Caleb Deschanel is a cinematographer and director. He got engaged into photography in childhood by making shots for the school newspaper. While studying at the School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California, Caleb joined The Dirty Dozen. This group of filmmaking students included other now-famed personalities like George Lucas and Walter Murch.
In 1976, Caleb Deschanel served as a writer and director of Trains short film, which brought him the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. And in 1982, he made a feature-directing debut with The Escape Artist followed by 1988 movie Crusoe. Additionally, he directed some episodes of Twin Peaks, Law & Order, Conviction plus Bones series.
In 1979, Deschanel made his professional cinematographic debut in Being There movie. It was followed by a vast number of other successful projects including The Black Stallion, The Right Stuff, The Natural, Fly Away Home, The Patriot, National Treasure, The Passion of the Christ, Jack Reacher, Never Look Away and Lion King.
Deschanel is 6-time Oscar nominee along with having a nomination for BAFTA. Moreover, he is a co-founder of Dark Light Pictures, a production company established in the mid-1990s.
Caleb is successful not only in cinematography but also in personal life. Since 1972, he has been happily married to Mary Jo Deschanel (nee Weir). They share two talented daughters, Emily and Zooey. By the way, Caleb’s spouse and children deal with acting.
A curious fact: in 2019, when Caleb earned his sixth Oscar nomination, his daughters supported him at the ceremony. Moreover, a couple of days before the event, Zooey shared on her social media that her father never ceased to amaze and inspire her.
