Norman Langley BSC was born in Highgate, London, in 1935. His early interest was in still photography rather than cinema, and at the age of 14 he built his own darkroom in his parents' garden, using an old chicken run. The makeshift darkroom leaked so much light that he could only develop prints at night.
His first professional job was with the Wellcome Foundation Medical Film Unit, where he gained experience in all aspects of filmmaking. Working on films covering a wide range of medical subjects, he developed a thorough understanding of lighting, photography and cinematography.
From 1958 to 1964, Langley worked with the Granada Television Film Unit, based at London Zoo and headed by zoologist Desmond Morris. He photographed numerous films about animal behaviour for network television, gaining valuable experience working patiently with animals and in observational filmmaking.
In the mid-1960s, Langley moved to Granada Television in Manchester. At a time when film was still relatively uncommon for location work in television drama, he used a 16mm Éclair camera, which allowed him to work more quickly and flexibly than the large outside-broadcast units then in use. He worked on both documentaries and drama, with directors including Mike Newell and Michael Apted.
Langley went freelance in 1970 and received his first Director of Photography credit on the feature film Freelance (1971), directed by Francis Megahy and starring Ian McShane.
His subsequent feature-film work included Oliver Twist (1982), directed by Clive Donner and starring George C. Scott; Pete Walker's cult horror film House of the Long Shadows (1983); and Where Is Parsifal? (1984), directed by Henri Helman and starring Tony Curtis and Orson Welles in one of his final film roles.
Langley also photographed a number of television dramas and films. His work included Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years (1981), directed by Ferdinand Fairfax, for which he received a BAFTA nomination; Monsignor Quixote (1987), directed by Rodney Bennett and starring Alec Guinness; And a Nightingale Sang (1989), directed by Robert Knights and starring Phyllis Logan and Joan Plowright; and Jekyll & Hyde (1990), directed by David Wickes and starring Michael Caine.
Alongside drama and feature films, Langley maintained his connection with documentary filmmaking. From the 1970s through to 2010, he worked periodically on CBS's 60 Minutes, photographing segments that received Emmy recognition.