Victor J. Kemper

Victor J. Kemper
Victor J. Kemper
Born	Victor Jay Kemper; April 14, 1927; Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
Died	November 27, 2023 (aged 96); Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Cinematographer
Years active	1967–2006
Notable work	Dog Day Afternoon; Slap Shot; The Jerk; Clue; Pee-wee's Big Adventure
Spouse	Claire Kellerman (m. 1953)
Children	2
President of the American Society of Cinematographers
	In office; 1993–1996
Preceded by	William A. Fraker
Succeeded by	Owen Roizman
	In office; 1999–2001
Preceded by	Woody Omens
Succeeded by	Steven B. Poster

Victor Jay Kemper (April 14, 1927 – November 27, 2023)^[1] was an American cinematographer.

Life and career

Victor Jay Kemper was born in Newark, New Jersey, on April 14, 1927, as the son of Florence (née Freedman) and Louis Kemper.^[2] He was a graduate of Seton Hall University.

As a cinematographer, Kemper collaborated extensively with director Arthur Hiller. Kemper worked with the leading directors of the 1970s including John Cassavetes, Sidney Lumet, Anthony Harvey, Michael Ritchie, Ulu Grosbard, Peter Yates, Karel Reisz, Elaine May, J. Lee Thompson, Elia Kazan, George Roy Hill, Robert Wise, Carl Reiner, Bob Rafelson, Irvin Kershner, Richard Attenborough, and Norman Jewison.

Kemper was a member of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC), and was its president twice, from 1993 to 1996, and from 1999 to 2001.

Kemper died in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, on November 27, 2023, at the age of 96.^[3]

Filmography

Director of photography

Film

Year	Film	Director	Notes	Ref.
1970	The Magic Garden of Stanley Sweetheart	Leonard Horn
1970	Husbands	John Cassavetes
1971	They Might Be Giants	Anthony Harvey		^[4]
	Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me?	Ulu Grosbard
	The Hospital	Arthur Hiller	Second collaboration with Arthur Hiller
1972	The Candidate	Michael Ritchie
1972	Last of the Red Hot Lovers	Gene Saks
1973	Shamus	Buzz Kulik
	The Friends of Eddie Coyle	Peter Yates
	Gordon's War	Ossie Davis
	From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler	Fielder Cook
1974	The Gambler	Karel Reisz
1975	The Reincarnation of Peter Proud	J. Lee Thompson
1975	Dog Day Afternoon	Sidney Lumet
1976	Stay Hungry	Bob Rafelson
	The Last Tycoon	Elia Kazan
	Mikey and Nicky	Elaine May
1977	Slap Shot	George Roy Hill
	Audrey Rose	Robert Wise
	Oh, God!	Carl Reiner	First collaboration with Carl Reiner
1978	Coma	Michael Crichton
	The One and Only	Carl Reiner	Second collaboration with Carl Reiner
	Eyes of Laura Mars	Irvin Kershner
	Magic	Richard Attenborough		^[5]
1979	...And Justice for All	Norman Jewison
1979	The Jerk	Carl Reiner	Third collaboration with Carl Reiner	^[6]
1980	Night of the Juggler	Robert Butler
	The Final Countdown	Don Taylor
	Xanadu	Robert Greenwald		^[7]
1981	The Four Seasons	Alan Alda
1981	Chu Chu and the Philly Flash	David Lowell Rich
1982	Partners	James Burrows
1982	Author! Author!	Arthur Hiller	Third collaboration with Arthur Hiller
1983	Mr. Mom	Stan Dragoti
1983	Vacation	Harold Ramis
1984	The Lonely Guy	Arthur Hiller	Fourth collaboration with Arthur Hiller
1984	Cloak & Dagger	Richard Franklin	First collaboration with Richard Franklin
1985	Secret Admirer	David Greenwalt
	Pee-wee's Big Adventure	Tim Burton
	Clue	Jonathan Lynn
1987	Walk Like a Man	Melvin Frank
1988	Hot to Trot	Michael Dinner
1988	Cohen and Tate	Eric Red
1989	See No Evil, Hear No Evil	Arthur Hiller	Fifth collaboration with Arthur Hiller
1990	Crazy People	Tony Bill
1991	F/X2	Richard Franklin	Second collaboration with Richard Franklin
	Another You	Maurice Phillips
	Married to It	Arthur Hiller	Sixth collaboration with Arthur Hiller
1992	Beethoven	Brian Levant	First collaboration with Brian Levant
1995	Tommy Boy	Peter Segal
1996	Eddie	Steve Rash	First collaboration with Steve Rash
1996	Jingle All the Way	Brian Levant	Second collaboration with Brian Levant

