AllMovie

With nearly two decades' worth of time behind the camera in Australia and Hollywood, cinematographer Andrew Lesnie captured images that captivated audiences' imaginations and brought the most impossible feats to life on the big screen. Beginning his career as an assistant cameraman and a focus puller for such films as Patrick (1978) and Now and Forever (1983), Lesnie soon began taking a more involved role and by the mid-'80s was well on his way to an established career in motion picture photography. While the films he worked on were more prominent down under, stateside audiences didn't really get a taste of Lesnie's work until the release of Babe in 1995. An affectionate tale of a curious piglet finding his place in the world, Lesnie's photography allowed the natural warmth of the story to shine through the camera lens and onto the screen for all to enjoy. Continuing to work in the states on such films as Two if By Sea (1996) and Babe: A Pig in the City, Lesnie would next take on his biggest career challenge to date with his involvement with director Peter Jackson's massive Lord of the Rings adaptation. Nominated for 13 Oscars, the trilogy's initial installment, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, found Lesnie taking home an Oscar for Best Cinematography. With as many as nine photography units operating during production at any given time, Lesnie and his crew helped to give vision to one of the most eagerly anticipated literary adaptations in the history of film. Lesnie was the DP on all three films in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and was Jackson's DP on King Kong (2005), The Lovely Bones (2009) and all three films in the Hobbit trilogy (2012, 2013 and 2014). Lesnie last film was The Water Diviner (2014), directed by Russell Crowe. He died in 2015, at age 59.