Michael Ballhaus, A.S.C. (5 August 1935 – 12 April 2017) was a German cinematographer. He is known for his work with directors including Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Martin Scorsese, Mike Nichols, James L. Brooks, and Wolfgang Petersen. He was a member of both the Academy of Arts, Berlin, and the American Society of Cinematographers.

Michael Ballhaus
Ballhaus in 2007
Born(1935-08-05)5 August 1935
Died12 April 2017(2017-04-12) (aged 81)
Berlin, Germany
OccupationCinematographer
Years active1959–2013
OrganizationAmerican Society of Cinematographers
Known forBroadcast News
Goodfellas
The Age of Innocence
The Departed
Spouses
Helga Betten
(m. 1958; died 2006)
(m. 2011)
Children2, including Florian Ballhaus
Parent(s)Oskar Ballhaus [de]
Lena Hutter [de]
RelativesCarl Balhaus (uncle)

Early life

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Ballhaus was born on 5 August 1935 in Berlin to actors Lena Hutter [de] and Oskar Ballhaus [de]. His uncle was actor and director Carl Ballhaus.[1][2] Ballhaus was influenced by family friend Max Ophüls,[3] and appeared as an extra in Ophüls' last film Lola Montès (1955).[4]

Career

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Ballhaus came to prominence for his work with director Rainer Werner Fassbinder on films including Whity (1971), The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant (1972), Chinese Roulette (1976) and The Marriage of Maria Braun (1978).

After settling in the United States, he worked on American films such as Baby It's You (1983) for John Sayles; Old Enough (1984) for Marisa Silver; Under the Cherry Moon (1986) for Prince; After Hours (1985), The Color of Money (1986), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), Goodfellas (1990), The Age of Innocence (1993), Gangs of New York (2002) and The Departed (2006) for Martin Scorsese; Broadcast News (1987) and I'll Do Anything (1994) for James L. Brooks; The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989) for Steve Kloves; Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) for Francis Ford Coppola; Sleepers (1996) for Barry Levinson; and Wild Wild West (1999) for Barry Sonnenfeld. Ballhaus appeared in Rosa von Praunheim's film Fassbinder's Women (2000).

In 1990, Ballhaus was the head of the jury at the 40th Berlin International Film Festival.[5]

Ballhaus was nominated three times for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography, for his work on Broadcast News, The Fabulous Baker Boys and Gangs of New York, but never won. He won the Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Cinematography for Bram Stoker's Dracula, the Boston Society of Film Critics and Los Angeles Film Critics Association cinematography awards for The Fabulous Baker Boys, and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Cinematography for Goodfellas.

His documentary In Berlin, made with Ciro Cappellari, was released in May 2009.

Ballhaus' final film was Sherry Hormann's 3096 Days in 2013.

Personal life and death

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Ballhaus was married to actress and art director Helga Maria Betten from 1958 until her death in 2006.[6] They had two sons: cinematographer Florian and assistant director Jan Sebastian.[7]

In 2011, Ballhaus married German-American director Sherry Hormann.[8] He died at his home in Berlin on 12 April 2017, at the age of 81, after a short illness.[9]

