Roger Deakins

Sir Roger Alexander Deakins , (born 24 May 1949) is an English cinematographer. Regarded as one of the greatest and most influential cinematographers in cinema history, he is the recipient of numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards for Best Cinematography and five BAFTA Awards for Best Cinematography. He has collaborated multiple times with directors such as the Coen brothers, Sam Mendes, Michael Radford, and Denis Villeneuve. Some of his best-known works include The Shawshank Redemption, Fargo (1996), O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000), A Beautiful Mind (2001), No Country for Old Men (2007), True Grit (2010), Skyfall (2012), Sicario (2015), Blade Runner 2049 (2017), and 1917 (2019), the last two of which earned him Academy Awards.

An alumnus of the National Film and Television School, Deakins was named and serves as an Honorary Fellow of the school in recognition of his "outstanding contribution to ... British film". He is a member of the British Society of Cinematographers and the American Society of Cinematographers, and in 2011 received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the latter organization. Deakins was bestowed a CBE by the Palace for his services to film in 2013, and knighted in the 2021 New Year Honours.

Early life and education Deakins was born on 24 May 1949, in Torquay, Devon. His father ran a construction company, while his mother was an actress and amateur painter. Deakins attended Torquay Boys' Grammar School. He took up painting from a young age, and subsequently enrolled in the Bath Academy of Art in Bath, Somerset, where he studied graphic design. While studying in Bath, Deakins developed a passion for photography; he cited the photographer Roger Mayne, a guest lecturer at the academy, as a major source of inspiration.

After college, Deakins applied to the newly opened National Film School, but was denied admission as his photography was considered not "filmic" enough. He spent the following year wandering the countryside, photographing rural life in North Devon, before finally being admitted to the National Film School in 1972. Director Michael Radford was one of Deakins's schoolmates. Deakins was hired to film two documentaries in Africa. His first, Zimbabwe, was a clandestine documentation of the Rhodesian Bush War, while his second, Eritrea – Behind Enemy Lines, depicted the Eritrean War of Independence. He also shot anthropological documentaries in India and Sudan. The film screened at the Cannes Film Festival and was well-received; subsequently, Deakins and Radford teamed up again on Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984), based upon George Orwell's novel of the same name. and earned Deakins best cinematography awards from New York, Chicago and Los Angeles film critics circles. In 1994, the year Deakins was admitted to the American Society of Cinematographers, and earned Deakins his fourth Academy Award nomination. The following year, for his work in the Coen brothers' The Man Who Wasn't There (2001), Deakins received his fifth Oscar nomination and won his first BAFTA Award for Best Cinematography.

In 2008, Deakins received dual Oscar nominations—his sixth and seventh—for The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) and No Country for Old Men (2007). He was the first cinematographer to achieve such a feat since Robert Surtees, who was nominated for The Last Picture Show and Summer of '42 in 1972. Deakins served as director of photography for Stephen Daldry's The Reader (2008) but left mid-production due to delays and previous commitments, and was replaced by Chris Menges. The two cinematographers received a shared nomination for Best Cinematography at the 81st Academy Awards.

Deakins worked with the Coens on the 2010 western True Grit—their eleventh collaboration—for which he received his ninth Oscar nomination. Deakins signed on as cinematographer for Skyfall (2012), having previously worked with director Sam Mendes on Jarhead (2005) and Revolutionary Road (2008). For his work, Deakins received another Academy Award nomination for Best Cinematography, eventually losing to Claudio Miranda of Life of Pi—his 10th nomination without securing a win. In addition to his live-action work, Deakins served as both cinematographer and visual consultant on the 2011 animated film Rango (2011), and also served as a visual consultant on animated features, including WALL-E (2008), Puss in Boots (2011), Rise of the Guardians (2012), The Croods (2013), the How to Train Your Dragon trilogy (2010, 2014 and 2019). and Vivo (2021).

