Cinematographer. He was an Italian-born American cinematographer, who was nominated for an Academy Award in 1948 for "I Remember Mama." Born in Riace, Italy to Cosmo Musuraca and Anna Rosa, he worked more than forty years in Hollywood as a cameraman and director of photography. He spent much of his career at RKO Studios, where his distinguished use of black and white photography helped craft such film noir classics as "The Stranger on the Third Floor" (1940), "The Locket" (1946), and "Out of the Past" (1947). The latter film starred Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer and Kirk Douglas. Other film credits included "Murder on a Bridle Path" (1936), "Golden Boy" (1939), Val Lewton's "Cat People" (1942), "Curse of the Cat People" (1944), "The Spiral Staircase" (1945), "The Bachelor and the Bobbysoxer" (1947), "Blood on the Moon" (1948), "Woman on Pier 13" (aka "I Married a Communist")(1950), "Clash By Night" (1952), "Susan Slept Here" (1954), "The Story of Mankind" (1957) and "Too Much, Too Soon" (1958). After leaving RKO in late 1950, he worked briefly for Warner Brothers before moving into television, working at Desilu Studios for much of the latter part of his career. TV shows he worked on included "The Lone Wolf," "Those Whiting Girls," 56 episodes of "The Jack Benny Program," "F Troop" and "McHale's Navy." He retired by the late 1960s.
Cinematographer. He was an Italian-born American cinematographer, who was nominated for an Academy Award in 1948 for "I Remember Mama." Born in Riace, Italy to Cosmo Musuraca and Anna Rosa, he worked more than forty years in Hollywood as a cameraman and director of photography. He spent much of his career at RKO Studios, where his distinguished use of black and white photography helped craft such film noir classics as "The Stranger on the Third Floor" (1940), "The Locket" (1946), and "Out of the Past" (1947). The latter film starred Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer and Kirk Douglas. Other film credits included "Murder on a Bridle Path" (1936), "Golden Boy" (1939), Val Lewton's "Cat People" (1942), "Curse of the Cat People" (1944), "The Spiral Staircase" (1945), "The Bachelor and the Bobbysoxer" (1947), "Blood on the Moon" (1948), "Woman on Pier 13" (aka "I Married a Communist")(1950), "Clash By Night" (1952), "Susan Slept Here" (1954), "The Story of Mankind" (1957) and "Too Much, Too Soon" (1958). After leaving RKO in late 1950, he worked briefly for Warner Brothers before moving into television, working at Desilu Studios for much of the latter part of his career. TV shows he worked on included "The Lone Wolf," "Those Whiting Girls," 56 episodes of "The Jack Benny Program," "F Troop" and "McHale's Navy." He retired by the late 1960s.
Bio by: James Lacy
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