Matthew F. Leonetti

Hollywood cinematographer Matthew F. Leonetti has committed to film some of cinema's most unforgettable images: young Carol Ann in "Poltergeist," bathed in the jittery glow of the family TV, and Phoebe Cates in a red bikini in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High," bathed in the glow of teenage fantasy. Introduced to the film industry by his father, Frank, a movie gaffer who worked on the crew of "The Wizard of Oz," Leonetti landed his first major job operating the camera on the 1972 B-movie exploitation thriller "Brute Corps" with director Jerry Jameson. Soon, Leonetti stepped up from operator to director of photography, going on to shoot more than a dozen features and made-for-television movies with Jameson--primarily a string of TV action and disaster flicks that followed in the wake of box office hits like "The Poseidon Adventure." Leonetti also forged long-standing partnerships with directors Lee Philips, for whom he shot the Emmy-nominated TV movie biography "Mae West," and Walter Hill, who employed Leonetti behind the camera on several films, including the Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle "Red Heat." Recognized among his peers for pushing the technological boundaries of his craft, Leonetti developed a "less is more" approach to film lighting that helped achieve a rich, expressive visual palette in a host of enduring films. They include heartfelt award-winners like "Breaking Away," a pair of "Star Trek" sequels, and even Zack Snyder's hit horror remake, "Dawn of the Dead."