Daniel Moder

Daniel Moder married Vera Steimberg in 1997. The couple divorced in 2002, after five years of marriage. Reportedly, he had already met Julia Roberts at a film set in 2000 and had started dating her. The rumors were confirmed in 2002, when Daniel got married to Julia, shortly after his divorce from his first wife. Daniel and Julia have three children: twin daughters, Hazel Patricia Moder and Phinnaeus "Finn" Walter Moder and a son, Henry Daniel Moder.

Daniel Moder was born on January 31, 1969, in Los Angeles, California, to Mike Moder and Patricia Ann-Waltz. His parents worked in the entertainment industry as small-time film producers. This gave Daniel an early brush with the world of Hollywood.

Daniel grew up in a huge family with four siblings: John, Jane, Jyl, and Debbie. During the initial years of his life, Daniel had no interest in the world of cinema and was academically good. He graduated from ‘Saint Monica High School’ in 1987. Following that, he joined the ‘University of Colorado Boulder’ and studied psychology.

Following his graduation, he decided to join the film industry as a cinematographer. The contacts his father had in the industry helped Daniel get relevant experience as a production assistant.

Daniel’s first stint as a production assistant was in the 1995 action thriller film ‘Crimson Tide.’ The film was a huge commercial and critical success and earned three ‘Academy Award’ nominations.

He worked as a camera loader for the 1996 film ‘The Fan’ and for the 1997 film ‘The Brave.’ The latter was a critical and commercial debacle. However, it was showcased at the ‘Cannes Film Festival.’

Following this, Daniel worked as a second-assistant cameraman in the 1997 Will Smith-starrer ‘Enemy of the State.’ The film was a major commercial and critical hit and is also known as a cult film. These films taught Daniel a lot about cinematography and helped him prepare for his cinematography debut.

However, before making his debut as a cinematographer, Daniel worked as an assistant for ‘The Big Tease,’ ‘Tuesdays with Morrie,’ and ‘Lucky Numbers.’ He also worked as the first assistant in the independent film ‘Jerks.’

In 2000, he made his debut as a full-time cinematographer, with the short film ‘Kid Quick.’ The comedy film was appreciated for its uniqueness. However, Daniel knew that he was still not ready to work as a cinematographer in feature films. He decided to give himself some more time to learn and continued to assist in films such as ‘The Mexican’ and ‘Sand.’

Daniel Moder has remained a mediocre cinematographer throughout his career. His most prominent achievement as a cinematographer has been a ‘Primetime Emmy’ nomination for ‘Outstanding Cinematography for a Miniseries or Movie’ for the 2014 TV film, ‘The Normal Heart.’ He was also nominated for an ‘OFTA Television Award’ for the same film.