Adam Greenberg (cinematographer)


Adam Greenberg, A.S.C. is a retired Israeli-American cinematographer noted for his work in his native Israel and the United States, including several films starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. Greenberg has collaborated with numerous well-known and acclaimed filmmakers, including James Cameron, Andrew Davis, Kathryn Bigelow, David Perlov, and Ivan Reitman.
Greenberg was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography in 1992, for his work on . In 1999 he was a member of the jury at the 21st Moscow International Film Festival.

Life and career

Born Adam Grinberg in Kraków, Poland on November 30, 1939, Greenberg was raised in Tel Aviv and began work as a film lab technician in 1958. While working as a newsreel and cameraman in the early 1960s, he worked with filmmaker David Perlov on his seminal 33-minute documentary In Jerusalem, one of the most important films in Israeli history.
His first job as director of photography came in the form of The Flying Matchmaker, an Israeli musical film based on an operetta by Abraham Goldfaden. The film was selected as the Israeli entry into the Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film, but was ultimately not nominated. Greenberg shot several well-received and popular films in Israel, soon becoming one of the most noteworthy individuals in the country's film industry, beginning a long-term collaboration with prolific filmmaking duo Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus. Their coming-of-age comedy drama Lemon Popsicle was a massive success, quickly becoming the highest-grossing film in Israeli history and spawning numerous sequels and spin-offs. Greenberg's first American film was the 1980 World War II epic, shot on location in Israel and Ireland. Afterwards, Greenberg emigrated to the United States, gaining citizenship three years later. Though he worked almost exclusively in Hollywood thereafter, he continued to work with Golan-Globus for years.
In 1982, Greenberg shot The Last American Virgin, an English-language remake of Lemon Popsicle with much of the same creative team. The film failed to match the same level of success as its predecessor however, and the planned sequels failed to materialize. Two years later, he shot the James Cameron-directed science fiction action film The Terminator, which became an unexpected success with both critics and audiences, spawning a highly-profitable franchise and propelling its star Arnold Schwarzenegger to stardom. Greenberg went on to become a highly prolific director of photography, working primarily in the comedy and thriller genres. Some of these films include the military action film Iron Eagle, the cult vampire Western Near Dark, the neo-noir science fiction thriller Alien Nation, the Best Picture-nominated romantic fantasy film Ghost, Three Men and a Baby and Sister Act.
In 1991, Greenberg re-teamed with James Cameron to shoot , the sequel to The Terminator. It was a massive success critically and financially, winning four Academy Awards and two BAFTAs. The film earned over $519 million worldwide and remains one of the highest grossing films of all time. Greenberg received an Oscar nomination for Best Cinematography for his work on the film. This was his second time working with Arnold Schwarzenegger, and the two went on to collaborate several more times with Junior, Eraser, and Collateral Damage.
Greenberg's latest film had him returning to his native Israel with Footsteps in Jerusalem, an homage to David Perlov that combined In Jerusalem with nine other short documentaries as a means to explore the massive changes Jerusalem has undergone through the decades.
Greenberg recently re-teamed with director James Cameron to oversee the 3-D conversion of, set for theatrical release in 2017.

Filmography

YearTitleDir.Notes
1966The Flying MatchmakerIsrael Becker
1972MetzitzimUri Zohar
1975DiamondsMenahem Golan
1976The Passover PlotMichael Campus
1977WarheadJohn O'Connor
1977Operation ThunderboltMenahem Golan
1978The Uranium ConspiracyGianfranco Baldanello
Menahem Golan		with Antonio Modica
1978Lemon PopsicleBoaz Davidson
1979Going SteadyBoaz Davidson
1980The Big Red OneSamuel Fuller
1982A Woman Called GoldaAlan GibsonTelevision film
1982ParadiseStuart Gillard
1982Safari 3000Harry Hurwitz
1982The Last American VirginBoaz Davidson
1982Remembrance of LoveJack Smight
198310 to MidnightJ. Lee Thompson
1984Over the Brooklyn BridgeMenahem Golan
1984The AmbassadorJ. Lee Thompson
1984The TerminatorJames Cameron
1985Private ResortGeorge Bowers
1985Once BittenHoward Storm
1986Iron EagleSidney J. Furie
1986The Ladies ClubJanet Greek
1986WisdomEmilio Estevez
1986JocksSteve Carver
1987La BambaLuis Valdez
1987Near DarkKathryn Bigelow
1987Three Men and a BabyLeonard Nimoy
1988SpellbinderJanet Greek
1988Alien NationGraham Baker
1989Turner & HoochRoger Spottiswoode
1989Worth WinningWill Mackenzie
1990Love HurtsBud Yorkin
1990GhostJerry ZuckerNominated- ASC Award for Outstanding Cinematography
1990Three Men and a Little LadyEmile Ardolino
1991James CameronNominated- Academy Award for Best Cinematography
Nominated- ASC Award for Outstanding Cinematography
Nominated- BSC Award for Best Cinematography
Nominated- DFWFC Association Award for Best Cinematography
1992Sister ActEmile Ardolino
1992ToysBarry Levinson
1993DaveIvan Reitman
1994Renaissance ManPenny Marshall
1994NorthRob Reiner
1994JuniorIvan Reitman
1995First KnightJerry Zucker
1995The SurrogateJan Egleson
Raymond Hartung
1996EraserChuck Russell
1998SphereBarry Levinson
1998Rush HourBrett Ratner
1999Inspector GadgetDavid Kellogg
2002Collateral DamageAndrew Davis
2002The Santa Clause 2Michael Lembeck
2006Snakes on a PlaneDavid R. Ellis