Filmography

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Cinematographer

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Film

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Year Title Director Notes
1969 Mehrmals täglich Ralf Gregan
Deine Zärtlichkeiten Peter Schamoni
Herbert Vesely
1970 Wir - zwei Ulrich Schamoni
1971 Whity Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Beware of a Holy Whore
1972 The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant
Tödlicher Poker Ulli Lommel
1973 Tschetan, der Indianerjunge Hark Bohm
Das sündige Bett Ralf Gregan Credited as "Michael Alexander"
1974 Made in Germany und USA Rudolf Thome With Martin Schäfer
1975 Fox and His Friends Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Mother Küsters' Trip to Heaven
Das Amulett des Todes Ralf Gregan
Günter Vaessen
1976 Summerfolk [de] Peter Stein
Satan's Brew Rainer Werner Fassbinder With Jürgen Jürges
Chinese Roulette
1977 Adolf und Marlene Ulli Lommel
1978 Despair Rainer Werner Fassbinder
1979 The Marriage of Maria Braun
The First Polka Klaus Emmerich
1980 La insurrección Peter Lilienthal
Big and Little Peter Stein
1981 Lili Marleen Rainer Werner Fassbinder Uncredited
Malou Jeanine Meerapfel
Looping Walter Bockmayer
Rolf Bührmann
With Horst Knechtel
Heute spielen wir den Boß Peer Raben
1982 The Magic Mountain Hans W. Geißendörfer
Dear Mr. Wonderful Peter Lilienthal
1983 Sheer Madness Margarethe von Trotta
Baby It's You John Sayles
Edith's Diary Hans W. Geißendörfer
1984 Old Enough Marisa Silver
Reckless James Foley
Das Autogramm Peter Lilienthal
Heartbreakers Bobby Roth
1985 After Hours Martin Scorsese
1986 Under the Cherry Moon Prince
Himself (Uncredited)
The Color of Money Martin Scorsese
1987 The Glass Menagerie Paul Newman
Broadcast News James L. Brooks
1988 The House on Carroll Street Peter Yates
The Last Temptation of Christ Martin Scorsese
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels Frank Oz
Working Girl Mike Nichols
1989 The Fabulous Baker Boys Steve Kloves
1990 Goodfellas Martin Scorsese
Postcards from the Edge Mike Nichols
1991 Guilty by Suspicion Irwin Winkler
What About Bob? Frank Oz
1992 The Mambo Kings Arne Glimcher
Bram Stoker's Dracula Francis Ford Coppola
1993 The Age of Innocence Martin Scorsese
1994 I'll Do Anything James L. Brooks
Quiz Show Robert Redford
1995 Outbreak Wolfgang Petersen
1996 Sleepers Barry Levinson
Kreuz & quer Anteij Farak
Ariane Homayounfar
Lenard Fritz Krawinkel
Yasemin Şamdereli
1997 Air Force One Wolfgang Petersen
1998 Primary Colors Mike Nichols
1999 Wild Wild West Barry Sonnenfeld
2000 What Planet Are You From? Mike Nichols
The Legend of Bagger Vance Robert Redford
2002 Gangs of New York Martin Scorsese
2003 Uptown Girls Boaz Yakin
Something's Gotta Give Nancy Meyers
2005 Sonntagsluft Frank A. Buecheler
2006 The Departed Martin Scorsese
2013 3096 Days Sherry Hormann

Short film

Year Title Director Notes
1978 I (Beat (It)) Valie Export Segment "Teile I"
1979 Bourbon Street Blues Hans Schönherr
Tilman Taube
2001 Gone Underground Su Turhan
2002 Mutti
2007 Die sanfte Schminke des Lichts Alexander Kluge
Nachts träumen die Lampen des
Ateliers von ihrem wahren Leben
2009 Purple Sunrise Nina Vukovic With Armin Dierolf
2013 First Fassbinder Matthew Cheney

Television

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Year Title Director Notes
1958-1970 Sie schreiben mit
1973 World on a Wire Rainer Werner Fassbinder Miniseries
Tatort Wolfgang Staudte Episode "Tote brauchen keine Wohnung"
1974 Ein Haus für uns Wim Wenders Episodes "Aus der Familie der Panzerechsen" and "Die Insel"
1974-1976 Unter einem Dach
1979 Alpensaga Dieter Berner Episode "Der deutsche Frühling"

TV movies

Year Title Director Notes
1960 Die Nachbarskinder Peter Lilienthal
1961 Die Kassette Rudolf Noelte
1963 Der Klassenaufsatz Harald Benesch
1964 Die Wohnung
Das Martyrium des Peter O'Hey Peter Lilienthal
1966 Große Liebe Johannes Schaaf
Abschied Peter Lilienthal
1968 Ganze Tage in den Bäumen Tom Toelle
Gold für Montevasall Thomas Engel
1969 Der Kidnapper Tom Toelle
1971 Sand Peter Palitzsch
1972 Der Marquis von Keith Hans Lietzau
Der Held Hagen Müller-Stahl
Adele Spitzeder Peer Raben
1974 Martha Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Rosenmontag Peter Beauvais
1976 Die Wahl Rainer Boldt
I Only Want You to Love Me Rainer Werner Fassbinder With Ernst Schmid
Dorothea Merz Peter Beauvais
Sonntag Niels-Peter Rudolph
1977 Auf dem Chimborazo Peter Beauvais
Frauen in New York Rainer Werner Fassbinder
The Stationmaster's Wife
Also es war so... Karin Thome With Lothar E. Stickelbrucks
1978 Der Gehilfe Ludwig Cremer
1979 Trilogie des Wiedersehens Botho Strauß
1980 Weihnacht '80 - Drei geschichten Wilhelm Pevny
Dieter Berner
Segments "Das Menschenkindl" and "Maria und Josef"
1982 Der Auslöser Maria Neocleous
1985 Death of a Salesman Volker Schlöndorff
1986 Landscape with Waitress Jeffrey Townsend
1988 Baja Oklahoma Bobby Roth

