Christopher Doyle has shot some of the most memorable films of world cinema.
Born and raised in Sydney, Australia, Mr. Doyle's love of Asian cultures developed in his youth, through extensive reading of Japanese literature. When he turned 18, he joined the merchant navy and sailed the world for two years. He landed in Israel and then moved on to India, where he became an oil driller. Eventually, he landed in Taiwan, to study Chinese. Despite not having a credit to his name, director Edward Yang trusted him enough to shoot That Day on the Beach. Following that experience and a Best Cinematography award at the 1983 Asia-Pacific Film Festival, Mr. Doyle was now a professional cinematographer.
Since then, he has been director of photography on over 50 films. His longtime collaboration with director Wong Kar-wai has brought Mr. Doyle three Hong Kong Film Awards, for Days of Being Wild, Ashes of Time, and Fallen Angels; and three Golden Horse Awards, for Ashes of Time, Happy Together, and In the Mood for Love. The latter also earned Best Cinematography honors from the New York Film Critics Circle and the National Society of Film Critics. The duo has also teamed on Chungking Express; the short film The Hand; and 2046, the latter of which won the Best Cinematography prize from the New York Film Critics Circle.
Mr. Doyle's other features include Kei Shu's Soul, which brought him his first Hong Kong Film Award; Claire Devers' Noir et blanc; Chen Kaige's Temptress Moon; Gus Van Sant's Psycho; Barry Levinson's Liberty Heights; Phillip Noyce's Rabbit-Proof Fence and The Quiet American; and Zhang Yimou's Hero, which won the Best Cinematography award from the New York Film Critics Circle.
His work on Gus Van Sant's Paranoid Park brought Mr. Doyle the Best Cinematography award from the Boston Society of Film Critics.
He continues to make his own still and moving images for gallery exposition; and collaborated with a number of artists over the last few years on works for the Venice and Sydney Bienalles. He has published several books on his personal and professional approach to the moving image and visual context.
He collaborated with Jim Jarmusch on the music video for The Raconteurs' "Steady as She Goes."
Mr. Doyle was director, co-writer, and cinematographer on the feature Away with Words, which world-premiered at the 1999 Cannes International Film Festival.
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