographer
1979	Zulu Dawn	camera operator
1981	Savage Harvest	Cinematographer
1982	Gandhi	With Billy Williams Won Academy Award for Best Cinematography
1983	High Road to China	Cinematographer
	The Hound of the Baskervilles	Cinematographer (lighting cameraman)
1984	Champions	Cinematographer
1985	A Chorus Line	Director of Photography
1986	Foreign Body	Cinematographer
1987	Opera	Cinematographer
	Cry Freedom	Director of Photography
1989	The Experts	Director of Photography
	Sea of Love	Cinematographer
1990	The Rainbow Thief	Director of Photography
1991	Popcorn	Cinematographer
1992	The Timekeeper	Circle-Vision 360° theme park attraction
1995	The Steal	Director of photography
1998	The Phantom of the Opera	camera operator (as Ronald Taylor)
2001	Sleepless	Final film

Awards

Taylor's most notable accomplishment as a cinematographer was his work for Gandhi. During the production of Gandhi, the Director of Photography, Billy Williams BSC, had an incident, slipping his discs. Due to Taylor's relationship with Richard Attenborough from his time at Pinewood, Attenborough reached out to Taylor, asking him to help with the cinematography of Gandhi, taking over as the new Director of photography and continuing with this film. For his role in its production, Taylor won and shares an Oscar with the former director of photography, Williams. The pair also won the best cinematographer for the Academy Awards, British Academy Film Awards, and the British Society of Cinematographers.

In 1987, Taylor was again nominated the best cinematography at the British Academy Film Awards for his work on Cry Freedom (1987), also directed by Richard Attenborough, but did not win.  

Personal life

Taylor was born on 27 October 1924 in Hampstead, London. At the age of 18 and in search of a job, Taylor pursued a radio operator certificate to find work with the Merchant Navy. However, a family neighbour, Jack Swinburne, offered to give Taylor a tour of Gainsborough Pictures Studio at Lime Grove in Shepherd Bush. After seeing how films were made, he quickly fell in love with the line of work and wanted to partake in the creation of films. Taylor's first film was as a clapper boy in The Young Mr. Pitt (1942), that same year he entered the Merchant Navy. in service for the Second World War. After returning home, he continued working in the film industry. The following year, he pulled focus during the filming of the man in Grey (1943), solidifying the start of his career in the industry.

Taylor would then primarily shift to free-lance work. At times, he would work and would be contracted with studios like Pinewood Studios, Ealing Studio, and the Vera Cruz company. In his interview with David A. Ellis for his book Conversations with Cinematographers, Pinewood was mentioned as a personal favourite he had worked with and also where he would build a name for himself among his peers as a noteworthy operator.

In 1952, He would meet his future wife, Mary Devetta during the production of Secret People (1952) at Ealing Studios, West London. The two would move over to Brazil due to a two-year contract Taylor had signed with the Vera Cruz and stayed an additional two more years before the company closed.

Taylor moved back to Britain worked on projects and cemented a relationship with fellow cinematographer Freddie Francis. While not credited, he worked alongside the former on films such as Virgin Island (1958), Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1960), and The Innocents (1961). Taylor would continue working on films and commercials as a freelancer operating on films. In 2001, at the age of 77, Taylor announced his retirement. He bought a property with a swimming pool in Ibiza, Spain, where he spent the rest of his life. Taylor continued his passion for film past his retirement, frequently participating in the Ibiza International Film Festival and was awarded the Ibiza IFF's achievement award.

In 2018, Taylor suffered a stroke and during his battle for recovery, his health deteriorated, eventually leading to subsequent health problems. Taylor died on 3 August 2018. He is survived by his two daughters, Tracey Taylor and Nikki Watson as well as two grandchildren.

External links

• Ronnie Taylor at IMDb
• Ronnie Taylor BSC – British Cinematographer
• Ellis, David A. Conversations with Cinematographers. Scarecrow Press, 2012.
• Ronnie Taylor British Society of Cinematographers at BSC
• Ronnie Taylor. Almanac of Famous People. Published online 2011.