Lawrence Sher

Lawrence Sher, (born February 4, 1970) is an American cinematographer and film director, best known for his works in comedy films and for his collaboration with director Todd Phillips , with his work on Joker earning him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography.

Early life and education Sher was born to a Jewish family and raised in Teaneck, New Jersey, where he attended and graduated in 1988 from Teaneck High School. His father, Paul, had been a doctor at New York University Medical Center, while his mother, Joan, was a teacher and taught at the Queens-based Lexington School for the Deaf. It was on a high school-sponsored trip to Paris that Sher first developed a love for photography, after his father convinced him to take a 35mm camera along with him on the trip. Sher has maintained his connections to Teaneck, staying in the basement of his aunt's home there during the filming of Garden State, where he was able to use love of his home state to make location shots there make it appear as what The Record described as a "verdant wonderland". He expressed great pride for his hometown of Teaneck and its diversity, recalling how he "spent a lot of time with an eclectic group of people. There's nothing homogenized about Teaneck even though you're in the middle of suburban New Jersey."

He attended Wesleyan University, where he had initially planned to pursue a career in medicine followed by his identical twin brother Andy, who later became a urologist. After taking a course on film history, Sher developed an immediate interest in cinema, recalling that "All I wanted to do was spend every waking moment learning about movies and cinematography." He decided on majoring in economics and graduated from Wesleyan in 1992. Sher also has worked on 2007's Dan in Real Life starring Steve Carell and Juliette Binoche and the 2009 release I Love You, Man with Paul Rudd. While Sher aspires to direct, he is in no rush given that "I don't think I’ve fulfilled all of my goals as a cinematographer yet".

In January 2020, Sher was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography for his work on the movie Joker, but lost to Roger Deakins for 1917.

Personal life , Sher lives in Los Angeles, California, together with his partner Hema Patel and his 13-year-old son, Max, and daughter Matilda. He was previously married to Jessica Aronoff from 1998 to 2017.

Filmography Director Film Father Figures (2017)

Television Rutherford Falls (2021) (3 episodes)

Cinematographer

Film

Television TV movies Year Title Director 1998 On the BorderBob Misiorowski 1999 Shark Attack 2003 Legally Blonde Charles Herman-Wurmfeld 2009 The Eastmans Jason Ensler 2017 Cheeky Plates for Target Sophia Banks

TV series Year Title Director Notes 2001 The Wonderful World of Disney Charles Herman-Wurmfeld Episode "The Facts of Life Reunion"2007 Andy Barker, P.I. Jason Ensler Episode "Pilot" Cavemen Will SpeckJosh Gordon Episodes "Pilot" and "Nick Jerk, Andy Work" 2011 Enlightened Mike White Episode "Pilot" 2021 Kanye with Special Guest DrakeFree Larry Hoover Benefit Concert Aus TaylorMichael Gaertner Concert film

Awards and nominations Year Award Category Title Result2019 Camerimage Golden FrogJoker Audience Award Academy Awards Best Cinematography BAFTA Awards Best Cinematography American Society of Cinematographers Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography Critics' Choice Movie Awards Best Cinematography Houston Film Critics Society Best Cinematography Satellite Awards Best Cinematography St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Best Cinematography