Sam Leavitt | |
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![]() On the set of An American Dream Eleanor Parker and Stuart Whitman (actors), Robert Gist (director, behind them) and Sam Leavitt in white hat (publicity still). | |
Born | |
Died | March 21, 1984 | (aged 80)
Occupation | Cinematographer |
Years active | 1932 - 1978 |
Samuel Leavitt, A.S.C. (February 6, 1904 – March 21, 1984), was an American cinematographer nominated for three Academy Awards, winning one for The Defiant Ones (1958).
Leavitt began his career as an assistant camera operator working on 1930s films.[1] Leavitt was a camera operator on films including Rancho Notorious (1952) and on TV's I Love Lucy in the early 1950s[2] before becoming a director of photography in films.
Leavitt was nominated for Academy Awards for Exodus (Best Cinematography Color) (1960)and Anatomy of a Murder (1959) (Best Cinematography Black and White) in the two years following his Oscar win for The Defiant Ones.
Leavitt was born in New York City and died in Woodland Hills, California.