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MillimeterRalph Woolsey, ASC will receive the American Society of Cinematographers Presidents Award, which is bestowed annually to an individual who has made unique and enduring contributions to advancing the art of filmmaking. Woolsey will be feted during the 17th Annual ASC Outstanding Achievement Awards on February 16, 2003, at the Century Plaza Hotel.
"Ralph Woolsey has earned the respect and admiration of peers for his innovative spirit and artistry as a cinematographer," says Owen Roizman, ASC, chairman of the organization's Awards Committee. "This tribute also recognizes his dedication to advancing the art of filmmaking. Ralph has mentored hundreds of students at film schools, teaching the skills and aesthetics necessary for success."
Woolsey began his career shooting wildlife and conservation films for the state of Minnesota during the late 1930s. After photographing training films for the United States. Air Force during World War II, he packed his belongings in a trailer and migrated to California in pursuit of his dream to become a Hollywood cinematographer.
For about a dozen years, Woolsey shot documentaries, industrial and other non-fiction films, and he taught cinematography classes at the University of Southern California (USC) until he became a contract cinematographer for Warner Bros. in 1957. During the next five years, he compiled nearly 140 hours of credits on such classic black-and-white television series as "Maverick," "Cheyenne," "Sunset Strip," and "Hawaiian Eye." Soon after, he shot early color shows including "Batman" and "Mr. Roberts." With two previous nominations, Woolsey earned an Emmy® in 1968 for his innovative camerawork on "It Takes a Thief." During the 1970s and '80s, he added such memorable feature films as "Little Fauss and Big Halsy," "The Culpepper Cattle Company," "Lifeguard," "The New Centurions," "The Iceman Cometh" and "The Great Santini," and the telefilms "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" and "A Girl Named Sooner" to his impressive body of work.
"Ralph Woolsey is a talented and unselfish artist who has taught many students and inspired countless colleagues, including myself, with his total dedication to his profession," says ASC President Steven Poster. "He deserves this recognition and it is our privilege to present it to him."
Previous recipients of the ASC Presidents Award include actor Robert Duvall; visual effects visionaries Linwood Dunn, ASC, Hans Koenekamp, ASC and Douglas Trumbull; Steadicam inventor Garrett Brown; camera designers Tak Miyagishima and Albert Mayer, Jr.; documentary filmmaker Albert Maysles; film archivist Kemp Niver, ASC; and cinematographers William Clothier, ASC, Guy Green, BSC and Charles Wheeler, ASC.
Woolsey was recruited to teach cinematography at the USC film school in 1950. He has held filmmaking and cinematography classes and seminars for all or part of 17 years at USC, the American Film Institute and San Diego State University.
Woolsey served as president of the ASC in 1983. He became a member of the organization in 1956, and will celebrate his 50th anniversary in 2006. The ASC was chartered in 1919 for the purpose of advancing the art of filmmaking. From the beginning, membership has been by invitation based on the individual's body of narrative film work. There are some 230 members in many parts of the world today, and another 100 associate members from allied disciplines that support the art and craft of cinematography.
For more information on the ASC Outstanding Achievement Awards, visit the ASC website (www.theasc.com