- Born
- Died
- Nickname
- Bill
- William H. Clothier was born on February 21, 1903 in Decatur, Illinois, USA. He was a cinematographer and producer, known for The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), The Alamo (1960) and Cheyenne Autumn (1964). He was married to Carmen Clothier. He died on January 7, 1996 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- SpouseCarmen Clothier(? - January 7, 1996) (his death)
- Was John Wayne's favorite cameraman.
- Served as photographic officer for the U.S.A.F., flying 17 missions on the "Memphis Belle" during World War II.
- In 1955 he filmed The Sea Chase (1955), his first project as Director of Photography, with John Wayne, after which the actor signed him to a contract with his Batjac Productions. The two went on to collaborate on 21 more films, including John Ford's The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962). He retired in 1972 after filming The Train Robbers (1973) for Burt Kennedy.
- He was nominated for two Academy Awards for Best Cinematography for The Alamo (1960) and Cheyenne Autumn (1964). His work on numerous westerns earned him the 1973 Heritage Award from the Cowboy Hall of Fame, and he received the American Society of Cinematographers President's Award in 1995.
- Was a member of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) since 1965.
- [on John Wayne] Duke hasn't any patience with anybody: his family, other actors, anybody. If you've got a Big Name Star, he'll keep quiet. Howard Keel on The War Wagon (1967), I remember. One day Duke started pushing him around, grabbing him, showing him how to play the scene. After the scene was over, Keel said, "If he puts his hands on me again, I'm gonna clobber that son of a bitch."
- [on director/producer William A. Wellman] Wild Bill Wellman--a great guy.
- [on director John Ford] One time I called him John and he told me that only his enemies called him John. "Call me Jack," he'd say. Well, it's a funny thing with Jack: socially, you never wanted any part of him. He just wasn't that pleasant. For one thing, he was a reformed alcoholic; he didn't drink and he didn't think anybody else should. He also liked to play cards, but if you won you were a no-good son of a bitch.
- [on director Josef von Sternberg] Josef was a strange guy. He made a couple of great films and became very hard to get along with.
- It's a hell of a lot easier to shoot in color than it is to shoot in black-and-white, and don't ever let anyone tell you different.
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