Jack Cardiff

@Film Director, Career and Facts ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Jack Cardiff was a British cinematographer and director who took British cinema to new heights with his mastery of the Technicolor technology British Film & Theater Personalities Directors Cinematographers Virgo Celebrities Jack Cardiff was a British cinematographer and director who took British cinema to new heights with his mastery of the Technicolor technology. He worked for the production company run by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger to make movies which broke the shackles of European expressionism and American spectaculars and took British films to a new level of fantasy and romance. He had a huge gift for narrating a story in colors and used the red color to produce the maximum impact. This was evident from the close-ups of red dresses, red lipstick and red ballet shoes used by the female leads in many of his films. He found the eroticism in the most improbable places and used close-ups of moist lips and burning eyes to produce passionate depths even in demure actresses. He became famous while working for Powell and Pressburger’s production company which helped him work with great directors of the time. He was famous for making the actresses in his films look more beautiful with clever use of his camera and various colors. It was said that Jack Cardiff could paint the movies with different colors of his choice.

Personal Details

Birthday: September 18, 1914 Died on: April 22, 2009 Nationality: British Famous: Film Director, Film & Theater Personalities, Directors, Cinematographers Spouses: 1938 - Dec. 27, 1944), 1997 till his death), Julia Lily Dutton, Niki O’Donahue (March 19), Sylvia Lisette Cecily Manson (Sep. 5) Childrens: John, Mason, Peter, Rodney Birth Place: Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, UK Information Detail Birthday September 18, 1914 Died on April 22, 2009 Nationality British Famous Film Director, Film & Theater Personalities, Directors, Cinematographers Spouses 1938 - Dec. 27, 1944), 1997 till his death), Julia Lily Dutton, Niki O’Donahue (March 19), Sylvia Lisette Cecily Manson (Sep. 5) Childrens John, Mason, Peter, Rodney Birth Place Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, UK Gender Male Father John Joseph Cardiff Mother Florence Sun Sign Virgo Born in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, UK Famous as Cinematographer, Film Director Died at Age 94

Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, UK

Jack Cardiff born at Unsplash Birth Place

He married Julia Lily Dutton but the couple later got divorced. They had three sons from this marriage named Mason, John and Rodney. Unsplash Personal Life

Cardiff married Sylvia Lisette Cecily Manson on September 5, 1938 and divorced her on December 27, 1944. Unsplash Personal Life

He married script consultant Niki O’Donahue on March 19, 1997 and was with her till his death. He had a son Peter from this marriage. Unsplash Personal Life

Jack Cardiff was born John George James Gran in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, UK on September 18, 1914. He took his father’s stage name and changed it legally to Cardiff. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

His father, John Joseph Cardiff and mother, Florence were music-hall comedians. Jack attended a number of schools. He had an elder brother who died in infancy. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

At the age of four he appeared in a film where he played the role of a boy who dies after being run over. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

Jack Cardiff appeared in small roles in almost a dozen films at a very young age. He started work as a runner on the sets of ‘British International Studios’ in Elstree and later became a clapper boy for Claude Friese-Greene. Unsplash Career

He soon became a camera operator for the ‘The Ghost Goes West’ directed by Rene Clair. After mastering the new technology of filming in Technicolor he made the first film in Technicolor in Britain titled ‘Wings of the Morning’ in 1937. Unsplash Career

During the Second World War he filmed a documentary ‘Western Approaches’ in 1944 about the exploits of the British Merchant Navy. Unsplash Career

He joined the production company run by Powell and Pressburger for whom he filmed ‘Life and Death of Colonel Blimp’ in 1943. Unsplash Career

In 1946 he made ‘A Matter of Life and Death’ starring David Niven and Kim Hunter. It was a story about a dead pilot being given a second chance at life by a heavenly court. Unsplash Career

Jack Cardiff published an autobiography ‘The Magic Hour’ in 1996. The preface was written by Martin Scorsese. Unsplash Major Works

Information	Detail
Birthday	September 18, 1914
Died on	April 22, 2009
Nationality	British
Famous	Film Director, Film & Theater Personalities, Directors, Cinematographers
Spouses	1938 - Dec. 27, 1944), 1997 till his death), Julia Lily Dutton, Niki O’Donahue (March 19), Sylvia Lisette Cecily Manson (Sep. 5)
Childrens	John, Mason, Peter, Rodney
Birth Place	Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, UK
Gender	Male
Father	John Joseph Cardiff
Mother	Florence
Sun Sign	Virgo
Born in	Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, UK
Famous as	Cinematographer, Film Director
Died at Age	94

Jack Cardiff

British

Sep 18, 1914

Biography

Personal Details

Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, UK