Harry Waxman BSC was a British cinematographer who worked in film and television for more than four decades. He was born in London on 3 April 1912 and entered the film industry as a teenager, initially working in a laboratory before moving into camera work.
During the Second World War, Waxman worked with the RAF Film Unit, gaining experience as a cinematographer on documentary and instructional films. After the war, he moved into feature films and photographed productions including Journey Together (1945), Brighton Rock (1947), The Long Memory (1953) and The Sleeping Tiger (1954).
Waxman became known for his work on British location-based films and social dramas. His credits included Sapphire (1959), The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961), The Family Way (1966), The Nanny (1965), The Anniversary (1968) and The Wicker Man (1973). He also worked on international productions, including Disney's Swiss Family Robinson (1960).
His cinematography on Sapphire received recognition from the British Society of Cinematographers. Waxman was a founder member of the BSC and served as its president from 1966 to 1969.
Waxman continued working through the 1970s, with later credits including Vampyres (1974), Journey into Fear (1975) and The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976).
Harry Waxman died in Chichester, West Sussex, on 24 December 1984, aged 72. His career covered British feature films, documentaries, television and international productions, and he was a significant member of the generation of cinematographers who shaped British filmmaking after the Second World War.