Miroslav Ondricek dies at 80; cinematographer worked with Milos Forman
Miroslav Ondricek, a Czech director of photography who was twice nominated for Academy Awards, has died. He was 80.
Czech public television announced Ondricek’s death Sunday in Prague, citing his son David, also a filmmaker. No cause was given.
Ondricek was behind the camera for about 40 films but was best known abroad for his collaborations with his friend and director Milos Forman, who settled in the United States after the 1968 Soviet-led invasion crushed the Prague Spring’s liberal reforms in Czechoslovakia.
Ondricek’s work on Forman’s “Ragtime” and “Amadeus,” which examined the relationship between Mozart and rival composer Antonio Salieri, earned him Oscar nominations in the 1980s. The cinematographer also shot “Hair,” “Valmont” and other films for Forman.
He also collaborated with director Penny Marshall on four films: “Awakenings,” “A League of Their Own,” “The Preacher’s Wife” and “Riding in Cars with Boys.”
Lindsay Anderson’s 1968 film “If ....” — also shot by Ondricek — went on to win the Palme d’Or award at the Cannes Film Festival.
Ondricek was born Nov. 4, 1934, in Prague and began his film career making documentaries in Czechoslovakia in the 1950s.
In 2004 he received the International Achievement Award from the American Society of Cinematographers.
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