Janusz Zygmunt Kamiński, A.S.C. (born June 27 1959) is a two-time Academy Award-winning Polish cinematographer and film director; he has photographed all of Steven Spielberg's movies since 1993's Schindler's List.
Kamiński was born in Ziębice, Poland. He emigrated at the age of 21—after Prime Minister Jaruzelski imposed martial law in 1981—to the United States. There he attended Columbia College in Chicago from 1982 to 1987, taking up film making as a profession before transferring to the AFI Conservatory, where he graduated with an M.F.A. degree.
He won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography twice in the 1990s, for Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan.
He was married to actress Holly Hunter from 20 May 1995 to 21 December 2001. Kamiński married ABC reporter Rebecca Rankin on 16 February 2004.
While accepting his Independent Spirit Award on February 23, 2008 for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, he stated that he earned $3,000 per week for his work on the film, far below his alleged normal fee of $6,000 - $12,000 per day. He joked that he would not be able to accommodate young filmmakers for the same fee.
He attended Columbia College Chicago from 1982 to 1987 and earned his BA in Cinematography. Then transfered to The American Film Institute, where he earned his Masters Degree.
Took up film making as a profession at Columbia College after immigrating to the U.S. at 21.
He is the cinematographer for most of Steven Spielberg (I)'s movies.
After Schindler's List (1993), he started recruiting Columbia College Chicago undergraduate students to work on his and Steven Spielberg (I)'s films as production assistants and grips in the camera department.
His first name is pronounced "Ya-nush". A common misconception is that its pronunciation is the same as the mythical figure Janus.
Member of jury at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2006.
