John Bailey, a famous Hollywood cinematographer who was president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for two terms, has died. He was 81 years old.
Bailey’s death was announced by his wife, Carol Littleton, in a statement released through the Academy on Friday. “It is with deep sadness that I share with you the fact that my best friend and husband, John Bailey, passed away peacefully in his sleep early this morning,” she said.
“During John’s illness, we reminisced about how we met 60 years ago and were married for 51 of those years,” she continued. “We shared a wonderful life full of adventure in film and made many lasting friendships along the way. John will live in my heart forever.” The cause of his death has not been announced.
In their own joint statement, Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang said they were “deeply saddened” by the news of Bailey’s death.
“John was a passionately engaged member of the Academy and the film community. He served as our president and a governor of the Academy for many years and held a leadership role in the Cinematographers Branch,” they said. “His influence and contribution to the film community will be forever remembered. Our thoughts and support are with Carol at this time.”
John Bailey.
Morgan Lieberman/WireImage
During his nearly 50-year career, Bailey worked on more than 80 films, including As good as it is, ordinary people, Great cold, Accidental tourist, Groundhog Day, In the line of fire and How to lose a guy in 10 days.
In 2015, the Society of Cinematographers of America honored him with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Bailey has been a member of the Cinematographers Branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences since 1981, and has also held leadership roles. He was a governor of the Academy for 15 years and became the first cinematographer to be elected president of the Academy in 2017.
At the time he said Los Angeles Times he was excited to get into the role. “I love the Academy. I’ve been a member since 1981 and slowly over the years I’ve found myself becoming more and more involved in many of the Academy’s programs and initiatives. It just seemed like a natural progression,” he said.
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Producer Michael Shamberg, who worked with Bailey on Great coldhe told the newspaper that his former colleague was a “forward-looking choice for the job”.
“To be a cinematographer, you need three skills: you need to be an artist, you need to be a technician and you need to be a manager,” he said. “That’s a pretty good set of tools for an Academy president. ”
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John Bailey.
Rodin Eckenroth/Getty
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However, during Bailey’s two-year tenure at the top, the Academy faced a number of significant challenges, including declining ratings for the annual awards broadcast and criticism of a lack of diversity among nominees. Additionally, just two months into his presidency, the #MeToo movement was launched The New York Times and The New Yorkerexplosive reports of sexual assault allegations against industry powerhouse Harvey Weinstein.
After the Board of Trustees voted to expel Weinstein in October 2017, the Academy announced in a memorandum to members that it was establishing a code of ethical standards that its members must adhere to, according to the Associated Press.
Bailey later addressed the situation at the 2018 Academy Awards luncheon, noting that the Academy is reinventing itself in “this era of greater awareness and responsibility in balancing gender, race, ethnicity and religion,” according to the AP.
“I may be a 75-year-old white man, but I’m as pleased as the youngest of you here that the fossilized foundation of many of the worst abuses in Hollywood is being cast into oblivion,” he told the luncheon crowd.
Bailey is survived by his wife, who is an Oscar-nominated film editor and former governor of the Academy.
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Source: HIS Education