Starting with Prisoners (2013), Deakins began working with director Denis Villeneuve. The two proceeded to collaborate on Sicario (2015) and Blade Runner 2049 (2017), with Deakins earning Oscar nominations for all three films. For his work on Blade Runner 2049, Deakins received his first Academy Award for Best Cinematography on his 14th nomination. Deakins reunited with Sam Mendes on the 2019 war film 1917, filmed and edited to appear as two continuous shots, for which he received his second Academy Award on his 15th nomination.

Personal life Deakins married Isabella James Purefoy Ellis (b. January 1954, professionally known as James Ellis Deakins They had met in 1991 in Los Angeles on the set of David Mamet's film Homicide, where she was working as the script supervisor. The two began dating after the Homicide production finished and they married within about six months. As of February 2020, they reside in Kingswear, Devon, and Santa Monica, California.

Deakins has kept a boat since beginning such activities with his father as a child—with him, first a sailboat, then a motorboat—and he currently keeps one in Torquay, his hometown, to which he often goes (and from which he fishes) when in Britain. This was followed by Reflections: On Cinematography, published by Octopus in 2025.

Since 2005, Deakins has maintained a website through which he frequently communicates with admirers and other industry practitioners. His correspondence includes answering fan questions and offering cinematography tips.

In July 2026, Deakins was the guest for BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs. His music choices included King Crimson's "21st Century Schizoid Man" and Paul Brady's "The Island", with his favourite track "Aqaba" by June Tabor. His book choice was Herman Melville's Moby-Dick and his luxury item some fishing tackle.

Filmography

Film

Documentary film Year Title Director Notes 1976 Welcome to Britain Ben Lewin 1977 Before Hindsight Jonathan Lewis 1978 Chimurenga - The War in Zimbabwe Antonia Caccia 1980 Blue Suede Shoes Curtis Clark 1979 Van Morrison in Ireland Michael Radford With Jeff Baynes, Bill Marshall and Chris Morphet 1983 Alan Bush: A LifeAnna Ambrose With Dick Pope 1984 The Cinema of Stephen Dwoskin

Television Miniseries Year Title Director 1981 Wolcott Colin Bucksey

TV movies Year Title Director1984 The House Mike Figgis Return to Waterloo Ray Davies 2001 Dinner with Friends Norman Jewison

Technique and reputation Deakins is often cited as one of the greatest and most influential cinematographers of all time. His consistent output led fellow cinematographer Robert Elswit to jokingly suggest that the American Society of Cinematographers should establish a special award for "films shot by Roger Deakins." His first Oscar win (on his 14th nomination) for Blade Runner 2049 at the 90th Academy Awards was widely reported and met with great enthusiasm. Josh Brolin agreed to join the cast of Sicario only after hearing of Deakins's involvement.

Awards and recognition

Deakins has been nominated for sixteen Academy Awards, winning the Academy Award for Best Cinematography twice—on his fourteenth and fifteenth nominations—for Blade Runner 2049 (2017) and 1917 (2019). He has been named as an Honorary Fellow of his alma mater, the National Film and Television School in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, an honour which recognises "outstanding contribution to the British film and television industry" On 28 February 2020.

Deakins is the recipient of five BAFTA Awards for Best Cinematography, for The Man Who Wasn't There (2001), No Country for Old Men (2007), Blade Runner 2049 (2017), each in the year following their release. As well, two films that he shot, Fargo (1996), and A Serious Man (2009), won Independent Spirit Awards for Best Cinematography in the year after their release.

He received the Royal Photographic Society's Lumière Award for major achievement in cinematography, video or animation in 2009. The National Board of Review, a group of New York-based reviewers whose organization dates to 1909, honoured Deakins in 2007 with its award for Career Achievement in Cinematography. Deakins went on to receive the American Society of Cinematographers and the British Society of Cinematographers Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011 and 2015 respectively.

Deakins was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2013 Birthday Honours for services to film. He was knighted in the 2021 New Year Honours, also for services to film.