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IMDbPro

Russell Harlan(1903-1974)

  • Cinematographer
  • Camera and Electrical Department
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Born Russell September 16, 1903 in Los Angeles, California to Frank and Bertha Harlan, who hailed from Iowa and Missouri. Russell was raised in Los Angeles along with his younger brother Richard (b. 1911). His paternal grandmother Sarah J. Harlan also lived with the family.

Harlan started in the film industry as an actor and stuntman, and by the early 1930s was working behind the camera as an assistant. His first work as lead cinematographer was in 1937, when he filmed four "Hopalong Cassidy" westerns for Harry Sherman Productions. Harlan had a career as a cinematographer that spanned some thirty-three years from 1937 to 1970. He was nominated six times for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography, including two in 1962 for his work on Hatari! and To Kill a Mockingbird.

Russell was married to Willette Marion Gregg (1914-1963). They had three children together.

Russell Harlan died February 28, 1974 in Newport Beach, California and was laid to rest in Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery, Glendale, California.
BornSeptember 16, 1903
DiedFebruary 28, 1974(70)
BornSeptember 16, 1903
DiedFebruary 28, 1974(70)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Add photos, demo reels
  • Nominated for 6 Oscars
    • 7 nominations total

Photos3

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Known for

Gregory Peck, Mary Badham, and Phillip Alford in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
To Kill a Mockingbird
8.3
  • Cinematographer
  • 1962
Hatari! (1962)
Hatari!
7.1
  • Cinematographer
  • 1962
Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
Witness for the Prosecution
8.4
  • Cinematographer
  • 1957
Robert Cornthwaite, Margaret Sheridan, Douglas Spencer, and Kenneth Tobey in The Thing from Another World (1951)
The Thing from Another World
7.0
  • Cinematographer
  • 1951

Credits

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IMDbPro

Cinematographer



  • Bob Terry in The Forsaken Westerns (2017)
    The Forsaken Westerns
    8.1
    TV Series
    • Cinematographer
    • 2017
  • Darling Lili (1970)
    Darling Lili
    6.1
    • director of photography
    • 1970
  • Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967)
    Thoroughly Modern Millie
    6.9
    • Cinematographer (uncredited)
    • 1967
  • George Peppard, Rock Hudson, Nigel Green, and Guy Stockwell in Tobruk (1967)
    Tobruk
    6.4
    • director of photography
    • 1967
  • Hawaii (1966)
    Hawaii
    6.5
    • director of photography
    • 1966
  • Natalie Wood, Tony Curtis, and Jack Lemmon in The Great Race (1965)
    The Great Race
    7.2
    • director of photography
    • 1965
  • Glenn Ford and Geraldine Page in Dear Heart (1964)
    Dear Heart
    7.2
    • director of photography
    • 1964
  • Quick, Before It Melts (1964)
    Quick, Before It Melts
    5.3
    • director of photography
    • 1964
  • Rock Hudson, Charlene Holt, and Paula Prentiss in Man's Favorite Sport? (1964)
    Man's Favorite Sport?
    7.1
    • director of photography
    • 1964
  • Walt Disney in The Magical World of Disney (1954)
    The Magical World of Disney
    8.4
    TV Series
    • Cinematographer
    • 1963
  • Rock Hudson and Mary Peach in A Gathering of Eagles (1963)
    A Gathering of Eagles
    6.1
    • director of photography
    • 1963
  • Gregory Peck, Mary Badham, and Phillip Alford in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
    To Kill a Mockingbird
    8.3
    • director of photography
    • 1962
  • Rock Hudson, Gena Rowlands, and Burl Ives in The Spiral Road (1962)
    The Spiral Road
    6.1
    • director of photography
    • 1962
  • Hatari! (1962)
    Hatari!
    7.1
    • director of photography
    • 1962
  • Ralph Bellamy, Hume Cronyn, Greer Garson, Alan Bunce, Jean Hagen, and Ann Shoemaker in Sunrise at Campobello (1960)
    Sunrise at Campobello
    6.8
    • director of photography
    • 1960

Camera and Electrical Department



  • Walt Disney in The Magical World of Disney (1954)
    The Magical World of Disney
    8.4
    TV Series
    • cinematographer: archive footage
    • 1963
  • Van Gogh: Darkness Into Light
    6.5
    Short
    • cinematographer: scenes from "Lust for Life (1956)"
    • 1956
  • Marlon Brando, Glenn Ford, and Machiko Kyô in The Teahouse of the August Moon (1956)
    The Teahouse of the August Moon
    6.6
    • director of photography: Japan (uncredited)
    • 1956
  • Stage Coach War
    Short
    • cinematographer: archive footage
    • 1954
  • Wide Open Town (1953)
    Wide Open Town
    Short
    • cinematographer: archive footage
    • 1953
  • Don Castle, Richard Dix, and Frances Gifford in Tombstone: The Town Too Tough to Die (1942)
    Tombstone: The Town Too Tough to Die
    6.0
    • photographer
    • 1942
  • William Boyd, Andy Clyde, Jean Del Val, Luli Deste, Brad King, and Alberto Morin in Outlaws of the Desert (1941)
    Outlaws of the Desert
    5.9
    • photographer
    • 1941
  • William Boyd, Russell Hayden, Bernadene Hayes, and George 'Gabby' Hayes in North of the Rio Grande (1937)
    North of the Rio Grande
    6.8
    • photographer
    • 1937
  • Henry Wilcoxon and Loretta Young in The Crusades (1935)
    The Crusades
    6.5
    • assistant camera (uncredited)
    • 1935
  • Ferdinand Gottschalk, Otis Harlan, Edgar Kennedy, William Orlamond, Franklin Pangborn, Guy Robertson, and Irene Ware in King Kelly of the U.S.A. (1934)
    King Kelly of the U.S.A.
    4.7
    • assistant camera (uncredited)
    • 1934
  • Robert Armstrong and Dixie Lee in Manhattan Love Song (1934)
    Manhattan Love Song
    6.1
    • assistant camera (uncredited)
    • 1934
  • Kay Francis in The Vice Squad (1931)
    The Vice Squad
    6.5
    • assistant camera (uncredited)
    • 1931
  • Gary Cooper and Lili Damita in Fighting Caravans (1931)
    Fighting Caravans
    5.7
    • assistant camera
    • 1931
  • Clara Bow and Charles 'Buddy' Rogers in Wings (1927)
    Wings
    7.5
    • additional photographer (uncredited)
    • 1927

Personal details

Edit
  • Alternative names
    • Russell B. Harlan
  • Born
    • September 16, 1903
    • Los Angeles, California, USA
  • Died
    • February 28, 1974
    • Newport Beach, California, USA(undisclosed)
  • Spouse
    • Willette Marion Gregg? - 1963 (3 children)

Did you know

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  • Trivia
    Known for his choice of majestic backdrops of snow-capped mountains, meandering streams and rivers, cliff dwellings, and expansive skies. He turned "B westerns" like the many feature-length "Hopalong Cassidy" movies, into cinematic masterpieces.
  • Trademark
      Majestic Natural Backdrops
  • Nickname
    • Russ Harlan

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