thumb|right|Deschanel on the set of [[The Spiderwick Chronicles (film)|The Spiderwick Chronicles, April 2007]]
Joseph Caleb Deschanel (born September 21, 1944) He is also a member of the National Film Preservation Board of the Library of Congress, representing the American Society of Cinematographers.
He has been married to actress Mary Jo Deschanel since 1972, with whom he has two daughters, actresses Emily and Zooey Deschanel.
Early life and professional education
Deschanel was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Ann Ward (née Orr) and Paul Jules Deschanel. His father was French, from Oullins, Rhône, and his mother was American. Deschanel was raised in his mother's Quaker religion.
He enrolled in Severn School for his high school. He attended Johns Hopkins University from 1962 to 1966, where he met Walter Murch, with whom he staged "happenings," including one in which Murch sat down and ate an apple for an audience. Murch graduated a year ahead of him and encouraged Deschanel to follow him to the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts, where he graduated in 1968. During this time, Deschanel was a member of a band of film students called "The Dirty Dozen;" this group attracted attention from the Hollywood system. Following his graduation, he attended the American Film Institute (AFI) Conservatory and graduated in 1969 as a member of its first class. They have two daughters, actresses Emily and Zooey. In 1984, he was invited to join the American Society of Cinematographers (A.S.C.).
Filmography
As director
Film
- The Escape Artist (1982)
- Crusoe (1988)
Music video
- Rhythm of My Heart (1991) for Rod Stewart
Television
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Episode(s)
|-
|rowspan=3|1990-91
|rowspan=3|Twin Peaks
| "Realization Time"
|-
| "Drive with a Dead Girl"
|-
| "The Black Widow"
|-
|rowspan=3|2005
|rowspan=3|Law & Order: Trial by Jury
| "41 Shots"
|-
| "Bang & Blame"
|-
| "Day"
|-
|rowspan=2|2006
|rowspan=2|Conviction
| "Savasana"
|-
| "Madness"
|-
|2007
|Bones
| "The Glowing Bones in the Old Stone House"
|}
As cinematographer
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Director
! Notes
|-
|rowspan=3|1979
|Being There
|Hal Ashby
|
|-
|More American Graffiti
|Bill L. Norton
|
|-
|The Black Stallion
|Carroll Ballard
|
|-
|1982
|Let's Spend the Night Together
|Hal Ashby
|
|-
|1983
|The Right Stuff
|Philip Kaufman
|
|-
|1984
|The Natural
|Barry Levinson
|
|-
|1985
|The Slugger's Wife
|Hal Ashby
|
|-
|1994
|It Could Happen to You
|Andrew Bergman
|
|-
|1996
|Fly Away Home
|Carroll Ballard
|
|-
|1998
|Hope Floats
|Forest Whitaker
|
|-
|rowspan=2|1999
|Anna and the King
|Andy Tennant
|
|-
|Message in a Bottle
|Luis Mandoki
|
|-
|2000
|The Patriot
|Roland Emmerich
|
|-
|rowspan=2|2003
|The Hunted
|William Friedkin
|
|-
|Timeline
|Richard Donner
|
|-
|rowspan=2|2004
|National Treasure
|Jon Turteltaub
|
|-
|The Passion of the Christ
|Mel Gibson
|
|-
|2006
|Ask the Dust
|Robert Towne
|
|-
|rowspan=2|2008
|Killshot
|John Madden
|
|-
|The Spiderwick Chronicles
|Mark Waters
|
|-
|2009
|My Sister's Keeper
|Nick Cassavetes
|
|-
|rowspan=2|2011
|Dream House
|Jim Sheridan
|
|-
|Killer Joe
|William Friedkin
|
|-
|rowspan=2|2012
|Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
|Timur Bekmambetov
|
|-
|Jack Reacher
|Christopher McQuarrie
|
|-
|2014
|Winter's Tale
|Akiva Goldsman
|
|-
|2016
|Rules Don't Apply
|Warren Beatty
|
|-
|2017
|Unforgettable
|Denise Di Novi
|
|-
|2018
|Never Look Away
|Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
|
|-
|2019
|The Lion King
|Jon Favreau
|
|-
|2026
|Wildwood
|Travis Knight
|
|}
Other credits
{| class="wikitable"
|+
! Year
! Title
! Director
! Cinematographer(s)
!Contribution
! Notes
|-
| rowspan="2" |1971
|Angels Hard as They Come
|Joe Viola
|Stephen M. Katz
| rowspan="2" |Additional photography
|
|-
|THX 1138
|George Lucas
|David Myers<br>Albert Kihn
|Uncredited
|-
|1972
|The Godfather
|Francis Ford Coppola
|Gordon Willis
|Director of photography: Newspaper sequence
|
|-
|1974
|A Woman Under the Influence
|John Cassavetes
|Mitch Breit<br>Al Ruban
|Additional photography
|
|-
|1979
|Apocalypse Now
|Francis Ford Coppola
|Vittorio Storaro
|Director of photography: Inserts
|
|-
|1983
|The Black Stallion Returns
|Robert Dalva
|Carlo Di Palma
|Additional photography
|
|-
|1997
|Titanic
|James Cameron
|Russell Carpenter
|Director of photography: Halifax contemporary sequences
|
|-
|2013
|Gangster Squad
|Ruben Fleischer
|Dion Beebe
| rowspan="2" |Additional photography
|
|-
|2019
|Ad Astra
|James Gray
|Hoyte van Hoytema
|
|}
Awards and nominations
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Institution
! Year
! Category
! Work
! Result
|-
| rowspan="6" |Academy Awards
| 1983
| rowspan="6" |Best Cinematography
| The Right Stuff
|
|-
| 1984
| The Natural
|
|-
| 1996
| Fly Away Home
|
|-
| 2000
| The Patriot
|
|-
| 2004
| The Passion of the Christ
|
|-
| 2018
| Never Look Away
|
|-
| rowspan="3" |American Society of Cinematographers
|1996
| rowspan="3" |Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography
|Fly Away Home
|
|-
|2000
|The Patriot
|
|-
|2004
|The Passion of the Christ
|
|-
|Berlin International Film Festival
|1976
|Best Short Film
|Trains
|
|-
|British Academy Film Awards
| 1979
| Best Cinematography
| rowspan="2" | The Black Stallion
|
|-
|British Society of Cinematographers
|1980
|Best Cinematography in a Theatrical Feature Film
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |Camerimage Festival
|2014
|Lifetime Achievement Award
|
|
|-
|2019
|Golden Frog
|Never Look Away
|
|-
|Hawaiʻi International Film Festival
|2001
|Excellence in Cinematography Award
|
|
|-
|Hollywood Film Awards
|2004
|Cinematographer of the Year
|The Passion of the Christ
|
|-
|Los Angeles Film Critics Association
|1979
|Best Cinematography
|The Black Stallion
|
|-
|National Board of Review
|2004
|Career Achievement Award
|
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |National Society of Film Critics
| rowspan="2" |1979
| rowspan="2" |Best Cinematography
|Being There
|
|-
|The Black Stallion
|
|-
|Satellite Awards
|1999
|Best Cinematography
|Anna and the King
|
|-
|Visual Effects Society
|2020
|Outstanding Virtual Cinematography in a CG Project
|The Lion King
|
|}