TV short

Year Title Director
1965 Der große Wildenberg - Ein Feuilleton Herbert Vesely
1966 Ein Haus aus lauter Liebe

Documentary works

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Film

Year Title Director Notes
1961 Traumland der Sehnsucht Wolfgang Müller-Sehn Shared credit with Wolfgang Müller-Sehn
1977 Nur zum Spaß, nur zum Spiel Volker Schlöndorff
1978 Germany in Autumn Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Venedig - Die Insel der Glückseligen am Rande des Untergangs Christian Rischert
1981 Oye Raimundo, adónde vas? Jaime Carrasco
Francisco Chavez
Luis Lupone
Jesús Sánchez

Short film

Year Title Director
1971 Berlin - Anhalter Bahnhof - XXV Jahre danach Leonid Wawiloff

TV movies

Year Title Director Notes
1971 Die Verabredung mit der Wirklichkeit Himself
Fassbinder produziert: Film Nr. 8 Himself
Dietmar Buchmann
1973 Ich bin ein Bürger der DDR Erika Runge
1977 Curd Jürgens Bernhard Wicki With Xaver Schwarzenberger

Director

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Documentary film

Year Title Notes
1971 Die Verabredung mit der Wirklichkeit TV movie
Fassbinder produziert: Film Nr. 8
2011 Unser Franken Co-directed with Ulla Ballhaus

Feature film

Year Title Notes
1986 Under the Cherry Moon Uncredited
2009 In Berlin Also writer and editor

Producer

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Year Title Notes
1971 Fassbinder produziert: Film Nr. 8
1999 The Thirteenth Floor Executive producer
2004 Last Night Consulting producer (Short film)
2011 Remembrance Associate producer

Awards and nominations

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Academy Awards

Year Category Title Result
1987 Best Cinematography Broadcast News Nominated
1989 The Fabulous Baker Boys Nominated
2002 Gangs of New York Nominated

BAFTA Awards

Year Category Title Result
1990 Best Cinematography Goodfellas Nominated
1993 The Age of Innocence Nominated
2002 Gangs of New York Nominated

Chicago Film Critics Association

Year Category Title Result
1992 Best Cinematography Bram Stoker's Dracula Won
2002 Gangs of New York Nominated
2006 The Departed Nominated

Los Angeles Film Critics Association

Year Category Title Result
1989 Best Cinematography The Fabulous Baker Boys Won
1990 Goodfellas Won

Satellite Awards

Year Category Title Result
2000 Best Cinematography The Legend of Bagger Vance Nominated
2002 Gangs of New York Nominated

Other awards

Year Award Category Title Result
1985 Independent Spirit Awards Best Cinematography After Hours Nominated
1989 Boston Society of Film Critics Best Cinematography The Fabulous Baker Boys Won
National Society of Film Critics Best Cinematography Won
2007 Bavarian Film Awards Honorary Award Won

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Filmreference.com
  2. ^ Thomas Vorwerk, Das fliegende Auge: Michael Ballhaus im Gespräch mit Tom Tykwer
  3. ^ A Conversation With Michael Ballhaus, ASC (November 20, 2006) at the Wayback Machine (archive index)
  4. ^ Michael Ballhaus discusses his connection with the Austrian director in the documentary film Working with Max Ophuls: Lola Montès Revisited (2008).
  5. ^ "Berlinale: 1990 Juries". berlinale.de. Retrieved 14 March 2011.
  6. ^ Fox, Margalit (15 April 2017). "Michael Ballhaus, an Oscar-Nominated Cinematographer, Dies at 81". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  7. ^ "In Memoriam: Michael Ballhaus, ASC, BVK (1935-2017) – The American Society of Cinematographers (en-US)". theasc.com. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  8. ^ Filmreife Hochzeit in Zehlendorf!. bild.de, 28 October 2011. Retrieved on 13 March 2012.
  9. ^ McNary, Dave (12 April 2017). "Michael Ballhaus, 'The Departed' and 'Goodfellas' Cinematographer, Dies at 81". Variety. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
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