Photo: Kevin Paul / CC BY 4.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Caleb Deschanel is one of those cinematographers whose name you might not know offhand, but whose images you absolutely do — the golden shimmer of The Natural's stadium lights, the sweeping vistas of The Right Stuff, the raw intimacy of Being There. Trained at USC and shaped by New Hollywood sensibilities, he built a career defined by a painter's eye rather than a technician's checklist. Six Academy Award nominations for Best Cinematography is a remarkable tally, and the fact that he never actually won the Oscar feels like one of Hollywood's recurring oversights. Beyond the credits, he's also quietly shaped the industry through his work with the National Film Preservation Board. Deschanel is the kind of craftsman whose best frames stay with you long after the story fades.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Caleb Deschanel
- Name (Japanese)
- キャレブ・デシャネル
- Reading
- きゃれぶ・でしゃねる
- Born
- September 21, 1944 (age 81)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Virgo / Monkey
- Origin
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
- Occupation
- cinematographer / film director / television director / director
2. Background
- University
- University of Southern California
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Caleb Deschanel born?
Born September 21, 1944 (age 81).
Where is Caleb Deschanel from?
Caleb Deschanel is from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States.
What does Caleb Deschanel do?
Caleb Deschanel works as cinematographer, film director, television director, director.
Cinematographer — see all → · Film director — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.