Ken Kelsch
Ken Kelsch | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Kenneth Arthur Kelsch July 8, 1947 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | December 11, 2023 (aged 76) Hackettstown, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation | Cinematographer |
| Years active | 1972–2019 |
| Organization | American Society of Cinematographers |
| Children | 3 |
| Military career | |
| Branch | United States Army |
| Rank | First lieutenant |
| Unit | Special Forces |
| Battles / wars | Vietnam War |
Kenneth Arthur Kelsch ASC (July 8, 1947 – December 11, 2023)[1] was an American cinematographer. He was best known for his guerilla filmmaking style and his career-spanning partnership with filmmaker Abel Ferrara, with whom he made more than a dozen films, including The Driller Killer (1979), Bad Lieutenant (1992), Dangerous Game (1993), The Addiction (1995), The Blackout (1997), and Welcome to New York (2014), as well as a segment of the HBO dark comedy drama anthology series Subway Stories (1997).
On television, Kelsch was the director of photography for the pilot episode of the CBS crime drama series Hack (2002) and the first and second seasons of the NBC supernatural procedural drama series Medium (2005–06). He was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography for his work on Abel Ferrara’s The Funeral (1996).
Prior to his filmmaking career, Kelsch served in the United States Army Special Forces during the Vietnam War, as a member of MACV-SOG.
Early life
[edit]Kenneth Arthur Kelsch was born in Brooklyn on July 8, 1947, and grew up in East Newark and North Arlington, New Jersey.[2] His mother was born in Scotland and his father was born in the Alsace region of France.[3] 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.[4]
He studied photography at Montclair State College and New York University's Film & Television program.[5]
Military life
[edit]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[3] and CIA led cross-border operations in Cambodia.[6] He was a first lieutenant within the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam – Studies and Observations Group. [5]
Film career
[edit]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.[7][2] His cinematography professor was Czech filmmaker Beda Batka.
Actors he filmed include Danny Aiello, Asia Argento, Patricia Arquette, Seymour Cassel, John Corbett, Gérard Depardieu, Willem Dafoe, Benicio Del Toro, Drea de Matteo, Gérard Depardieu, Minnie Driver, Edie Falco, Danny Glover, Isaac Hayes, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Michael Imperioli, Samuel L. Jackson, Allison Janney, Harvey Keitel, Madonna, Vincent Pastore, Chris Penn, Ron Perlman, Christopher Reeve, John Ritter, Isabella Rosellini, Annabella Sciorra, 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.[8]
Kelsch taught cinematography at Montclair State University, Hofstra and Five Towns College in Long Island.[9]
Personal life and death
[edit]Kelsch had four children, one of whom died before him.[2] 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.[3][9]
Filmography
[edit]Film
[edit]Cinematographer
| Year | Title | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | The Driller Killer | [3] | |
| 1986 | Spookies | ||
| 1992 | Bad Lieutenant | [3] | |
| 1993 | Dangerous Game | ||
| 1994 | Drop Squad | ||
| 1995 | The Addiction | ||
| Condition Red | |||
| Killer: A Journal of Murder | |||
| 1996 | Big Night | ||
| The Funeral | |||
| 1997 | The Blackout | [3] | |
| Every 9 Seconds | |||
| 1998 | Montana | ||
| A Brooklyn State of Mind | |||
| The Impostors | |||
| New Rose Hotel | [3] | ||
| Susan's Plan | |||
| 2000 | It Had to Be You | ||
| Private Lies | |||
| 2001 | 'R Xmas | [3] | |
| 2003 | Testosterone | ||
| Happy End | |||
| 2005 | Missing in America | ||
| Before It Had a Name | |||
| 2008 | Chelsea on the Rocks | [3] | |
| 100 Feet | Actor | ||
| Return to Sleepaway Camp | |||
| 2009 | Desert Flower | ||
| 2013 | House of Last Things | ||
| 2011 | 4:44 Last Day on Earth | [3] | |
| 2014 | Welcome to New York | [3] | |
| 2016 | The Brooklyn Banker | ||
| 2019 | The Projectionist | Doc |
Other credits
| Year | Title | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | The Last House on the Left | Gaffer | [4] |
| 1979 | Don't Go in the House | Actor |
Television
[edit]| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Subway Stories: Tales from the Underground | Segment "Love on the A Train" |
| 1999 | Now and Again | |
| 2000 | The $treet | |
| 2002 | Hack | |
| 2005-2006 | Medium |
TV movies
Music video
[edit]| Year | Title | Artist | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | California | Mylène Farmer | [10] |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "In Memoriam: Ken Kelsch, ASC (1947-2023)". The American Society of Cinematographers. Retrieved 2024-10-14.
- ^ a b c "Obituary of Kenneth A. Kelsch". Norman Dean Home for Services. Archived from the original on 2023-12-20. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Barnes, Mike (December 13, 2023). "Ken Kelsch, Cinematographer on 'Bad Lieutenant,' Dies at 76". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ Carannante, Tom (2013-07-23). "Ken Kelsch: Director of Photography". Ferro Productions. Archived from the original on 2015-11-07. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Film Independent Spirit Awards - 34 Years of Nominees and Winners" (PDF). s3.amazonaws.com. p. 47. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2019-12-30. Retrieved 2024-09-15.
- ^ a b Fuster, Jeremy (December 13, 2023). "Ken Kelsch, 'Bad Lieutenant' Cinematographer, Dies at 76". TheWrap. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
- ^ McCrae, Scooter (Summer 2001). "FEST CIRCUIT". Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved 2024-04-06.
External links
[edit]
- 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