Burnett Guffey

Burnett Guffey, ASC (May 26, 1905 – May 30, 1983 ) was an American cinematographer, who worked on over 100 films between 1929 and 1971. He won two Academy Awards for Best Cinematography — for From Here to Eternity and Bonnie and Clyde (1967) — out of five total nominations. After his period at Columbia studio, he worked as a freelance cinematographer. He became well known for his clear visual style and excellent arrangement of shots, especially in film noir, having contributed to twenty of these films throughout his professional life.

During the span of 1944 to 1953, Guffey captured important movies like "My Name Is Julia Ross," "Framed," "Knock on Any Door," "The Reckless Moment," "All the King’s Men," "In a Lonely Place," "The Sniper," and "From Here to Eternity," earning his initial Oscar in his three decades career.

According to film critic Spencer Selby, Guffey was a prolific film noir cinematographer, shooting 20 of them, including In a Lonely Place (1950).

After winning an Oscar, Guffey went on to work on well-known movies such as Lang’s "Human Desire," Don Siegel’s "Private Hell 36," Lewis Seiler’s "The Bamboo Prison," Rudolph Maté’s "The Violent Men," Phil Karlson’s "Tight Spot," George Sherman’s "Count Three."

Between 1957 and 1962, Guffey worked on movies like Jack Garfein’s "The Strange One," Karlson’s "The Brothers Rico," Gerd Oswald’s "Screaming Mimi," Peter Glenville’s "Me and the Colonel," Paul Wendkos’ "Gidget," Rossen’s "They Came to Cordura," Karlson’s "Hell to Eternity," and John Frankenheimer’s "Birdman of Alcatraz," resulting in a third Oscar nomination for him.

He received his fourth Oscar nomination for his work on Bryan Forbes' 1965 film "King Rat" and his fifth nomination, along with his second Oscar, for Arthur Penn's 1967 film "Bonnie and Clyde."

Guffey's final notable movie was the 1970 film "The Great White Hope," directed by Martin Ritt. The next year, "The Steagle" was his last movie.

Guffey was the 21st President of the American Society of Cinematographers, serving one term between 1957 and 1958.

Personal life Guffey married Lucille A. Lyon in 1927, and had two daughters.

Awards and nominations