Laszlo Kovacs, 1933-2007.

From Variety:

"Laszlo Kovacs, the Hungarian-born cinematographer who shot counterculture classics such as Easy Rider as well as Ghost Busters and Miss Congeniality died Saturday in his sleep in Beverly Hills. He was 74.

He was in his last year of school in his native Budapest when a revolt against the Communist regime started on the streets. With classmate Vilmos Zsigmond, he borrowed a school camera and filmed the conflict. They smuggled the footage into Austria and entered the U.S. as political refugees in 1957. The historic footage was later featured in a CBS docu narrated by Walter Cronkite.

He started working in television, moving into features with The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies [hard to believe he started there - ed]."

More from Stephen Whitty:

"He drew pictures with light.

Over an amazing 40-year career, cinematographer Laszlo Kovacs made some of the most haunting images you ever saw.

Captain America roaring down that highway in Easy Rider? The lazy smogginess of Shampoo? The black-and-white Dust Bowl world of Paper Moon, and the rich backlot colors of New York, New York?"

(I'm partial to Five Easy Pieces, myself. You have to hand it to Kovacs, he was diverse.)

And much more from Glenn Kenny.

Update, 7/24: Jason Whyte's tribute at Hollywood Bitchslap. (Thanks, William!)