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Walter C. Pfister (born July 8, 1961) is an American director and former cinematographer.
He's best known for his partnership with filmmaker Christopher Nolan, working as a cinematographer in all his films from 2000 to 2012, with his work in Inception (2010) earning him an Academy Award for Best Cinematography.
Pfister then transitioned to a career as a director, debuting with Transcendence (2014). After that, he worked mostly in commercials and television, including episodes of Flaked and The Tick.
When Pfister was about 11, a film company shot scenes for Shamus (1973), featuring Burt Reynolds, in his Irvington neighborhood. The boy was fascinated by the crew setting up lights and cameras. Soon afterward, he began shooting 8 mm home movies and short films. Pfister also emulated his father by shooting slides on Kodachrome film and assembling them into shows for family and friends.
Within a few months, Pfister found a job as a cameraman for a Washington news service, which provided film for TV stations around the country. He covered the United States Congress, the White House and breaking news from 1982 through 1985. In 1985 Pfister began a freelance career shooting documentaries for the PBS series Frontline and industrial videos for various Washington production companies.
In 1988, Robert Altman came to Washington to direct a mini-series for HBO called Tanner '88 (1988). Altman was looking for a real news cameraman to play that role in his show. They hired Pfister and asked him to also shoot some B-roll. When the producers saw his work, they brought Pfister on the show as the second unit cameraman. It was the first time he was exposed to acting and dramatic material.
After that experience, Pfister enrolled at the American Film Institute. During his second year, he collaborated with his classmates on a short film called "Senzeni Na?", which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film in 1991. The film told the story of a man caught up in the apartheid struggle. Pfister drew on his documentary experience, and lit it darkly and stark, using a single light so the actor could play in and out of that source.
Janusz Kamiński had just graduated from the AFI Conservatory and met Pfister that year. He saw Pfister's film and recruited him as a grip and electrician for various projects, including a few with Phedon Papamichael.
Roger Corman gave Pfister an opportunity to shoot pickup shots and inserts for a Papamichael film. It was the first time he shot a 35 mm film. After that, Pfister handled the second unit for Papamichael on Body Chemistry and also on other Corman films.
Pfister shot The Unborn, his first feature, in 1991. After that, he filmed an array of independent B-movies, typically on 15-day schedules. Many of these early films were directed by Gregory Dark.
In 1995, Papamichael asked Pfister to operate for him on Diane Keaton's Unstrung Heroes (1995).
Pfister's first collaboration with Nolan was on the neo-noir thriller Memento (2000), and after that, he became Nolan's regular cinematographer of his subsequent films.
From seven movies directed by Nolan, Pfister received four nominations for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography, winning one for his work on Inception in 2011.
Pfister has stated that he "turned down many projects (including several Harry Potter films), in some cases just to be available for Nolan, or to stay home with my family."
Their collaboration came to an end in 2012, with The Dark Knight Rises, as he got the chance to direct his first film, Transcendence.
Hoyte van Hoytema then replaced Pfister for Nolan's Interstellar, and after Pfister retired as a cinematographer, Van Hoytema became Nolan's regular, having worked together ever since.
Despite receiving negative reviews and bombing at the box-office, Pfister had stated in 2015 that he is finished with working as a cinematographer and planned to continue as a director. Nolan and I have gone our separate ways: Wally Pfister
Ever since, Pfister had worked mostly in commercials and television series, like Flaked and The Tick..
He is a member of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) since 2002, and the British Society of Cinematographers (BSC) since 2011.
| 1991 | Lower Level | Kristine Peterson |
| 1992 | Secret Games | Gregory Dark |
| Animal Instincts | ||
| 1993 | Stepmonster | Jeremy Stanford |
| John Murlowski | ||
| Mirror Images 2 | Gregory Dark | |
| 1994 | Stranger by Night | |
| 1995 | The Granny | Luca Bercovici |
| 1997 | A Kid in Aladdin's Palace | Robert L. Levy |
Feature film
| 1991 | The Unborn | Rodman Flender |
| 1992 | In the Heat of Passion | |
| Night Rhythms | Gregory Dark | |
| 1994 | Object of Obsession | |
| Secret Games 3 | ||
| 1999 | The Hi-Line | Ron Judkins |
| 2000 | Memento | Christopher Nolan |
| 2001 | Scotland, PA | Billy Morrissette |
| Rustin | Rick Johnson | |
| 2002 | Insomnia | Christopher Nolan |
| Laurel Canyon | Lisa Cholodenko | |
| 2003 | The Italian Job | F. Gary Gray |
| 2005 | Slow Burn | Wayne Beach |
| Batman Begins | Christopher Nolan | |
| 2006 | The Prestige | |
| 2008 | The Dark Knight | |
| 2010 | Inception | |
| 2011 | Moneyball | Bennett Miller |
| 2012 | The Dark Knight Rises | Christopher Nolan |
TV movies
| 1991 | Barbara Stanwyck: Fire and Desire | Richard Schickel | Documentary film |
| 1992 | Sketch Artist | Phedon Papamichael | |
| 1998 | Rhapsody in Bloom | Craig Saavedra | |
| Breakfast with Einstein | Craig Shapiro | ||
| 2000 | Sharing the Secret | Katt Shea | |
| 2001 | Sanctuary |
Television
| 2016 | Flaked | 4 episodes |
| 2016–2017 | The Tick | 2 episodes (Also executive producer) |
Commercials
| 2018 | Web of Fries II - Franchise Wars | Taco Bell |
| 2019 | Hope on Wheels It Takes a Village | Hyundai |
| 2021 | Fortune Favors The Brave | Crypto.com |
| 2005 | Batman Begins | Best Cinematography | |
| 2006 | The Prestige | ||
| 2008 | The Dark Knight | ||
| 2010 | Inception | ||
BAFTA Awards
| 2008 | The Dark Knight | Best Cinematography | |
| 2010 | Inception | ||
American Society of Cinematographers
| 2005 | Batman Begins | Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography | |
| 2008 | The Dark Knight | ||
| 2010 | Inception | ||
Other awards
| 2000 | Memento | Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography | |
| 2005 | Batman Begins | British Society of Cinematographers Award for Best Cinematography | |
| 2006 | The Prestige | British Society of Cinematographers for Best Cinematography | |
| Gold Derby Award for Best Cinematography | |||
| 2008 | The Dark Knight | Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Cinematography | |
| Gold Derby Award for Best Cinematography | |||
| Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Cinematography | |||
| Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Cinematography | |||
| Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Cinematography | |||
| British Society of Cinematographers Award for Best Cinematography | |||
| Houston Film Critics Society Award for Best Cinematography | |||
| 2010 | Inception | Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Cinematography | |
| Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Cinematography | |||
| San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Cinematography | |||
| Houston Film Critics Society Award for Best Cinematography | |||
| Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Cinematography | |||
| Satellite Award for Best Cinematography | |||
| Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Cinematography | |||
| Alliance of Women Film Journalists for Best Cinematography | |||
| British Society of Cinematographers Award for Best Cinematography | |||
| Camerimage Golden Frog | |||
| Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Cinematography | |||
| Gold Derby Award for Best Cinematography | |||
| Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Cinematography | |||
| 2012 | The Dark Knight Rises | Hollywood Film Award for Best Cinematography | |
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