Known for Camera
Oliver Wood (February 21, 1942 – February 13, 2023) was a British cinematographer, best known for his work on blockbuster action and comedy films such as Die Hard 2, Face/Off, Freaky Friday, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, and the Bourne franchise. He collaborated with directors like Paul Greengrass, John Woo, Renny Harlin, Ron Underwood, and Adam McKay and was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Cinematography for The Bourne Ultimatum. Wood was born in London on 21 February 1942. At the age of 19, he moved to New York City. His first break came for director Leonard Kastle on the cult crime film The Honeymoon Killers (1969), where he used available light to give the dark comedy a newsreel look. He shot numerous B-movies and independent films throughout the late 1970s and 1980s, frequently collaborating with cinematographers Joseph Mangine and Fred Murphy. He also worked as a camera operator on higher-profile projects, including Body Rock (1984) and To Live and Die in L.A. (1985), both of which were shot by Robby Müller. He also became a music video and commercial cinematographer, working for directors like Bob Giraldi and Rupert Wainwright.[9] His big break came when he was director of photography for 53 episodes of the stylish crime drama Miami Vice, serving as the series primary DP between 1987 and 1989. His work on the series caught the attention of producers, enabling him to work on big-budget Hollywood films including Die Hard 2 (1990), Face/Off (1997), U-571 (2000), Fantastic Four (2005), and Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013). He was the original director of photography on the swashbuckling action film Cutthroat Island but suffered an on-set injury and was replaced by Peter Levy. He also shot the Bourne Trilogy, where he worked with director Paul Greengrass to produce a spontaneous, naturalistic effect, often using multiple cameras, frequently handheld, citing films such as The Battle of Algiers as an influence. He was nominated for a BAFTA for The Bourne Ultimatum (2007). In 2016, Wood shot the remake of Ben-Hur, directed by Timur Bekmambetov, utilising GoPro cameras to film the movie's action sequences. His last credit was for Morbius (2022). Wood died from cancer at his home in Los Angeles, California, on 13 February 2023 at the age of 80. He is survived by his wife, Sabina Groh; his daughters, Katharine Wood and Fiona Wood; and his son, Emerson Forth. Description above from the Wikipedia article Oliver Wood, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Born
February 21, 1942
Died
February 13, 2023 (age 80)
Birthplace
London, England
Filmography
51 films, 1 show


Morbius
2022 · 1h 45m
country: United States
Dangerously ill with a rare blood disorder, and determined to save others suffering his same fate, Dr. Michael Morbius attempts a desperate gamble. What at first appears to be a radical success soon reveals itself to be a remedy potentially worse than the disease.


Holmes & Watson
2018 · 1h 30m
country: United States
Detective Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson join forces to investigate a mysterious murder at Buckingham Palace. It seems like an open-and-shut case as all signs point to Professor James Moriarty, the criminal mastermind and longtime nemesis of the crime-solving duo. When new twists and clues begin to emerge, the world's greatest sleuth and his trusted assistant must now use their legendary wits and ingenious methods to catch the killer as they only have four days before the queen becomes the next victim.


The Equalizer 2
2018 · 2h 1m
country: United States
Robert McCall, who serves an unflinching justice for the exploited and oppressed, embarks on a relentless, globe-trotting quest for vengeance when his former partner is murdered.


Jack Reacher: Never Go Back
2016 · 1h 58m
country: China
Years after resigning command of an elite military police unit, the nomadic, righter-of-wrongs Reacher is drawn back into the life he left behind when his friend and successor, Major Susan Turner is framed for espionage. Reacher will stop at nothing to prove her innocence and to expose the real perpetrators behind the killings of his former soldiers.


Ben-Hur
2016 · 2h 5m
country: United States
A falsely accused nobleman survives years of slavery to take vengeance on his best friend who betrayed him.


Grimsby
2016 · 1h 23m
country: United Kingdom
Wrongfully accused and on the run, a top MI6 assassin joins forces with his long-lost, football hooligan brother to save the world from a sinister plot.


Child 44
2015 · 2h 17m
country: United States
Set in Stalin-era Soviet Union, a disgraced MGB agent is dispatched to investigate a series of child murders -- a case that begins to connect with the very top of party leadership.


Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues
2013 · 1h 59m
country: United States
With the 70s behind him, San Diego's top rated newsman, Ron Burgundy, returns to take New York's first 24-hour news channel by storm.


