About Dean Cundey
Dean Raymond Cundey, A.S.C. (born March 12, 1946) is an American cinematographer and film director. A frequent collaborator with filmmakers such as Nancy Meyers, Brian Levant, John Carpenter, Robert Zemeckis and Steven Spielberg, Cundey's most notable credits include Halloween (1978), Escape from New York (1981), The Thing (1982), the Back to the Future trilogy (1985-1990), Big Trouble in Little China (1986), Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), Hook (1991), Jurassic Park (1993), Apollo 13 (1995), and Jack and Jill (2011). Cundey was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography, and has been nominated for numerous BAFTAs and BSC Awards. == Early life == He was born in Alhambra, California, United States. As a child, he used to build model sets, suggesting an interest in films from an early age. == Career == Cundey already had several low-budget films when he met Debra Hill, who in 1978 recruited him to work on Halloween, a film she co-wrote with director John Carpenter. Having Cundey work on a film brought considerable advantages. In addition to his considerable skill as a cinematographer and director of photography, he also had the advantage of owning most of his own equipment packed in a large van, referred to by Debra Hill as the "movie van". Cundey's work on Halloween is cited by many fans as being among his best as director of photography. In addition to his lighting skills, particularly in the famous hallway scene where the hidden face of Michael Myers is slowly revealed by way of a blue light next to the mask, he was among the first cinematographers to make use of a recent invention called the steadicam, or panaglide.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.