Newton Thomas Sigel

Newton Thomas Sigel began his career as a painter and experimental filmmaker at the Whitney Museum in New York City. His films began to take on a documentary flavor while covering the Central American wars of the 1980s. These included director Deborah Shaffer's Oscar®-winning short "Witness to War," with cinematographer Sandi Sissel, and the theatrical success of "When the Mountains Tremble," on which Sigel served as director and cinematographer. Upon catching the eye of Haskell Wexler, Sigel was given his first narrative opportunity on "Latino," a film based on Newton's own life experiences in combat.

Gaining more ground while shooting second-unit with Oliver Stone on "Platoon" and "Wall Street," it wasn't long before Sigel was a renowned cinematographer in his own right. "The Usual Suspects," with its elegant photography has become a cult-classic. "Three Kings" made groundbreaking use of exotic film stocks and lab processes, and "Superman Returns" was the first movie ever shot with the Panavision Genesis camera, and has been seen as the marker of the new digital age.

A sampling of Sigel's credits include "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" and "Leatherheads," with long-time collaborator George Clooney; "X-Men," "X2" and "Valkyrie" with Bryan Singer; Terry Gilliam's "The Brothers Grimm"; and "Towelhead," the directorial debut of Alan Ball. Sigel also photographed Bob Rafelson's dark noir tale "Blood and Wine," with Jack Nicholson, "Fallen," with Denzel Washington, and most recently, "Drive."

In addition to his documentary films, Sigel directed the HBO Original Feature "The Point of Origin," as well as "The Big Empty," with Selma Blair, which he co-directed with his wife, J. Lisa Chang.

Warner Bros.