Oliver died on Monday, February 13, surrounded by his wife, Sabine, daughters Katharine and Fiona, and son Emerson following a brave battle with cancer.
Oliver Wood (born 21 February 1942) was an English cinematographer, known for his work on blockbuster action and comedy films such as Die Hard 2 (1990), Face/Off (1997), Freaky Friday (2003), Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006), and The Bourne franchise
(2002-2007). He has collaborated with directors like Paul Greengrass, John Woo, Renny Harlin, Ron Underwood, Adam McKay, Antoine Fuqua and Daniel Espinosa. He was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Cinematography for The Bourne Ultimatum.
At the age of 19, he moved to New York City. His first break came for director Leonard Kastle on cult crime film The Honeymoon Killers (1969) where he used available light to give the dark comedy a newsreel look. He shot numerous B-movies and independent films throughout the late 1970s and 1980s, frequently collaborating with cinematographers Joseph Mangine and Fred Murphy. He also worked as a camera operator on higher-profile projects including Body Rock (1984) and To Live and Die in L.A. (1985), both of which were shot by Robby Müller. He also became a prolific music video and commercial cinematographer, working for directors like Bob Giraldi and Rupert Wainwright.
His big break came when he was director of photography for 53 episodes of stylish crime drama Miami Vice, serving as the series primary DP between 1987 and 1989. His work on the series caught the attention of producers, enabling him to work on big-budget Hollywood films including Die Hard 2 (1990), Face/Off (1997), U-571 (2000) Fantastic Four (2005), and Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013). He also shot the Bourne Trilogy, where he worked with director Paul Greengrass to produce a spontaneous, naturalistic effect, often using multiple cameras, frequently handheld, citing films such as The Battle of Algiers as an influence. He was nominated for a BAFTA for The Bourne Ultimatum (2007). His work on The Bourne franchise and specifically the first installment; The Bourne Identity (2002) is heralded as a genre defining film for a new version of Hollywood action films in the early 2000’s.
Wood also cherished his time working on comedy films with Adam McKay, collaborating to make Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006), Step Brothers (2008), The Other Guys (2010) and Anchorman 2 (2013). In 2016, Wood shot the remake of Ben-Hur, directed by Timur Bekmambetov, utilizing GoPro cameras to film the movie’s action sequences, and using state of the art pre-visualization techniques. Most recently, he had once again collaborated with Daniel Espinoza on the Marvel film Morbius (2022), a partnership that previously included Safe House (2012) and Child 44 (2015).
Wood often spoke of his gratitude to be able to travel the world in a creative profession, and the wonderful cast and crew members he was able to work with, many of whom became friends.
He is survived by: Sabina Groh, Katharine Wood, Fiona Wood, Emerson Forth.
