Donald McAlpine

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Donald M. McAlpine ACS, ASC is an Australian cinematographer.

Donald McAlpine was born in Quandialla, New South Wales.^[1]

McAlpine was a physical education teacher in Parkes, New South Wales, Australia.^[2] He began using a 16mm camera to film athletes preparing for the Melbourne Olympic Games.^[2]

In 1962 he resigned from his teaching job and joined ABC Television as a camera assistant, and was promoted to cameraman in 1965. In 1968 he left the ABC to take up a position at the Commonwealth Film Unit (later Film Australia). There, he started to learn that there was art in cinematography and filmmaking, and was soon promoted to chief cameraman.^[3]

In Australia, from 1972 to 1981, McAlpine collaborated with Bruce Beresford.^[4] In 1974 he left Film Australia to work as a freelance DOP.^[3] McAlpine filmed many of Beresford's early films, including The Adventures of Barry McKenzie,^[5] Barry McKenzie Holds His Own, Don's Party, The Getting of Wisdom, Money Movers, Breaker Morant and The Club. McAlpine also worked with director Gillian Armstrong on My Brilliant Career.^{[citation needed]}

Paul Mazursky offered McAlpine work on the film Tempest, released in 1982, and after that, his career took off.^[3]

McAlpine is a member of both the Australian Cinematographers Society (ASC) and the American Society of Cinematographers. In 1997, the ASC inducted him into its hall of fame, ^[3] and in 2009 honoured him with its International Achievement Award.^[6]

In 2001, he was awarded the Australian Centenary Medal for his service to Australian society and Australian film production.^[1] In the same year, he was nominated for an Academy Award for his work in Moulin Rouge!.^[1]

In 2011, he was honoured with the AACTA Lifetime Achievement Award, the Longford Lyell Award.^[7]

In 2016 McAlpine received an honorary doctorate in arts from Edith Cowan University in Perth, Western Australia.^[4]

In October 2024, he received the Adelaide Film Festival's Don Dunstan Award.^[1]

TV movies

TV series

Academy Awards

BAFTA Awards

Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts

Satellite Awards

• Donald McAlpine at IMDb