Personal Information

Known ForCamera

GenderMale

Birth DateApr 22, 1950 (76 years old)

Zodiac Sign♉Taurus

Place of BirthCalifornia, USA

Career Span1953 – Present (74 yrs)

Known Credits91 Titles

Official Links

IMDb WWikidata

CameraPopularity Score 0.9

Robert Elswit

Total Works

84 movies • 7 shows

Avg Rating

6.5 / 10

across rated releases

Box Office

—

worldwide gross

Global Reach

TMDB star index

Biography

Robert Christopher Elswit, ASC (born April 22, 1950) is an American cinematographer. He has collaborated with Paul Thomas Anderson from 1996 to 2014, winning the Academy Award for Best Cinematography for There Will Be Blood. Elswit has also collaborated with directors and screenwriters Tony and Dan Gilroy on all six films that either brother directed. Description above from the Wikipedia article Robert Elswit, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Signature Roles & Milestones

Top-rated highlights from Robert Elswit's career

8.4

The Empire Strikes Back

1980•movie

Role: Visual Effects Lineup

7.9

Return of the Jedi

1983•movie

Role: Visual Effects Camera

7.5

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

1982•movie

Role: Visual Effects Camera

7.7

Nightcrawler

2014•movie

Role: Director of Photography

Photos & Headshots2

Click any photo to view full size

Full Filmography & Credits

Showing 91 titles featuring Robert Elswit

8.4

The Empire Strikes Back

1980•movie

Role: Visual Effects Lineup

7.9

Return of the Jedi

1983•movie

Role: Visual Effects Camera

7.5

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

1982•movie

Role: Visual Effects Camera

7.7

Nightcrawler

2014•movie

Role: Director of Photography

7.1

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

2011•movie

Role: Director of Photography

7.2

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation

2015•movie

Role: Director of Photography

8.1

There Will Be Blood

2007•movie

Role: Director of Photography

6.3

The Bourne Legacy

2012•movie

Role: Director of Photography

6.4

Salt

2010•movie

Role: Director of Photography

7.2

The Town

2010•movie

Role: Director of Photography

6.3

Skyscraper

2018•movie

Role: Director of Photography

7.7

Magnolia

1999•movie

Role: Director of Photography

7.6

Boogie Nights

1997•movie

Role: Director of Photography

6.4

Tomorrow Never Dies

1997•movie

Role: Director of Photography

7.6

King Richard

2021•movie

Role: Director of Photography

7.1

Punch-Drunk Love

2002•movie

Role: Director of Photography

6.5

Inherent Vice

2014•movie

Role: Director of Photography

6.0

The Men Who Stare at Goats

2009•movie

Role: Director of Photography

6.5

8MM

1999•movie

Role: Director of Photography

8.3

The Punisher: One Last Kill

2026•movie

Role: Director of Photography

6.8

Michael Clayton

2007•movie

Role: Director of Photography

5.4

Velvet Buzzsaw

2019•movie

Role: Director of Photography

6.5

Star Trek: The Motion Picture

1979•movie

Role: Visual Effects Camera

5.9

Suburbicon

2017•movie

Role: Director of Photography

6.6

Gold

2016•movie

Role: Director of Photography

7.0

Runaway Jury

2003•movie

Role: Director of Photography

6.4

Syriana

2005•movie

Role: Director of Photography

6.3

Roman J. Israel, Esq.

2017•movie

Role: Director of Photography

8.0

The Night Of

2016•series

Role: Director of Photography

7.0

The King of Staten Island

2020•movie

Role: Director of Photography

7.1

Good Night, and Good Luck.

