Laszlo, Andrew 1926-

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LASZLO, Andrew 1926-

PERSONAL:

Born January 12, 1926, in Pápa, Hungary; immigrated to the United States, 1947; naturalized U.S. citizen; son of Laszlo and Erzsebet Laszlo; married Ann Granger, February 2, 1952; children: Andrew, Jr., Jeffrey Alexander, James George, Elizabeth Ann Laszlo Burn. Ethnicity: "Hungarian." Education: Attended Papai Reformed Church Kollegium, 1945. Hobbies and other interests: Fly fishing, woodworking, metal working, photography.

ADDRESSES:

E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Freelance cinematographer, 1950-95. Also lecturer and professor. Military service: U.S. Army, Signal Corps, 1950-52; became sergeant.

MEMBER:

International Cinematographers Guild, American Society of Cinematographers, Directors Guild of America, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

WRITINGS:

Footnote to History (autobiography), University Press of America (Lanham, MD), 2000.

Every Frame a Rembrandt (cinematography book), Focal Press (Burlington, MA), 2000.

The Seven Graces of God (novel), PublishAmerica (Frederick, MD), 2002.

It's a Wrap! (filmmaking book), ASC Press (Hollywood, CA), 2004.

The Rat Catcher (novel), Dan River Press (Thomaston, ME), 2004.

Contributor to technical journals.

SIDELIGHTS:

Andrew Laszlo told CA: "I arrived in the United States of America twenty-one years and five days into my life, a penniless, non-English-speaking refugee. These twenty-one years are described in detail in my first published book, Footnote to History. The book chronicles my childhood in war-torn Europe, the only one of a large and prosperous family to survive the Holocaust. My education in Hungary was interrupted by conscription into the Forced Labor Service. Further education in the United States was out of the question, as priorities such as learning the language and earning enough money for a place to sleep and at least one meal a day came first. A very important turning point in my life happened in the summer of 1950, when I became the first person drafted into the army from New York City for the Korean war. I found myself in a photo unit, doing what I could only dream of until then—making movies.

"By the time I was discharged from the army, I was a sergeant and an accomplished cinematographer, or so I thought. Settling into civilian life, trying to crack the film industry, and supporting a family was not easy, but perseverance (or blind luck) prevailed, and slowly, jobs began to come my way. There were no blockbuster movies with big stars yet, but at least I did find myself behind a camera, taking pictures of farmers talking about fertilizer and bushels of corn, and engineers in hard-hats conducting a tour of a new electric plant. I loved every minute of it. I never had any doubt that the blockbuster movies would come later, and they did. It started with a four-year stint on the hit television series The Phil Silvers Show.

"The film industry was good to me, beyond my expectations. I spent fifty-plus years in a business that not only afforded my family and me a good lifestyle, it also gave me the opportunities and pleasure to do what I loved. Traveling to the most interesting and beautiful parts of the world, meeting many interesting people along the way, facing interesting and rewarding challenges were some of the many 'perks' of an exciting, fascinating business. There were interesting sidelines, also; among these was writing. I have been writing for as long as I can remember. One of my historical essays was published before I was fifteen, and some poetry and song lyrics also found their way into my life. Even though there wasn't much time to write while I was still active in the film industry, many technical articles and a number of movie scripts did happen along the way.

"My infatuation with tools also goes back to my early days. The first, flea-market hammer with a broken handle grew into a huge collection of tools over the years. It now includes a fully equipped machine shop and an equally well-equipped woodworking shop. It is no wonder that, even before I completely retired from shooting movies, I was able to fabricate camera accessories, make furniture, toys for my grandchildren, and Christmas presents for family and friends. I even started to make and sell a commercial item, a portable fly-tying bench.

"My fifth book, The Rat Catcher, came out in 2004. It is my second published novel, the first being The Seven Graces of God. Two other novels sit on the shelf, not quite ready to send out but ready to be dusted off at a moment's notice. My first book was my autobiography, which I never intended to publish. I wrote it for family only, but it was published after everyone who read it thought it should be. It is not a pleasant read, because it is a factual account of my life during a horrendous portion of history. Two other books, Every Frame a Rembrandt and It's a Wrap!, are respectively about how to make films and how not to make films.

"My current effort is the most involved, most ambitious project I've attempted so far. It is a novelization of an important historical event, built around the life story of an extremely unique person. Writing this book requires huge amounts of digging, research, and structuring a story around that research.

"Why do I write? It may be because it inflates my ego, but I really don't think so. My motivation is not financial, either. I don't mean to imply that I'd turn my back on a bestseller, but self-satisfaction comes before the hope of any financial gain. That's the way it should be! I can write any way I please, without the input and whims of others. It is not like writing scripts for movies! The fulfillment that comes from accomplishing a book from the first blank page to picking up the book hot off the press, seeing my name on the cover, is an accomplishment that is hard to describe."