The American Society of Cinematographers announced that it will recognize John Toll, ASC, Bill Bennett, ASC and Lowell Peterson, ASC for their contributions to the art of cinematography at the 30th annual ASC awards Feb. 14, at the Hyatt Regency Century City. Oscar-winner Toll will receive the organization’s lifetime achievement award. Peterson will be honored with the career achievement in television award, and Bennett will take home the ASC Presidents award.
“John, Lowell and Bill have set an extremely high bar for all of us,” said ASC president Richard Crudo. “For years they each have contributed outstanding work across a variety of platforms. And of course, they’ll continue to do so. This recognition is merely the first in what I’m sure will be an avalanche of honors as time moves on.”
Toll won back-to-back Oscars for his work on Edward Zwick‘s Legends Of The Fall in 1995, and Mel Gibson‘s Braveheart in 1996. The latter also earned the BAFTA award for best cinematography. Toll received a third Academy Award nomination for lensing Terrence Malick‘s The Thin Red Line in 1999. He has compiled nearly 40 credits to date, collaborating with such directors as Francis Ford Coppola, Carroll Ballard, Cameron Crowe, John Madden, Nancy Meyers, Lana and Andy Wachowski, Ben Affleck, Ben Stiller, and most recently with Ang Lee on the upcoming film Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk. His feature film work has earned him two ASC Awards (Braveheart, The Thin Red Line), and a total of four nominations from the society. In addition, Toll was nominated for an Emmy in 2008 for shooting the pilot episode of the AMC series Breaking Bad.
Peterson, who is being honored for his achievements in television, first worked as director of photography on the popular CBS series Knots Landing, and has continued to compile an long list of credits on television programs. For his work on the HBO series Six Feet Under, he received an Emmy nomination, as well as ASC Award nominations for the telefilm Just Ask My Children, and the TV series Second Chances and Profiler. Peterson’s series credits include Jane The Virgin, The Fosters, Desperate Housewives, Moloney, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures Of Superman and The Client. He is a member of the Television Academy‘s board of governors. Peterson studied art and architecture at Yale University and earned a degree from the UCLA film school.
Bennett has compiled well over 1,000 television commercial credits. Known by his peers as “The Car Guy” for his work on automobile spots, his list of credits not only includes the big automobile manufacturers, but also a number of the top beverage manufacturers, global communications companies, airlines, and fast food franchises. The list of directors Bennett has worked with includes Brent Thomas, Robert Lieberman, Gary Johns, Jeff Gorman, Bob Giraldi, David Dryer, Joe Johnston, Richard Blair, Catherine Lefebvre, Eric Saarinen, ASC, Andrew Sinagra and Terry Windell. The Presidents award recognizes an ASC member’s remarkable body of work, combined with their devotion to the organization.
