Charles Gladdish Rosher served as the first full-time cameraman in Hollywood after relocating to the fledgling film center in 1911. Born in London in 1885, he transitioned from a background in naval architecture and royal photography to capture both the silent era and the early decades of the sound age on screen.
Early Career and Move to Hollywood
After studying photography at the London Polytechnic and assisting Richard Speaight, Rosher attended a 1908 conference in Rochester, New York. He decided to remain in the United States, initially working as a newsreel cameraman. In 1910, he joined David Horsley’s production company in New Jersey. The following year, the company shifted operations to Hollywood, making Rosher the first resident cameraman in the area. His early international assignments included documenting Pancho Villa’s rebellion in Mexico in 1913.
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Rosher became a naturalized American citizen on 6 September 1918. A foundational figure in the industry, he was one of the 15 founders of the American Society of Cinematographers in January 1919 and served as its first vice-president. Throughout the 1920s, he maintained a long-standing creative partnership with Mary Pickford, acting as her preferred cinematographer from A Little Princess in 1917 through her silent film output until 1927. Their professional relationship ended during the 1929 production of Coquette due to disagreements regarding sound recording restrictions.
Academy Recognition and Later Work
Rosher’s collaboration with Karl Struss on F.W. Murnau’s 1927 production Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans earned them the inaugural Academy Award for Best Cinematography in 1929. Later in his career, he focused on color film, winning another Academy Award in 1947 for The Yearling. He spent the final 12 years of his professional life at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, where he worked on features such as Annie Get Your Gun, Show Boat, and Kiss Me Kate. Beyond the Academy Awards, he received a Gold Medal from Photoplay magazine and a fellowship from the Society of Motion Picture Engineers.
Personal Life and Death
Rosher’s personal life included four marriages. He married Lolita Hayes in 1913, with whom he had a daughter, actress Joan Marsh. Following his 1925 marriage to actress Doris Patricia Cubitt, he wed Odette Duval in 1934; they were the parents of cinematographer Charles Rosher Jr. He eventually remarried Doris Patricia Cubitt, who remained his wife until his death. On 15 January 1974, Rosher died at the British Hospital in Lisbon, Portugal, and was buried in Estoril.
Fast facts
- Born: 1885, London
- Died: 1974, Lisbon
- Citizenship: United Kingdom, United States (naturalized 1918)
- First Academy Award: 1929
- Academy Award for Best Cinematography, Color: 1947
- Professional debut in Hollywood: 1911
- Notable association: Mary Pickford
Questions readers ask
Was Charles Rosher the first cinematographer to win an Oscar?
Yes, he shared the first Academy Award for cinematography with Karl Struss for their work on the 1927 film Sunrise.
How many times was Charles Rosher married?
He was married at least four times, including marriages to Lolita Hayes, Doris Patricia Cubitt, and Odette Duval.
Achievements
- Academy Award for Best Cinematography — 1929
- Academy Award for Best Cinematography, Color — 1947
- Worked as cinematographer
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