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Gregg Toland

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Gregg Toland (May 29, 1904 – September 26, 1948) was a highly influential American cinematographer, noted for his innovative use of lighting and techniques such as deep focus, an example of which can be found in his work on Orson Welles' Citizen Kane.

During the 1930s Toland was one of the most sought after cinematographers after becoming the youngest cameraman in Hollywood. Over a seven year span (1936-1942) he was nominated five times for the "Best Cinematography" Oscar, including a win in 1940 for his work on Wuthering Heights.

He worked with many of the top directors of the 20s, 30s, and 40s including John Ford, Howard Hawks, Erich von Stroheim, King Vidor, Orson Welles, and William Wyler.

In the closing credits for Citizen Kane Toland shared the final card with Welles, an unheard of honor for a cinematographer.

At the urging of Orson Welles, Toland experimented freely on Kane, creating a deep focus technique, the use of visible ceilings, and alterations to the Mitchell BNC camera which allowed a wider range of movement.

Some film historians believe Citizen Kane's visual brilliance was due primarily to the contributions of Toland, and not director Orson Welles. Welles' scholars maintain that the visual style of Kane is similar to many of Welles' other films and hence should be considered "his" work.

During World War II, Toland served as a Lieutenant in the Navy camera department which lead to his only work as a director: 'December 7th:the Movie'.

He died on September 28, 1948 of a coronary thrombosis in Hollywood, California.

Toland was the subject of an "Annals of Hollywood" article in The New Yorker, "The Cameraman" by Hilton Als (June 19, 2006, p. 46).

Just before his death, he was concentrating on the "ultimate focus" lens (which makes both near and far objects equally distinct).

Academy Award nominations

Selected Filmography

Miscellaneous

At the 2006 Los Angeles edition of CineGear a panel called "DIALOGUE WITH ASC CINEMATOGRAPHERS" (composed of highly influential cinematographers) was asked to name two or three other cinematographers living or dead that had influenced their work or who they consider to be the best of the best. In each case Gregg Toland was cited first by each panel member. The panel was composed of Owen Roizman, Laszlo Kovacs, Daryn Okada, Rodrigo Prieto, Russell Carpenter, Dariusz Wolski and others.

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