Bond Films Cinematographer Was 91 Years Old – The Hollywood Reporter

Alec Mills working on the 1979 movie Moonraker

Simon Mills

Alec Mills, who worked as a cameraman on five James Bond films before graduating to cinematographer on Timothy Dalton Living daylights And License to kill, He died. He was 91 years old.

Mills died Monday, his son, Simon Mills, announced. He said he was suffering from dementia and was living in a care home in Denham, Buckinghamshire, England.

For the 007 films, Mills ran a camera on Peter Hunt On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969), Lewis Gilbert The spy who loved me (1977) and Moonraker (1979) and John Glenn Just for your eyes (1981) and Octopus (1983).

Glenn then appointed him director of photography on Dalton’s only two Bond films, Living daylights (1987) and License to kill (1989), with the latter shooting mostly at Churubusco Studios in Mexico City.

Mills was also the camera operator Chitty chitty bang bang (1968), Roman Polanski The tragedy of Macbeth (1971), Gulliver’s Travels (1973), John Guermin Death on the Nile (1978) and Richard Marquand Eye of the needle (1981) and Return of the Jedi (1983).

Mills, who was born in London on May 10, 1932, said he and his friends used to sneak into cinemas, but that ended when the children were arrested. “The police interrogated my father, and I let my father read me the riot act, but this incident was proof of my future,” he said in an undated interview.

He worked for three years as a clapper and loader at Carlton Hill Studios on such films as Joseph Losey. Sleeping tiger (1954) before entering the British Navy to perform his national service, and at that time he was the focus of attention Swiss Robinson family (1960) and Mrs. Stone’s Roman Spring (1961).

Mills’ first major production as a camera operator came in 1966 on the ITV series the SaintStarring future Bond actor Roger Moore. His work as cinematographer on the 10-part South African miniseries 1984-85 Shaka Zulu He convinced 007 producer Albert Broccoli that he had what it took to move to DP Living daylightsHe said.

Mills helped found the British Syndicate of Cinematographers in 1978 and served on the board of governors of the British Society of Cinematographers from 1998 to 2009. “He will be remembered (as) a kind, warm and generous man who gave freely of his time and always offered encouragement,” the BSC said in a statement.

Mills also taught at the National Film and Television School in Beaconsfield, England, and wrote the 2014 book Shooting 007: And Other Celluloid Adventurescomplete with introduction by Moore.

Survivors include his wife, Susie, an assistant director, whom he married in 1977.

Rhett Bartlett contributed to this report.