Biography
Freddie Francis was an English cinematographer and film director. Born in Islington, London, on 22 December 1917, he began his career in the 1930s as a clapper loader and camera assistant before becoming a director of photography in the 1950s. He won Academy Awards for best cinematography for Sons and Lovers (1960) and Glory (1989).
Francis directed numerous films in the 1960s and 1970s, many for Hammer and Amicus, including horror titles such as Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (1968) and Tales from the Crypt (1972). He later returned to cinematography, collaborating with David Lynch on The Elephant Man (1980), Dune (1984) and The Straight Story (1999), his final feature as director of photography. He died in London on 17 March 2007.
