Oscar-Winning Cinematographer Billy Williams Dies at 96

Billy Williams, the legendary British cinematographer best known for his Oscar-winning work on Gandhi (1982) and beloved classics such as On Golden Pond and Women in Love, has passed away at the age of 96. His passing was confirmed by British Cinematographer magazine, though no cause of death was released.

Billy Williams leaves behind a legacy of visual storytelling that spanned over five decades and forever shaped the look of modern cinema. His career highlights read like a cinematic hall of fame, capturing everything from the spiritual scale of Gandhi to the intimate emotionality of On Golden Pond.

Born in Walthamstow, London, in 1929, Billy Williams received an early start working alongside his father, a documentarian who shot footage of the surrender of the German fleet after World War I. This early exposure to film equipment and storytelling laid the groundwork for what would become an iconic career. At just 14, Williams became his father’s assistant, learning the craft under pressure and perfectionism.

After a stint with the Royal Air Force as a photographer and cutting his teeth shooting transport documentaries, he transitioned into feature films with San Ferry Ann (1965). But it was his collaboration with avant-garde director Ken Russell on Women in Love (1969) that earned him his first Oscar nomination and industry-wide recognition. Williams’ masterful use of colour and light, particularly in the infamous fire-lit wrestling scene, was ahead of its time.

His crowning achievement came with Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi. Despite health challenges that forced him to briefly step away from production, Billy Williams’ ability to capture the spiritual enormity of Gandhi’s life in the dusty heat of India helped secure the film eight Oscars, including Best Cinematography. “It was hot, dusty, and tough—but immensely rewarding,” he once recalled.

Billy Williams with Sir Ben Kingsley as Gandhi in Richard Attenborough’s ‘Gandhi’

Billy Williams also left his mark on The Exorcist (1973), filming the eerie prologue in Iraq, and collaborated with major directors on films like The Wind and the Lion, Suspect, and Voyage of the Damned.

Beyond his Oscar win, Billy Williams was a four-time BAFTA nominee, received lifetime achievement awards from Camerimage and the British Society of Cinematographers, and was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2009. He also gave back to the film community by mentoring aspiring cinematographers at the National Film Theatre.

In his own words: “I feel I have been very lucky to have had a career in filmmaking, which has been the most satisfying, rewarding, exciting job I can imagine.”

Billy Williams wasn’t just a man behind the camera—he was a master of cinematic light and shadow, capturing emotion in every frame. As the film world dims its lights in his honour, his luminous legacy will continue to shine onscreen for generations to come.