Misplaced Pages

Ken Kelsch
Born	Kennth Arthur Kelsch (1947-07-08)July 8, 1947 New York City, U.S.
Died	December 11, 2023(2023-12-11) (aged 76) Hackettstown, New Jersey, U.S.
Alma mater	Montclair State College New York University
Occupation	Cinematographer
Years active	1972–2019
Organization	American Society of Cinematographers
Known for	Bad Lieutenant, Big Night, The Driller Killer, The Funeral
Children	3
Military career
Service / branch	United States Army
Unit	United States Army Special Forces
Battles / wars	Vietnam War

Kenneth Arthur Kelsch (July 8, 1947 – December 11, 2023) was an American cinematographer, teacher, and Vietnam veteran. He was best known for his guerilla filmmaking style and his career-spanning partnership with cult genre director Abel Ferrara, with whom he made more than 15 films.

His films include The Driller Killer (1979), Bad Lieutenant (1992), Dangerous Game (1993), Big Night (1996) and a Rear Window (1998) remake starring a paralyzed Christopher Reeve. On television, he was the director of photography on two seasons of Medium, several TV movies and, with Ferrara, one segment of the anthology series Subway Stories (1997).

In 1996, he was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography for his work on The Funeral (1996).

Early life

Kenneth Arthur Kelsch was born in Brooklyn on July 8, 1947, and grew up in East Newark and North Arlington, New Jersey. His mother was born in Scotland and his father was born in the Alsace region of France. He was raised Catholic. He took an early interest in photography: he had his own darkroom at 12 years old and his father showed him how to develop black and white photographs. While still in high school, his father died while Kelsch had been attending his first week of seminary and his mother was two weeks pregnant.

He studied photography at Montclair State College and New York University's Film & Television program.

Military life

Kelsch attended Rutgers University for a year and enlisted in the army in 1966. As a Green Beret, he was the executive officer of an A-team during the Vietnam War and participated in SLAM (Search, Locate, Annihilate, and Monitor) operations in Laos and CIA led cross-border operations in Cambodia.

Film career

Upon returning to the States, Kelsch attended Montclair State University and worked for Johnson & Johnson making gaffer tape. He attended film school at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, graduating with an M.F.A. in 1977. His cinematography professor was Czech filmmaker Beda Batka.

Actors he filmed include Danny Aiello, Asia Argento, Patricia Arquette, Seymour Cassel, Willem Dafoe, Benicio Del Toro, Drea de Matteo, Gérard Depardieu, Minnie Driver, Edie Falco, Danny Glover, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Samuel L. Jackson, Allison Janney, Harvey Keitel, Madonna, Vincent Pastore, Chris Penn, Ron Perlman, Christopher Reeve, John Ritter, Isabella Rosellini, Kyra Sedgwick, Paul Sorvino, David Strathairn, Lili Taylor, Stanley Tucci, Christopher Walken, Sam Waterston and James Woods among others.

Between 1979 and 2019, Kelsch made thirteen films with director Abel Ferrara, including his first film The Driller Killer, and the critically acclaimed feature films Bad Lieutenant (1992) and The Funeral (1996), for which he was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography.

Kelsch taught cinematography at Montclair State University, Hofstra and Five Towns College in Long Island.

Personal life and death

Kelsch had four children, one of whom died before him. His second wife was his assistant at NYU. On December 11, 2023, he died of COVID-19 and pneumonia at a hospital in Hackettstown, New Jersey, at the age of 76.

Filmography

Feature films

Television

Music videos

See also

• List of film director and cinematographer collaborations

References

1. "In Memoriam: Ken Kelsch, ASC (1947-2023)". The American Society of Cinematographers. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
2. ^ "Obituary of Kenneth A. Kelsch". Norman Dean Home for Services. Archived from the original on December 20, 2023. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
3. ^ Barnes, Mike (December 13, 2023). "Ken Kelsch, Cinematographer on 'Bad Lieutenant,' Dies at 76". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
4. ^ Louison, Evan (May 22, 2019). ""Filmmaking is Like Combat — 90% Boredom, 5% Panic and 5% Terror": Ken Kelsch on Four Decades as a Cinematographer". Filmmaker Magazine. Archived from the original on May 26, 2019. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
5. ^ Williams, David E. (December 14, 2023). "In Memoriam: Ken Kelsch, ASC (1947-2023) - The American Society of Cinematographers (en-US)". theasc.com. Archived from the original on December 15, 2023. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
6. Carannante, Tom (July 23, 2013). "Ken Kelsch: Director of Photography". Ferro Productions. Archived from the original on November 7, 2015. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
7. Mutter, Zoe (April 7, 2021). "Ken Kelsch ASC and Abel Ferrara: a lifelong collaboration". British Cinematographer. Archived from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
8. "Film Independent Spirit Awards - 34 Years of Nominees and Winners" (PDF). s3.amazonaws.com. p. 47. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 30, 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
9. ^ Fuster, Jeremy (December 13, 2023). "Ken Kelsch, 'Bad Lieutenant' Cinematographer, Dies at 76". TheWrap. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
10. McCrae, Scooter (Summer 2001). "FEST CIRCUIT". Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved April 6, 2024.

External links

• Ken Kelsch at IMDb 
• Official YouTube

• 1947 births
• 2023 deaths
• American cinematographers
• American people of French descent
• American people of Scottish descent
• Deaths from pneumonia in New Jersey
• Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in New Jersey
• Members of the United States Army Special Forces
• People from Brooklyn
• People from East Newark, New Jersey
• People from Hackettstown, New Jersey
• United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War
• People from North Arlington, New Jersey
• Tisch School of the Arts alumni