2005•movie

Role: Director of Photography

6.9

The Hand That Rocks the Cradle

1992•movie

Role: Director of Photography

6.8

Hard Eight

1997•movie

Role: Director of Photography

6.6

Bob Marley: One Love

2024•movie

Role: Director of Photography

6.5

The River Wild

1994•movie

Role: Director of Photography

5.9

Duplicity

2009•movie

Role: Director of Photography

6.6

The Diary of a Teenage Girl

2015•movie

Role: Thanks

6.4

Return of the Living Dead Part II

1988•movie

Role: Director of Photography

6.3

Heist

2001•movie

Role: Director of Photography

4.0

Gigli

2003•movie

Role: Director of Photography

6.1

Impostor

2001•movie

Role: Director of Photography

6.6

The Burning Plain

2008•movie

Role: Director of Photography

7.1

Animals

2026•movie

Role: Director of Photography

7.9

RIPLEY

2024•series

Role: Director of Photography

5.8

Bounce

2000•movie

Role: Director of Photography

6.5

The Sure Thing

1985•movie

Role: Director of Photography

5.1

American Dreamz

2006•movie

Role: Director of Photography

6.4

Redbelt

2008•movie

Role: Director of Photography

6.0

Bad Influence

1990•movie

Role: Director of Photography

6.1

Trick or Treat

1986•movie

Role: Director of Photography

6.8

Shine a Light

2008•movie

Role: Camera Operator

7.1

Desert Hearts

1985•movie

Role: Director of Photography

5.5

Ella McCay

2025•movie

Role: Director of Photography

5.0

The Pallbearer

1996•movie

Role: Director of Photography

7.1

1 eps

The Oscars

1953•series

as Self

5.4

Moving Violations

1985•movie

Role: Director of Photography

5.4

Boys

1996•movie

Role: Director of Photography

6.0

How I Got Into College

1989•movie

Role: Director of Photography

6.3

Waterland

1992•movie

Role: Director of Photography

5.5

A Dangerous Woman

1993•movie

Role: Director of Photography

5.4

Behind the Red Door

2003•movie

Role: Director of Photography

5.9

Amazing Grace and Chuck

1987•movie

Role: Director of Photography

6.2

1 eps

Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter

2015•series

as Self

5.5

Paris Trout

1991•movie

Role: Director of Photography

6.1

Long Gone

1987•movie

Role: Director of Photography

5.8

Heart of Dixie

1989•movie

Role: Director of Photography

7.7

That Moment: Magnolia Diary

2000•movie

as Self

6.3

The Children of Times Square

1986•movie

Role: Director of Photography

4.8

A Killing in a Small Town

1990•movie

Role: Director of Photography

7.0

All Summer in a Day

1982•movie

Role: Director of Photography

6.9

Tiger Town

1984•movie

Role: Director of Photography

3.9

Write When You Get Work

2018•movie

Role: Director of Photography

4.4

A Murderous Affair: The Carolyn Warmus Story

1992•movie

Role: Director of Photography

4.2

Prison Stories: Women on the Inside

1991•movie

Role: Director of Photography

5.5

Human Target

1992•series

Role: Director of Photography

6.6

Into the Homeland

1987•movie

Role: Director of Photography

6.8

Cadillac Dreams

1988•movie

Role: Director of Photography

5.5

CBS Schoolbreak Special

1984•series

Role: Director of Photography

8.0

Summerspell

1983•movie

Role: Director of Photography

7.0

Richard Lester!

1998•movie

Role: Director of Photography

7.0

Opposites Attract

1990•movie

Role: Director of Photography

7.0

Fraternity Row

1977•movie

Role: Camera Operator

7.0

The End of August

1981•movie

Role: Director of Photography

8.0

The Summer My Father Grew Up

1991•movie

Role: Director of Photography

10.0

Waltz Across Texas

1982•movie

Role: Director of Photography

7.0

A Different Affair

1987•movie

Role: Director of Photography

10.0

CBS Library

1979•series

Role: Director of Photography

Remembering Reno: Reflections on the Making of Desert Hearts

2017•movie

as Self

Genesis: Four Billion Years in the Making

1978•movie

Role: Assistant Camera

Margaret Bourke-White

1989•movie

Role: Director of Photography

Faster, Cheaper, Better

movie

Role: Director of Photography