Camera and electrical department

Year	Film	Director	Role	Notes
1967	The Tiger Makes Out	Arthur Hiller	Camera operator	First collaboration with Arthur Hiller
1969	Alice's Restaurant	Arthur Penn	Camera operator
1985	European Vacation	Amy Heckerling	Director of photography: USA

Direct-to-video films

Year	Film	Director	Notes
2005	American Pie Presents: Band Camp	Steve Rash	Second collaboration with Steve Rash
2006	Bring It On: All or Nothing	Steve Rash	Third collaboration with Steve Rash

Documentaries

Thanks

Year	Film	Director	Role
1992	Visions of Light	Arnold Glassman Stuart Samuels Todd McCarthy	Special thanks: AFI
2004	Edgar G. Ulmer: The Man Off-Screen	Michael Palm	Thanks

TV movies

Year	Film	Director
1977	The Prince of Central Park	Harvey Hart
1985	The Atlanta Child Murders	John Erman
1987	Kojak: The Price of Justice	Alan Metzger
1999	Too Rich: The Secret Life of Doris Duke	John Erman
2001	On Golden Pond	Ernest Thompson Marty Pasetta

TV series

Year	Title	Notes
1985	The Atlanta Child Murders	2 episodes
1999	Too Rich: The Secret Life of Doris Duke	4 episodes

Awards and nominations

Institution	Year	Category	Work	Result
Primetime Emmy Awards	1987	Outstanding Cinematography for a Miniseries or a Special	Kojak: The Price of Justice	Nominated
American Society of Cinematographers	1988	Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Mini-Series or Specials	Kojak: The Price of Justice	Nominated
American Society of Cinematographers	1998	Lifetime Achievement Award	—	Won

References

^ "In Memoriam: Victor J. Kemper (1927-2023)". The American Society of Cinematographers. Retrieved 2024-10-14.
^ "Victor J. Kemper Biography (1927-)". Film Reference. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
^ Barnes, Mike (November 28, 2023). "Victor J. Kemper, Cinematographer on 'Dog Day Afternoon', 'Husbands' and 'The Jerk,' Dies at 96". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
^ Canby, Vincent (June 10, 1971). "Zany Role for George Scott:' They Might Be Giants' Opens at Beekman". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
^ Canby, Vincent (November 8, 1978). "Film: Dummy Takes Over in 'Magic':Wooden Handed". The New York Times. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
^ Maslin, Janet (December 14, 1979). "Movie: Steve Martin Stars in 'The Jerk':Birthday Surprise". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
^ Maslin, Janet (August 9, 1980). "MISS NEWTON-JOHN IN 'XANADU'". The New York Times. Retrieved November 23, 2022.

External links

Victor J. Kemper at IMDb

[1] "In Memoriam: Victor J. Kemper (1927-2023)". The American Society of Cinematographers. Retrieved 2024-10-14.

[2] "Victor J. Kemper Biography (1927-)". Film Reference. Retrieved November 18, 2022.

[3] Barnes, Mike (November 28, 2023). "Victor J. Kemper, Cinematographer on 'Dog Day Afternoon', 'Husbands' and 'The Jerk,' Dies at 96". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 29, 2023.

[4] Canby, Vincent (June 10, 1971). "Zany Role for George Scott:' They Might Be Giants' Opens at Beekman". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 23, 2022.

[5] Canby, Vincent (November 8, 1978). "Film: Dummy Takes Over in 'Magic':Wooden Handed". The New York Times. Retrieved November 23, 2022.

[6] Maslin, Janet (December 14, 1979). "Movie: Steve Martin Stars in 'The Jerk':Birthday Surprise". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 23, 2022.

[7] Maslin, Janet (August 9, 1980). "MISS NEWTON-JOHN IN 'XANADU'". The New York Times. Retrieved November 23, 2022.

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