John Alton A.S.C. (October 5, 1901 – June 2, 1996), born Johann Altmann, in Sopron/Ödenburg, Kingdom of Hungary, Austria-Hungary, was an American cinematographer. Alton won an Academy Award for the cinematography of An American in Paris (1951), becoming the first Hungarian-born person to do so. He photographed some of the most famous film noirs of the classic period. He started out in Los Angeles as a lab technician in the 1920s, later becoming a cameraman within four years. He moved to France with Ernst Lubitsch to film backgrounds for The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg (1927) and ended up staying for one year heading the camera department of Paramount Pictures's Joinville Studios. In 1932 he moved to Argentina where he shot many Spanish-language films and designed the country's first sound film studio for Lumiton and Argentina Sono Film. He returned to Hollywood in the late 1930s, with two dozen film credits, and became one of the most sought after cinematographers in American cinema. Alton was known for unconventional camera angles—especially low camera shots. His style is most notable in the film noirs: He Walked by Night, The Big Combo, The Amazing Mr. X, T-Men, and Raw Deal. Alton also photographed many color movies including Slightly Scarlet (a color film noir).
The Pretender
(Director of Photography)
Madreselva
(Director of Photography)
Father of the Bride
(Director of Photography)
Elmer Gantry
(Director of Photography)
The Big Combo
(Director of Photography)
Hollow Triumph
(Director of Photography)
He Walked by Night
(Director of Photography)
T-Men
(Director of Photography)
Slightly Scarlet
(Director of Photography)
Border Incident
(Director of Photography)
Silver Lode
(Director of Photography)
Count the Hours!
(Director of Photography)
Reign of Terror
(Director of Photography)
Devil's Doorway
(Director of Photography)
The People Against O'Hara
(Director of Photography)
The Madonna's Secret
(Director of Photography)
The Amazing Mr. X
(Director of Photography)
Bury Me Dead
(Director of Photography)
The Brothers Karamazov
(Director of Photography)
I, the Jury
(Director of Photography)
The Crooked Way
(Director of Photography)
Ice Capades Revue
(Director of Photography)
Canon City
(Director of Photography)
Battle Circus
(Cinematography)
El hijo de papá
(Writer)
Doce mujeres
(Cinematography)
El hijo de papá
(Cinematography)
El hijo de papá
(Director)
El matrero
(Cinematography)
Cadetes de San Martín
(Cinematography)
Palermo
(Cinematography)
El último encuentro
(Cinematography)
Crimen a las 3
(Cinematography)
Los Tres Berretines
(Cinematography)
Compañeros
(Cinematography)
Tararira (la bohemia de hoy)
(Cinematography)
Amalia
(Cinematography)
Talk About a Stranger
(Director of Photography)
¡Goal!
(Director of Photography)
Apache War Smoke
(Director of Photography)
Mystery Street
(Director of Photography)
Puerta cerrada
(Director)
A Guy Could Change
(Director of Photography)
Raw Deal
(Director of Photography)
The Courageous Dr. Christian
(Director of Photography)
Three Faces West
(Director of Photography)
Forced Landing
(Director of Photography)
Dr. Christian Meets the Women
(Director of Photography)
Remedy for Riches
(Director of Photography)
Melody for Three
(Director of Photography)
Mr. District Attorney in the Carter Case
(Director of Photography)
Power Dive
(Director of Photography)
Devil Pays Off
(Director of Photography)
The Teahouse of the August Moon
(Director of Photography)
The Catered Affair
(Director of Photography)
Escape to Burma
(Director of Photography)
Designing Woman
(Director of Photography)
Pearl of the South Pacific
(Director of Photography)
Cattle Queen of Montana
(Director of Photography)
Father's Little Dividend
(Director of Photography)
The Steel Cage
(Director of Photography)
Duffy of San Quentin
(Director of Photography)
Birdman of Alcatraz
(Director of Photography)
Take the High Ground!
(Director of Photography)
Tennessee's Partner
(Director of Photography)
12 to the Moon
(Director of Photography)
Witness to Murder
(Director of Photography)
Passion
(Director of Photography)
Tea and Sympathy
(Director of Photography)
Red Stallion In The Rockies
(Director of Photography)
Moonlight Masquerade
(Director of Photography)
Johnny Doughboy
(Director of Photography)
Atlantic City
(Director of Photography)
Love, Honor and Goodbye
(Director of Photography)
One Exciting Week
(Director of Photography)
The Magnificent Rogue
(Director of Photography)
Affairs of Geraldine
(Director of Photography)
Hit Parade of 1947
(Cinematography)
Driftwood
(Director of Photography)
The Trespasser
(Director of Photography)
Song of Mexico
(Director of Photography)
The Ghost Goes Wild
(Director of Photography)
Girls of the Big House
(Director of Photography)
Puerta cerrada
(Director of Photography)
The Sultan's Daughter
(Director of Photography)
Lake Placid Serenade
(Director of Photography)
La vida bohemia
(Director of Photography)
The Affairs of Jimmy Valentine
(Director of Photography)
An American in Paris
(Additional Photography)
Captain China
(Director of Photography)
Washington Story
(Director of Photography)
Wyoming
(Director of Photography)
Grounds for Marriage
(Director of Photography)
Storm Over Lisbon
(Director of Photography)
I Was a Criminal
(Director of Photography)
The Lady and the Monster
(Director of Photography)
Lonelyhearts
(Director of Photography)
Escala en la ciudad
(Director of Photography)
Caminito de Gloria
(Director of Photography)
El pobre Pérez
(Director of Photography)
Loco lindo
(Director of Photography)
Mission: Impossible
(Director of Photography)