2 Guns
2013 · 1h 49m
country: United States
A DEA agent and an undercover Naval Intelligence officer who have been tasked with investigating one another find they have been set up by the mob -- the very organization the two men believe they have been stealing money from.


Safe House
2012 · 1h 55m
country: United States
A dangerous CIA renegade resurfaces after a decade on the run. When the safe house he's remanded to is attacked by mercenaries, a rookie operative escapes with him. Now, the unlikely allies must stay alive long enough to uncover who wants them dead.


The Other Guys
2010 · 1h 47m
country: United States
Unlike their heroic counterparts on the force, desk-bound NYPD detectives Gamble and Hoitz garner no headlines as they work day to day. When a seemingly minor case turns out to be a big deal, the two cops get the opportunity to finally prove to their comrades that they have the right stuff.


Surrogates
2009 · 1h 29m
country: United States
Set in a futuristic world where humans live in isolation and interact through surrogate robots, a cop is forced to leave his home for the first time in years in order to investigate the murders of others' surrogates.


Step Brothers
2008 · 1h 38m
country: United States
Brennan Huff and Dale Doback might be grown men. But that doesn't stop them from living at home and turning into jealous, competitive stepbrothers when their single parents marry. Brennan's constant competition with Dale strains his mom's marriage to Dale's dad, leaving everyone to wonder whether they'll ever see eye to eye.


The Bourne Ultimatum
2007 · 1h 55m
country: United States
Bourne is brought out of hiding once again by reporter Simon Ross who is trying to unveil Operation Blackbriar, an upgrade to Project Treadstone, in a series of newspaper columns. Information from the reporter stirs a new set of memories, and Bourne must finally uncover his dark past while dodging The Company's best efforts to eradicate him.


Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
2006 · 1h 48m
country: United States
The fastest man on four wheels, Ricky Bobby, is one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history. A big, hairy American winning machine, Ricky has everything a dimwitted daredevil could want, a luxurious mansion, a smokin' hot wife, and all the fast food he can eat. But Ricky's turbo-charged lifestyle hits an unexpected speed bump when he's bested by flamboyant Euro-idiot Jean Girard and reduced to a fear-ridden wreck.


Fantastic Four
2005 · 1h 46m
country: Germany
During a space voyage, four scientists are altered by cosmic rays: Reed Richards gains the ability to stretch his body; Sue Storm can become invisible; Johnny Storm controls fire; and Ben Grimm is turned into a super-strong … thing. Together, these "Fantastic Four" must now thwart the evil plans of Dr. Doom and save the world from certain destruction.


The Bourne Supremacy
2004 · 1h 48m
country: United States
A CIA operation to purchase classified Russian documents is blown by a rival agent, who then shows up in the sleepy seaside village where Bourne and Marie have been living. The pair run for their lives and Bourne, who promised retaliation should anyone from his former life attempt contact, is forced to once again take up his life as a trained assassin to survive.


Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed
2004 · 1h 33m
country: United States
A masked villain wreaks mayhem on the city of Coolsville with a monster machine that creates real-life versions of Mystery Inc.'s former foes like The 10,000 Volt Ghost, The Cotton Candy Glob, The Skelemen and The Pterodactyl Ghost. Fred, Daphne, Shaggy, Velma and Scooby-Doo launch an investigation into the monster outbreak that leaves Shaggy and Scooby questioning their roles in Mystery Inc. Eager to prove their detective skills, the ever-ravenous duo comes up with a secret plan to solve the mystery all by themselves. Can the gang unravel their most challenging case?


Freaky Friday
2003 · 1h 37m
country: United States
Mother and daughter bicker over everything -- what Anna wears, whom she likes and what she wants to do when she's older. In turn, Anna detests Tess's fiancé. When a magical fortune cookie switches their personalities, they each get a peek at how the other person feels, thinks and lives.


National Security
2003 · 1h 29m
country: United Kingdom
Earl Montgomery, a bombastic police academy reject, and Hank Rafferty, a disgraced, mild-mannered cop, can't seem to escape each other. They met on opposite sides of the law during a routine traffic stop that escalated out of control; now as lowly security guards they're thrown together to bust a smuggling operation.


I Spy
2002 · 1h 37m
country: United States
When the Switchblade, the most sophisticated prototype stealth fighter created yet, is stolen from the U.S. government, one of the United States' top spies, Alex Scott, is called to action. What he doesn't expect is to get teamed up with a cocky civilian, World Class Boxing Champion Kelly Robinson, on a dangerous top secret espionage mission. Their assignment: using equal parts skill and humor, catch Arnold Gundars, one of the world's most successful arms dealers.


