JACK ASHER BSC

Jack Asher began his cinematic career as a camera operator, and made his first film as cinematographer or "lighting cameraman" on The Magic Bow (1946) directed by Bernard Knowles. Asher is best remembered for his work on Hammer films, beginning with The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) directed by Terence Fisher, the first of Hammer's gothic horrors, and the earliest colour version of the Frankenstein story. He was the director of photography on several of the Hammer horror films mostly directed by Terence Fisher including Dracula (1958), The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958), The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959), The Mummy (1959) and The Brides of Dracula (1960).

His style was characterized by a fantastical use of colours, such as non-realistic purples and greens. His most prolific collaborator, director Terence Fisher said of him, "Jack Asher had a very distinctive style of lighting, which was quite different to Arthur Grant's...(Who) had a more realistic approach to the situation. Jack Asher's was almost theatrical lighting with little tricks, like colour slides placed over the lights and so on."

Asher's non-Hammer films included The Good Die Young (1954) and Reach for the Sky (1956) both directed by Lewis Gilbert.

In 1964, he was nominated for a BAFTA for Best British Cinematography (Colour) for his work on The Crimson Blade  (1963) directed by John Gilling.