Cinematographer John William Elsenbach, son of Peter Elsenbach & Barbara Groh, was born 1 March 1925 in Chicago, Illinois. He died at the Motion Picture & Television Hospital in Woodland Hills, California, on 13 November 2004.
Variety reports:
" He started his career as a freelance assistant cameraman and cameraman, working on TV shows and docus such as Edward R. Murrow’s “Population Explosion” and on “Wild Kingdom” with Marlon Perkins. He worked as assistant or camera operator on films including “Picnic,” “Nashville Rebel,” “Winning,” “Love at First Bite” and “Bloody Mama” with Shelley Winters. As a D.P. [director of photography], he shot series including “Dukes of Hazard,” “Kojak, “Knots Landing” and “Murder, She Wrote.” He also shot TV movies “The Alamo: Thirteen Days to Glory” and “Where the Hell’s That Gold?!!? ”
He was nominated for four Emmys as D.P. for two episodes of “Murder, She Wrote,” “The Alamo, Thirteen Days to Glory” and “Codename: Foxfire.” Elsenbach also won American Society of Cinematography awards for the two “Murder, She Wrote” episodes and “The Alamo, Thirteen Days to Glory.” He was an honorary lifetime member of the Intl. Cinematographers Guild Local 600, IATSE."
Mr. Elsenbach's Volga German ancestors came from the colony of Leichtling.
- John Elsenbach (emmys.com)
- John Elsenbach (IMDb)
- John William Elsenbach (FindAGrave)