The Adventures of Pluto Nash
2002 · 1h 35m
country: United States
The year is 2087, the setting is the moon. Pluto Nash, the high-flying successful owner of the hottest nightclub in the universe, finds himself in trouble when he refuses to sell his club to lunar gangster Mogan, who just happens to be helping the mysterious Rex Crater mastermind a plan to take over the entire moon.


The Bourne Identity
2002 · 1h 59m
country: United States
Wounded to the brink of death and suffering from amnesia, Jason Bourne is rescued at sea by a fisherman. With nothing to go on but a Swiss bank account number, he starts to reconstruct his life, but finds that many people he encounters want him dead. However, Bourne realizes that he has the combat and mental skills of a world-class spy—but who does he work for?


U-571
2000 · 1h 56m
country: France
In the midst of World War II, the battle under the sea rages and the Nazis have the upper hand as the Allies are unable to crack their war codes. However, after a wrecked U-boat sends out an SOS signal, the Allies realise this is their chance to seize the 'enigma coding machine'.


Mighty Joe Young
1998 · 1h 54m
country: United States
As a child living in Africa, Jill Young saw her mother killed while protecting wild gorillas from poachers led by Andrei Strasser. Now an adult, Jill cares for an orphaned gorilla named Joe -- who, due to a genetic anomaly, is 15 feet tall. When Gregg O'Hara arrives from California and sees the animal, he convinces Jill that Joe would be safest at his wildlife refuge. But Strasser follows them to the U.S., intent on capturing Joe for himself.


Switchback
1997 · 1h 58m
country: United States
After FBI agent Frank Lacrosse believes his son was kidnapped by a notorious serial killer, he travels to Amarillo, Texas, where he believes the murderer is in hiding. Although officially taken off the case because of its personal significance to him, Frank continues to pursue the killer, causing concern for local sheriff Buck Olmstead. When another victim pops up at a nearby car garage, Frank knows that he is as close as he'll ever be to tracking down the elusive killer.


Face/Off
1997 · 2h 19m
country: United States
In order to foil a terrorist plot, an FBI agent undergoes facial transplant surgery and assumes the identity of a criminal mastermind. The plan turns sour when the criminal wakes up prematurely and seeks revenge.


2 Days in the Valley
1996 · 1h 44m
country: United States
In a sleepy bedroom community of LA's San Fernando Valley, the murder of a professional athlete by two hit men sets into motion a chain of events that puts the mundane lives of a dozen residents on a collision course. This clever tale tells the story of two hit men, a mistress, a nurse, a vindictive ex-wife, a wealthy art dealer and his lovelorn assistant, a suicidal writer and his dog, and a bitter cop and his partner.


Celtic Pride
1996 · 1h 31m
country: United States
Two over-loyal Celtic fans kidnap their opponent's star player in order to guarantee their team the championship.


Mr. Holland's Opus
1995 · 2h 23m
country: United States
In 1965, passionate musician Glenn Holland takes a day job as a high school music teacher, convinced it's just a small obstacle on the road to his true calling: writing a historic opus. As the decades roll by with the composition unwritten but generations of students inspired through his teaching, Holland must redefine his life's purpose.


Terminal Velocity
1994 · 1h 42m
country: Canada
A maverick skydiver and a former KGB agent team up to stop the Russian mafia from stealing gold.


Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit
1993 · 1h 47m
country: United States
Deloris Van Cartier is again asked to don the nun's habit to help a run-down Catholic school, presided over by Mother Superior. And if trying to reach out to a class full of uninterested students wasn't bad enough, the sisters discover that the school is due to be closed by the unscrupulous chief of a local authority.


For Love or Money
1993 · 1h 34m
country: United States
New York concierge Doug Ireland wants to go into business for himself and refurbish a hotel on Roosevelt Island, N.Y., but he needs an investor. With a few weeks left before his option on the site runs out, Doug agrees to help wealthy Christian Hanover conceal his affair with salesgirl Andy Hart from his wife. Despite his own attraction to Andy, Doug tries to stay focused on getting Christian to invest $3 million in his project.


