Burnett Guffey

Burnett Guffey, A.S.C.
Guffey behind the camera
Born	George Burnett Guffey (1905-05-26)May 26, 1905 Del Rio, Tennessee, U.S.
Died	May 30, 1983(1983-05-30) (aged 78) Goleta, California, U.S.
Other names	Burney
Title	A.S.C.
Board member of	A.S.C. President (1957–1958)
Spouse	Lucille A. Lyon Guffey （m.1927)
Children	Betty Jane Guffey Wickstrom
Parent	Dr George Washington Guffey Josephine Loubelle “Josie” Fleming Guffey
Relatives	Roy Fleming Guffey Pvt James Guffey Annie Guffey Ferguson Ollie May Guffey Duckett Ernest William Guffey
Awards	Best Black-and-White Cinematography 1954 From Here to Eternity Best Cinematography 1968 Bonnie and Clyde

Burnett Guffey, A.S.C. (May 26, 1905 – May 30, 1983) was an American cinematographer.^[1]

He won two Academy Awards: From Here to Eternity (1953) and Bonnie and Clyde (1967).

Burnett Guffey, who was born on May 26, 1905 in Del Rio, Tennessee, went to school in Etowah, Tennessee. He began working as a messenger boy at a bank, then transitioned to a camera assistant at Fox in 1923. In the same year, he released his debut film "The Courtship of Myles Standish". John Ford chose him for the second unit cinematography of the epic film "The Iron Horse" the next year. He spent the decade working for Famous Players-Lasky, Fox, and various other studios.

Between 1935 and 1944, Guffey worked as a cinematographer on various well-known movies such as "Clive of India," "The Informer," "You Only Live Once," "Foreign Correspondent," "Seven Sinners," "That Hamilton Woman," and "Cover Girl."

Guffey first worked as a cinematographer in 1944 on the film "Sailor's Holiday." He became well-known for his clear visual style and excellent arrangement of shots, especially in film noir, having contributed to twenty of these films throughout his professional life.

During the span of 1944 to 1953, Guffey captured important movies like "My Name Is Julia Ross," "Framed," "Knock on Any Door," "The Reckless Moment," "All the King’s Men," "In a Lonely Place," "The Sniper," and "From Here to Eternity," earning his initial Oscar in his three decades career.

After winning an Oscar, Guffey went on to work on well-known movies such as Lang’s "Human Desire," Don Siegel’s "Private Hell 36," Lewis Seiler’s "The Bamboo Prison," Rudolph Maté’s "The Violent Men," Phil Karlson’s "Tight Spot," George Sherman’s "Count Three."

Between 1957 and 1962, Guffey worked on movies like Jack Garfein’s "The Strange One," Karlson’s "The Brothers Rico," Gerd Oswald’s "Screaming Mimi," Peter Glenville’s "Me and the Colonel," Paul Wendkos’ "Gidget," Rossen’s "They Came to Cordura," Karlson’s "Hell to Eternity," and John Frankenheimer’s "Birdman of Alcatraz," resulting in a third Oscar nomination for him.

He received his fourth Oscar nomination for his work on Bryan Forbes' 1965 film "King Rat" and his fifth nomination, along with his second Oscar, for Arthur Penn's 1967 film "Bonnie and Clyde."

Guffey's final notable movie was the 1970 film "The Great White Hope," directed by Martin Ritt. The next year, "The Steagle" was his last movie.

Burnett Guffey died on May 30, 1983, at the age of 78.