John Alton

Who was John Alton?

John Alton (born Johann Jacob Altmann; October 5, 1901 – June 2, 1996) was an American cinematographer of Hungarian-Austrian origin. Alton photographed some of the most famous films noir of the classic period and won an Academy Award for the cinematography of An American in Paris (1951), becoming the first Hungarian-born person to do so in the cinematography category. To attend college, he moved to New York to live with his prosperous uncle and pursue studies in photochemistry. He also worked as a director during the Golden Age of Argentine cinema. His work has been honored at film festivals in Vienna, Japan, Argentina, Telluride, and San Francisco, as well as in retrospectives at the American Museum of the Moving Image and the Pacific Film Archives. Alton had an early interest in photography. At the age of 5 he already had a darkroom and soon became interested in filmmaking.

There, he had the opportunity to appear alongside Marion Davies, an experience that left a lasting impression on him.

Historical significance

He first became involved in the film industry when he was spotted by a gateman at Cosmopolitan Studios in New York looking for extras.