Rudy
1993 · 1h 54m
country: United States
Rudy grew up in a steel mill town where most people ended up working, but wanted to play football at Notre Dame instead. There were only a couple of problems. His grades were a little low, his athletic skills were poor, and he was only half the size of the other players. But he had the drive and the spirit of 5 people and has set his sights upon joining the team.


Mystery Date
1991 · 1h 37m
country: United States
Tom McHugh quickly learns that his perfect big brother Craig isn't all he's cracked up to be while on a night on the town with the girl next door, during which Tom is harassed by unpleasant strangers, threatened by mobsters, pursued by police, attacked by an irate florist, accused of murder, and has his date kidnapped—all because everyone thinks he's Craig...and the classic 1959 DeSoto Firesweep he borrowed off his brother has two dead bodies in the trunk.


Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey
1991 · 1h 33m
country: United States
Amiable slackers Bill and Ted are once again roped into a fantastical adventure when De Nomolos, a villain from the future, sends evil robot duplicates of the two lads to terminate and replace them. The robot doubles actually succeed in killing Bill and Ted, but the two are determined to escape the afterlife, challenging the Grim Reaper to a series of games in order to return to the land of the living.


The Adventures of Ford Fairlane
1990 · 1h 42m
country: United States
To the Los Angeles elite, Ford Fairlane is known as "Mr. Rock 'n' Roll Detective." This loudmouthed ladies' man serves an exclusive rock star clientele, who depend on his keen eye and smug discretion. So when a heavy-metal musician dies mid-concert, Fairlane is on the case before the lights come up. But things turn shocking when radio personality Johnny Crunch hires Fairlane to find a missing groupie mere hours before he is electrocuted live on air.


Die Hard 2
1990 · 2h 4m
country: United States
One year after his heroics in Los Angeles, John McClane is an off-duty cop who is the wrong guy in the wrong place at the wrong time. On a snowy Christmas Eve, as he waits for his wife's plane to land at Washington Dulles International Airport, terrorists take over the air traffic control system in a plot to free a South American army general and drug smuggler being flown into the US to face drug charges. It's now up to McClane to take on the terrorists, while coping with an inept airport police chief, an uncooperative anti-terrorist squad, and the life of his wife and everyone else trapped in planes circling overhead.


Nasty Hero
1987 · 1h 21m
country: United States
Chase has just got out of jail for a crime he didn't commit, and goes in search of a gang that have kidnapped his friend's niece.


Neon Maniacs
1986 · 1h 31m
country: United States
A group of teenagers in San Francisco discover a nest of homicidal monsters living in a tower of the Golden Gate Bridge, but when they try to tell authorities, no one believes them.


The Sex O'Clock News
1985 · 1h 17m
country: United States
Director and co-writer Romano Vanderbes attempts to satirize middle America's standard news broadcasts with as many jokes about sex as possible. The featured station is KSEX and Doug Ballard and Lydia Mahan play the anchors in a broadcast where blue does not mean melancholy


Alphabet City
1984 · 1h 25m
country: United States
A New York City drug dealer decides to get out of the business, but has to flee from mobsters.


The Returning
1983 · 1h 30m
country: United States
Two different men are possessed by spirits of Native Americans after they separately wander into a sacred burial ground. When John and Sybil come home with their son after a trip to the Mojave Desert, they bring an unusual stone back as a memento of the trip. The stone seems to cause strange noises and other horrible inexplicable phenomena.


Don't Go in the House
1979 · 1h 22m
country: United States
As a child, Donald was tormented by his mother who used fire as a punishment. Now a deranged adult, Donald stalks women at clubs, then takes them home where he kills them with a flamethrower.


Danny
1977 · 1h 30m
country: United States
A young girl's special love for a horse helps them both.


The Honeymoon Killers
1970 · 1h 48m
country: United States
Martha Beck, an obese nurse who is desperately lonely, joins a "correspondence club" and finds a romantic pen pal in Ray Fernandez. Martha falls hard for Ray, and is intent on sticking with him even when she discovers he's a con man who seduces lonely single women, kills them and then takes their money. She poses as Ray's sister and joins Ray on a wild killing spree, fueled by her lingering concern that Ray will leave her for one of his marks.


The White Slave
1969 · 1h 45m
country: Netherlands
A man visits his girlfriend in Amsterdam after the war. He soon finds himself, for inexplicable reasons, in a country house where two women as 'white slaves' have to learn all kinds of erotic skills, and where a private detective, who has sold his own wife to an Arab in Tangier, comes to investigate.