The suffering in Hollywood continues, as five-time Oscar-nominated cinematographer Allen Daviau died at age 77 earlier this week due to complications from COVID-19, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Daviau was renowned for his collaborations with respected directors like Steven Spielberg and Barry Levinson, whose films include E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Bugsy, and Empire of the Sun.
Daviau’s passing was confirmed by the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital, where he was currently residing. Daviau had surgery in 2012 that forced him to use a wheelchair for the remainder of his life. According to reports from the MPTF facility in Woodland Hills, Daviau became the fourth resident to die from the disease.
Daviau and Spielberg met in 1967, during which the two filmmakers collaborated on two short films. The two would later collaborate on more big-budget projects like E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, the infamous “Kick the Can,” segment from Twilight Zone: The Movie, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, The Color Purple, a 1985 episode of Amazing Stories entitled “Ghost Train,” and Empire of the Sun.
Outside of his work with Spielberg, Daviau served as Barry Levinson’s cinematographer on Avalon and Bugsy, as well as John Schlesinger’s The Falcon and the Snowman. Daviau’s other credits include Harry and the Hendersons, Defending Your Life, Fearless, The Astronaut’s Wife, Congo, and his final feature, Van Helsing.