Most nominated, never won
- 01GFGeorge Folsey5 noms
- 02CRCharles Rosher3 noms
- 03ECEdward Cronjager3 noms
- 04RHRussell Harlan3 noms
- 05CCCharles G. Clarke2 noms
- 06ELErnest Laszlo2 noms
A visual history · Oscars
The winners who defined Cinematography (Color).
27 ceremonies, 1940–1967. 22 different winners. The longest run belongs to Leon Shamroy, with 2 straight wins.
- A Man for All SeasonsTed Moore01
- Doctor ZhivagoFreddie Young
- My Fair LadyHarry Stradling
- CleopatraLeon Shamroy04
- Lawrence of ArabiaFreddie Young05
- West Side StoryDaniel L. Fapp06
- Years explored
- 1940–1967
- Different winners
- 22
- Category leader
- Leon Shamroy · 4
About this record
Best Cinematography, Color was first awarded in 1940, so it does not run the full 1929–2025 window.
It was awarded for the last time in 1967.
Colour photography was recognised with a Special Award at the 9th, 10th and 11th ceremonies before this became a competitive category at the 12th.
01 / The reigns
Leon Shamroy set the longest run.
The timeline turns the complete record into a sequence of reigns. Longer bands reveal sustained runs; color shows the credited distributor.
- 01Leon Shamroy4 wins
- 02Freddie Young2 wins
- 03Robert Surtees2 wins
Ernest Haller & Ray Rennahan'40
Georges Périnal'41
Ernest Palmer & Ray Rennahan'42
Leon Shamroy'43
Hal Mohr & W. Howard Greene'44
Leon Shamroy'45–'46×2
Charles Rosher, Leonard Smith & Arthur Arling'47
Jack Cardiff'48
Joseph Valentine, William V. Skall & Winton C. Hoch'49
Winton C. Hoch'50
Robert Surtees'51
Alfred Gilks & John Alton'52
Winton C. Hoch & Archie Stout'53
Loyal Griggs'54
Milton Krasner'55
Robert Burks'56
Lionel Lindon'57
'58not awarded
Joseph Ruttenberg'59
Robert Surtees'60
Russell Metty'61
Daniel L. Fapp'62
Freddie Young'63
Leon Shamroy'64
Harry Stradling'65
Freddie Young'66
Ted Moore'67
02 / The power map
Who stood behind the winners?
20th Century leads the recorded distributor credits with 5 wins. The full distribution shows whether power was concentrated or shared.
20th Century5 wins01
United Artists3 wins02
Loew's, Inc.2 wins03
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer2 wins04
Paramount2 wins05
RKO Radio Pictures2 wins06
Wins by distributor
- 20th Century519%
- United Artists311%
- Loew's, Inc.27%
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer27%
- Paramount27%
- RKO Radio Pictures27%
- Other1141%
03 / The near misses
The names that kept coming back without the ending they wanted.
Counting nominations in this category only, 1940–1967.
Most losses
- 01LSLeon Shamroy10L · 4W
- 02HSHarry Stradling7L · 1W
- 03GFGeorge Folsey5L · 0W
- 04CRCharles Rosher3L · 0W
- 05ECEdward Cronjager3L · 0W
- 06RHRussell Harlan3L · 0W
04 / The archive
Every year.
Every winner.
The complete reference behind the story. Open any year to see the rest of the field when nominee records are available.
| Year | Winner | Distributor |
|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Ted Moore (A Man for All Seasons)unverifiedbeat 4 others
| Columbia Pictures |
| 1966 | Freddie Young (Doctor Zhivago)unverifiedbeat 4 others
| Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1965 | Harry Stradling (My Fair Lady)unverifiedbeat 4 others
| Warner Bros. |
| 1964 | Leon Shamroy (Cleopatra)unverifiedbeat 4 others
| 20th Century-Fox |
| 1963 | Freddie Young (Lawrence of Arabia)unverifiedbeat 4 others
| Columbia Pictures |
| 1962 | Daniel L. Fapp (West Side Story)unverifiedbeat 4 others
| United Artists |
| 1961 | Russell Metty (Spartacus)unverifiedbeat 4 others
| Universal International |
| 1960 | Robert Surtees (Ben-Hur)unverifiedbeat 4 others
| Loew's, Inc. |
| 1959 | Joseph Ruttenberg (Gigi)unverifiedbeat 4 others
| Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1957 | Lionel Lindon (Around the World in 80 Days)unverifiedbeat 4 others
| United Artists |
| 1956 | Robert Burks (To Catch a Thief)unverifiedbeat 4 others
| Paramount Pictures |
| 1955 | Milton Krasner (Three Coins in the Fountain)unverifiedbeat 4 others
| 20th Century Fox |
| 1954 | Loyal Griggs (Shane)unverifiedbeat 4 others
| Paramount Pictures |
| 1953 | Winton C. Hoch & Archie Stout (The Quiet Man)unverifiedbeat 4 others
| Republic Pictures |
| 1952 | Alfred Gilks & John Alton (An American in Paris)unverifiedbeat 4 others
| Loew's Inc. |
| 1951 | Robert Surtees (King Solomon's Mines)unverifiedbeat 4 others
| Loew's, Inc |
| 1950 | Winton C. Hoch (She Wore a Yellow Ribbon)unverifiedbeat 4 others
| RKO Radio Pictures |
| 1949 | Joseph Valentine, William V. Skall & Winton C. Hoch (Joan of Arc)unverifiedbeat 3 others
| RKO Radio Pictures |
| 1948 | Jack Cardiff (Black Narcissus)unverifiedbeat 2 others
| General Film Distributors |
| 1947 | Charles Rosher, Leonard Smith & Arthur Arling (The Yearling)unverifiedbeat 1 other
| Loew's, Inc. |
| 1946 | Leon Shamroy (Leave Her to Heaven)repeatunverifiedbeat 4 others
| 20th Century Fox |
| 1945 | Leon Shamroy (Wilson)unverifiedbeat 5 others
| 20th Century-Fox |
| 1944 | Hal Mohr & W. Howard Greene (Phantom of the Opera)unverifiedbeat 5 others
| Universal Pictures |
| 1943 | Leon Shamroy (The Black Swan)unverifiedbeat 5 others
| Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation |
| 1942 | Ernest Palmer & Ray Rennahan (Blood and Sand)unverifiedbeat 5 others
| 20th Century-Fox |
| 1941 | Georges Périnal (The Thief of Bagdad)unverifiedbeat 5 others
| United Artists |
| 1940 | Ernest Haller & Ray Rennahan (Gone with the Wind)unverifiedbeat 1 other
| Loew's Incorporated |
