Place of Birth: Haverfordwest , Wales, UK

Background:
Following Grammar school education in Neath, where his father was Editor of the local weekly newspaper, he embarked on the road to achieving his earliest ambition which was to be a Foreign Correspondent. Worked in Bosch Factory in Germany, as a trainee reporter in the Rhondda valleys and as a therapist in a Swedish Steiner School for children with severe disabilities.

Accepted into BBC’s Regional Training Scheme in 1963. This involved initial experience in Camera, Sound and Editing before becoming an Assistant Cameraman. Any illusions of the glamour of the job were ended by covering the Aberfan Disaster of 1966 from the first hours (it was his birthday) to the dreadful funeral of 120 children.

Received excellent grounding in all round Film Techniques at Ealing Studios and as a member of the five crews in Wales. Eventually transferred back to Ealing in 1968. There he was fortunate to be given operating experience by his mentor Peter Sargent BSC and worked for him on such popular TV productions as `Z Cars`, `Dixon of Dock Green`, `Dr Who`, `The Flipside of Dominick Hyde`, `Hazan-The Golden Road To Samarkand`, `The Wall`, `The Expert`, Peter Cushing’s `Sherlock Holmes` and the first Wednesday plays to be shot on film, directed by such respected figures as Rudolph Cartier, Herbie Wise and Christopher Morahan. The early film inserts were shot on 35mm although in the seventies advances were made in the development of 16mm for feature TV use and attempts at focus pulling were more miss than hit. Being an Operator was the easy job then as now.

First real opportunities as Cameraman occurred on Film items for Nationwide and Tonight and worked for Panorama for several years covering a wide range of subjects and including periods in Northern Ireland, the Yom Kippur War of 1973 and films in Algeria, Columbia and in wartime Vietnam before the final American withdrawal.

The opportunities and experience range gained in thirty years of continuous film work were enormous. Became the first resident BBC staff Cameraman in the USA in 1974 covering assignments throughout the Continent. To base a crew in New York had been his idea as the Film Union Representative to prevent the use of unregulated and often non-British labour. Returned for a second stint in 1982 by which time he had been entrusted as DOP on such prestigious productions as `Sons and Lovers`, director Stuart Burge, `Wings` with Desmond Davis, `The Blue Dress` with Peter Hammond ,`The Seagul`l with Michael Lindsay Hogg, `The Kremlin Farewell` and `The Count of Solar` with Tristram Powell and the challenge of a young Danny Boyle enthusiastically directing` For The Greater Goo`d . `Alive and Kicking `directed by Robert Young won several awards in Cannes including the Palm d’ Or.

At this time travelled extensively throughout the World with India his favourite location. Enjoyed Documentary work in the 70’s and 80’s and he`s most proud to have shot in Hungary a film called `Standing Up` for Joe which changed the public perception of disability and resulted in the Spastic Society re-inventing its image and name and adopting the System of Conductive Education in Britain. His most important Film of any kind.

Following the unforgettable experience of the homeward journey of `Around The World in 80 Days` Michael Palin proposed him as a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society due to (his citation) “the advancement of human understanding through the medium of the Film Camera.” He convinced himself that his earlier ambition might have been realised through the camera rather than the pen.

After thirty years with the BBC Film Department he went freelance in 1992 and immediately began a period of shooting 27 films involving John Thaw. It ended with the fifteen episodes of `Kavanagh QC` which involved fine casts, scripts and directors such as Paul Greengrass, Colin Gregg and . ` Saigon Baby` and `Streetlife` were acclaimed Feature length films for television and the latter won BAFTA best actress award for Helen McRory as had Diana Rigg for `Mother Love` which he`d shot 16 years earlier. Several years later the Welsh director of `Streetlife`, Karl Francis, insisted he shoot the feature `One of The Hollywood Ten` a true story he had written of the director Herbert Biberman, played by Jeff Goldblum, and his making `Salt of The Earth` whilst blacklisted under the Macarthy era. Ironically he had filmed Dymytryc and many of the others involved in the real story whilst making Barry Norman’s `The Hollywood Greats` in the eighties. That had been a cameraman’s dream, to meet your heroes Hawks, Cukor, Mankiovitch, Hal Roach, Jimmy Stewart, Mickey Rooney, Ben Lyon, Jane Russell, Ginger Rogers, Lilian Gish and hear their anecdotes both on and off the camera. He recalls positioning a diffused inkie about a foot above the lens when filming Miss Gish . He asked her if she was happy and she asked him to lower it to lens height.

"Who was I to argue with the lady who had been there at the birth of film!"

Always a rewarding challenge to set a style whether it be for `Spender`, `Kavanagh QC `Michelle Collins in `2000 Acres of Sky `and `Real Women` or beginning a new film Series such as the controversial `Queer as Folk` .The pilot of Midsomer Murder`s, `The Killing at Badgers Drift` was also successful in artistic and audience appreciation and gave him the opportunity to experiment with light in low ceiling country cottages as he had on `A Year in Provence` in France in 1992.

His proudest moment in his film career came in 1999 when he was elected a Member of the BSC and then in 2005 when he became a Governor. The European Cinema and the future of Film agreements within the EU interests him greatly and he is looking forward to playing an active role in furthering understanding between the various Associations in Europe.

Enjoys visits to assist at the London Film Academy and takes pride in the quality of the assistants who have been working friends and are now distinguished DOP’s in their own right such as Simon Maggs and Graham Frake.

Lives in Shepherds Bush with his second wife, Riitta and youngest daughter surrounded by three other children and three grandchildren.