Born in Rome on June 24, 1940, son of a Lux Film projectionist, at the age of 11 he began studying photography at the "Duca d'Aosta" Technical Institute in Rome and later at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia. He debuted in cinema in 1968 with Giovinezza, giovinezza by Franco Rossi. He was then called by major directors such as Bernardo Bertolucci, Francis Ford Coppola, Woody Allen and Warren Beatty. In over 50 years of career he has received numerous awards including David di Donatello, BAFTA and Goya prizes. In 1980 he won his first Oscar for cinematography for Apocalypse Now, followed by two more in 1982 and 1988 for Reds and The Last Emperor respectively. He has also received 4 honorary degrees.