Robert Krasker

Robert Krasker, B.S.C., A.S.C. (21 August 1913 – 16 August 1981) was an Australian cinematographer who worked on more than fifty films in his career.

Krasker was born in Alexandria, Egypt but his birth was registered in Western Australia (Perth, Australia) and traveled to England in 1937 via photographic studios in Paris and Dresden. He moved to England just before the outbreak of WWII and found work at Alexander Korda's London Films, where he became a senior camera operator. His first film as a director of photography was The Gentle Sex (1943), directed by Leslie Howard.

Krasker's work was strongly influenced by film noir and German Expressionism. He received an Academy Award for his work on The Third Man (1949), directed by Carol Reed, having previously worked with Reed on Odd Man Out (1947). He also worked on Brief Encounter for David Lean and Another Man's Poison for Irving Rapper.

Lean sacked him from Great Expectations, because both he and producer Ronald Neame were unhappy with his handling of the marsh scenes. His later films included the epics Alexander the Great, El Cid, and The Fall of the Roman Empire.

Krasker was the first Australian-born cinematographer to win an Oscar; the second would not win until 1990.

External links

• Robert Krasker biography and credits at the British Film Institute's Screenonline