Star Wars, Dr. Strangelove cinematographer Gilbert Taylor dies

Gilbert Taylor, the British cinematographer behind Star Wars, Dr Strangelove, and The Omen has died, aged 99.

07:31 28 August 2013

Gilbert Taylor has died on Friday at his home on the Isle of Wight, as confirmed by his wife, Dee.

Gilbert, who started his career in the late 1920s, is the cinematographer of Star Wars, Dr Strangelove, and The Omen. He started as a camera assistant at Gainsborough Studios in London. During World War II, he shot Royal Air Force raids over Germany at the request of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

Other movies he was involved in include Alfred Hitchcock’s Frenzy, Ice Cold in Alex, and two movies with Roman Polanski that earned him Bafta nominations.

In 1994, he retired from filmmaking and focused on painting. In 2001, he was given lifetime achievement award from the British Society of Cinematographers.

Gilbert’s widow spoke to BBC news on Friday where she described her life with her husband as a “Technicolor dream.” She also described Gilbert as “wonderful, kind, funny, amusing [and] terribly talented in every aspect.”

She added: "There was nothing he couldn't do.”