American Cinematographer - March 2004 - 109

who

Seymour "Sy" Hoffberg, ASC,
skillfully applied a natural visual

aesthetic to noted classics of the televi¬

sion screen, died December 15,2003, in
Woodland Hills, California, at the age
84.

of

Born on July 18,1919, in Brook¬
lyn, New York, Hoffberg spent nearly his
entire life in the movie business.

However, it

was

the unexpected death

of his father that led to his

career.

To

help support the family, the young Hoff¬
berg dropped out of high school and
began looking for a job. In a serendipi¬
tous turn of events, Hoffberg's uncle,
Sam Briskin, happened to be a vice
president at Columbia Pictures. The
Hoffberg family moved to Los Angeles
and Briskin got the teenager a job at
RKO, albeit in the mailroom as a bicycle
messenger.

Hoffberg made the most of the
opportunity, becoming well connected
at the studio. This gave him the inside
track for an opening in the camera
department's laboratory, where he
mixed the developer "soup." Hoffberg
steadily worked his way up the ranks of
the camera department and served as
one of Stanley Cortez, ASC's assistants
on numerous feature films, including
Night of the Hunter.
With the rapid growth of televi¬
sion during the 1950s, new opportuni¬
ties opened up for Hoffberg. In 1955, on
the heels of his assistant work on Night
of the Hunter, he moved over to the
screen and into the position of

small

camera

operator for Lester White, ASC

the CBS (and later ABC) series

Navy
Log. Sitting comfortably behind a
geared head, he often remarked that
camera operation was not something
on

learned; rather,

one was

"born to the

wheels." He considered them to be

an

extension of his hands. He later put his
hands to use as operator for Robert

Hauser, ASC on the 20th Century
Fox/ABC show Bus Stop( 1961). Already

adept at camerawork and composition,
he credited Hauser with teaching him the
nuances of lighting.
From 1969-1974 Hoffberg worked
as operator for long-time ASC member
Walter Strenge on the series Marcus
Welby, M.D. In 1974, he received another
break in the industry, although under
unfortunate circumstances. Strenge died
suddenly during the show's production,
and producer David O'Connell promoted
Hoffberg to director of photography. He
photographed the show until the series'
end in 1976, and he then became the

cinematographer on the series Serpico
(1976), which was based on the feature
film.

Hoffberg lent his naturalistic eye
McNaughton's
Daughter (1976), B.J. and the Bear (1978,
which was considered the pilot for the
eventual series) and There Were Times,
to the television movies

Dear (1978). He also served as cine¬

matographer on the series The Hardy
Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries (1977);
Kingston Confidential (1977), starring
Raymond Burr; Operation Petticoat(19771979), starring John Astin; Supertrain
(1979); and Eischied (1979-1980), featur¬
ing Joe Don Baker. He became a member
of the ASC in 1980, after which he shot

McClain's Law (1981-1982), starring
James Arness. During this time he also
shot

episodes of the groundbreaking and
often-copied high-key sitcoms Diffrent
Strokes and Silver Spoons. However, he
returned to his more natural visual style
on the Emmy Award-winning series
Cagney & Lacy. He wrapped up his cine¬
matography career with the action series
Airwolf in 1984, on which he shared cine¬

matographer duties with his lighting
mentor, Robert Hauser.

During his busy, active

career

and

afterward, Hoffberg was generous with
his time and

knowledge. While working

for Universal Television, rather than

watching dailies

over the
he instead would walk

University of Southern California cine¬
matography class being conducted on
the lot and offer wisdom and production
stories to the students. USC presented
him with a certificate of appreciation for
his unselfishness.
He also

was

active in the ASC,

serving

as an alternate member of the
Board of Governors and working tirelessly

as

chairman of the Good and Welfare

Committee. He volunteered

more

than

20,000 hours of his time to the Motion
Picture & Television Fund retirement

home,

more than anyone on record.
While retired, Hoffberg never

strayed too far from the set; he
frequently notched credits as an extra. In
1992, on an episode of Bicket Fences, he
played the small role of a photographer.
He turned to his son, Neal, and grand¬
daughter, who were also working as
extras, and quieted them. Recalls Neal
Hoffberg: "He said to us, 'Stop and
listen,' and we listened to the calling out
of lighting directions and the din of the
crew working. He then said, 'That's a
symphony to my ears.'"
Hoffberg is survived by his sons
Neal and David; grandchildren Rachel,
Monica and Michael; and his sister,
Francine Radner. Donations may be
made to the

Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

lunch period,
over

to the

-

Douglas Bankston
American

Cinematographer 105
American Cinematographer - March 2004

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