Arthur Wooster | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 18, 1929 London, U.K. |
| Died | September 1, 2020 (aged 91) |
| Occupations | |
| Years active | 1947-2002 |
| Spouse | Anne Twiddy (m. 1964) |
| Children | 2 |
Arthur George Wooster was an English cinematographer and second unit director. He is best known for his work on the James Bond film series, serving as second unit director and second unit director of photography on a total of five films in the franchise, all of which directed by his predecessor in the second unit director role, John Glen. He also served as cinematographer, second unit director, and second unit director of photography on various other films.
When he was 15 years old, Wooster left school with no qualifications and worked in his family's butcher shop in Wembley for a time. There, he began to show an interest in photography. The shop was situated across the street from the now-defunct Wembley Studios. One regular customer of the shop managed to secure a position for Wooster as a clapperboard boy at Pinewood Studios. The first film Wooster worked on was the 1947 film The Cumberland Story, directed by Humphrey Jennings.
In 1967, Wooster was hired to lens the comedy film The Plank , directed by Eric Sykes. [1]
From 1981 to 1989, he worked on five James Bond films, all of which he served as second unit director and second unit director of photography. He was personally hired by John Glen (who was the previous second unit director of the series) to join the newly assembled creative team as the two previously worked on the 1961 BBC documentary, Eyes of a Child, which Glen edited. [2] On Octopussy , Wooster filmed the knife-throwing scenes as well as location filming in West Berlin at the Spandau Prison, the Brandenburg Gate, and Potsdamer Platz while on Licence to Kill , Wooster headed the surface unit for the aquatic battle between Bond (played by Timothy Dalton) and the villain's henchmen. [3] [4] Even after Glen left the series after Licence to Kill, Wooster later stayed on for the Pierce Brosnan era as additional unit director and additional unit director of photography on GoldenEye , The World is Not Enough , and Die Another Day .
In the final years of his career outside of Bond, Wooster served as second unit director on several films, including Christopher Columbus: The Discovery (his final collaboration with Glen), First Knight , In Love and War , The Count of Monte Cristo , and the Academy Award for Best Picture winner Shakespeare in Love .
Wooster died on September 1st, 2020, in a nursing home from dementia that he suffered from in his final years of life. He is survived by his wife Anne Twiddy (whom he married in 1964) and his two sons, David and Tim. [5]
As cinematographer
| Year | Title | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1967 | The Plank | Eric Sykes |
| 1969 | Rhubarb | |
| 1972 | Cup Glory | Tony Maylam |
| 1977 | White Rock | |
| 1986 | Eat the Peach | Peter Ormrod |
| 1988 | Platoon Leader | Aaron Norris |
| 1989 | Return from the River Kwai | Andrew V. McLaglen |
| 1990 | Eye of the Widow | |
As second unit director/second unit director of photography