Roger Pratt dead: Film legend who worked on Harry Potter, Batman & The Karate Kid dies aged 77
ROGER PRATT – the film legend who worked on Harry Potter, Batman and The Karate Kid – has tragically died aged 77.
The Brit cinematographer’s death was confirmed in a statement made by the British Society of Cinematographers who said the legend passed away in December.
The statement did not specify a date of location of when the legend passed.
Pratt was born in 1947 and grew up in the Midlands.
He studied at the incredible London Film School, even going on to collaborate with filmmaker Terry Gilliam across his career after the pair met on Monty Python and the Holy Grail set.
Recalling meeting the Brit legend, Gilliam talked of something going wrong during filming, when Pratt swooped in to help.
He said: “This guy said, ‘Just give me a moment’ and in a few minutes, while we were still faffing around, he had run all the way down the mountain, forded the river, run up the other side, into the camera truck, grabbed the right lens and here it was.
“We stuck it on the camera and got the shot. That was the moment I fell in love with Roger.”
Pratt became the director of photography on over a whopping 35 films, including two of the Harry Potter movies, the 2004 hit Troy, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Chocolat and 2010’s The Karate Kid.
The legend is also remembered for his incredible work with Tim Burton on the look of his 1989 Batman.
In 2023 Pratt was awarded the BSC’s highest honour, the Lifetime Achievement Award.
In a heartwarming tribute to the cinematographer, the BSC said: “The son of a parish vicar, the church didn’t capture his career aspirations, seeing 16mm ‘fact and faith’ films did.
“Roger would go on to shoot some of Gilliam’s cult classics, from Brazil (1985) to The Fisher King (1991) and 12 Monkey’s (1995).”
“Our thoughts go out to his family at this time”
Tributes have been pouring in for the late star on social media.
One heartbroken fan said: “Farewell to the incomparable Roger Pratt.
“We’ll miss his light.”
Another posted: “Goodbye to the great Roger Pratt.”