Biography for
Eugen Schüfftan More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

21 July 1893, Breslau, Silesia, Germany [now Wroclaw, Dolnoslaskie, Poland]

Date of Death

6 September 1977, New York City, New York, USA

Mini Biography

Eugen Schüfftan moved from his motherland, Germany, to France in 1933 to escape the rising Nazi movement. He moved to the US in 1940 and became a member of Local 644, the East Coast cinematographers chapter of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE). He invented the Schüfftan Process for optical special effects that was used until it was replaced by the simpler matte method. He received the Academy Award for black and white cinematography in 1962 for The Hustler (1961).

For a variety of reasons, Schufftan did not receive proper screen credit for many films he photographed. Director Edgar G. Ulmer, who worked with Schufftan on several films, said it was because he wasn't in the ASC (American Society of Cinematographers) and therefore wasn't allowed to take screen credit. Ulmer said that on one or two of the films he made with Schufftan he was forced to credit Jockey Arthur Feindel, the camera operator, as the cinematographer because of that.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Artemis-9 (v's & corrections by A. Nonymous)

Trivia

When Schüfftan moved to the US, he became a member of Local 644, the East Coast cinematographers chapter of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE). He received the Academy Award for black and white cinematography in 1962 for "The Hustler." He did not receive proper screen credit for many films he photographed.

Inventor of the Schüfftan Process for optical special effects, used until it was replaced by the simpler matte method.

He moved to France in 1933 to escape the Nazis.

He moved to the United States in 1940.