Biography for
Vilmos Zsigmond More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

Mini Biography

Along with László Kovács, a fellow student who fled Hungary in 1956, Zsigmond rose to prominence in the 1970s. He is known for his use of natural light and vivid use of color on features such as The Long Goodbye (1973) and Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977).

Trivia

Began his career photographing the Hungarian revolution of 1956. Won several international and domestic awards as director of TV commercials.

He and László Kovács shot footage of the Soviet invasion and then escaped to the United States where they sold the footage to CBS.

The name, if spelled correctly in Hungarian, should sound like "Vilmosh Sigmond".

Member of the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Cinematographers Branch) [2007-].

Member of the American Society of Cinematographers.

Owns a camera, lighting and grip company in Budapest.

Personal Quotes

[on Heaven's Gate (1980)] Michael [Cimino] really wanted to make a perfect film. He could have made this film for much less. He overdid it; he overcomplicated it. But they should not have killed him for it.