Photo: UCLA Library Special Collections / CC BY 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
James Wong Howe is the kind of artist I find more compelling than most stars. A boy born in Taishan who shot over 130 films across Hollywood's golden age, winning two Best Cinematography Oscars in black and white, and doing it while the industry was openly hostile to Asian faces. He earned his place purely through craft, smuggling in handheld shots and lighting tricks that directors couldn't refuse. The fact that his name still appears in cinematography textbooks decades after his 1976 death says everything. I value people who let the work argue on their behalf, and Howe's work shouted.
Overview
James Wong Howe, ASC (born Wong Tung Jim, Chinese: 黃宗霑; August 28, 1899 – July 12, 1976) was a Chinese-born American cinematographer and film director, who worked on over 130 films during the Golden Age of Hollywood and well into the 1970s. During the 1930s and 1940s, he was one of the most sought after cinematographers in Hollywood due to his innovative filming techniques.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- James Wong Howe
- Name (Japanese)
- ジェームズ・ウォン・ハウ
- Reading
- じぇーむず・うぉん・はう
- Born
- August 28, 1899 – July 12, 1976
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Virgo / Boar
- Origin
- Taishan, People's Republic of China
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- film director / cinematographer / camera operator / director
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- 1956 Academy Award for Best Cinematography, Black-and-White
- 1964 Academy Award for Best Cinematography, Black-and-White
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Film director — see all → · Cinematographer — see all → · More people from People's Republic of China →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.