Vandaag is op 91-jarige leeftijd de Britse cameraman en director of photography Alec Mills overleden. Dat werd door zijn zoon Simon Mills bekend gemaakt.
Hij begon op veertienjarige leeftijd in de Carlton Hill Studios in Londen. Daar werkte hij eind jaren 50 en begin jaren 60 veel voor Disney als camera-assistent voordat hij doorbrak als cameraman in de tv-serie The Saint (1966-68). In 1969 was hij cameraman bij zijn eerste James Bond-film: On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. Daarna was hij betrokken bij nog vier films in de serie (The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker, For Your Eyes Only en Octopussy) voordat hij director of photography werd bij The Living Daylights en License to Kill.
Mills was principal director of photography voor zo’n eenentwintig films voordat hij in 2001 stopte met actief filmmaken. Hij regisseerde ook twee films (Bloodmoon en Dead Sleep) in Australië. Na zijn pensionering werd hij docent aan de National Film & Television School in Beaconsfield (Engeland). Daarna schreef hij zijn autobiografie: Shooting 007 And Other Celluloid Adventures. Dat boek verscheen op 1 juli 2014 bij The History Press.
Mills overleed na een lang ziekbed in Denham met zijn vrouw aan zijn zijde. Alec Mills leed al lange tijd aan dementie.
=> The History Press: Shooting 007 And Other Celluloid Adventures
British cameraman and director of photography Alec Mills died today at the age of 91. This was announced by his son Simon Mills.
He started at the age of 14 at Carlton Hill Studios in London and worked extensively for Disney as a camera assistant in the late 1950s and early 1960s before his breakthrough as a cameraman in the TV series The Saint (1966-68). In 1969, he was cameraman on his first James Bond film, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, and was involved in four more films in the series (The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker, For Your Eyes Only and Octopussy) before becoming director of photography on The Living Daylights and License to Kill.
Mills was principal director of photography for some twenty-one films before he quit active filmmaking in 2001. He also directed two films (Bloodmoon and Dead Sleep) in Australia. After retirement, he became a lecturer at the National Film & Television School in Beaconsfield, England, before writing his autobiography: Shooting 007 And Other Celluloid Adventures. That book was published by The History Press on 1 July 2014.
Mills died after a long illness in Denham with his wife by his side. Alec Mills had been suffering from dementia for a long time.
=> The History Press: Shooting 007 And Other Celluloid Adventures