Walter Lassally was a German cinematographer of British background who became one of the defining visual voices of postwar European cinema. He emerged through the Free Cinema movement and soon became closely associated with the British New Wave, shaping its look through his collaborations with directors such as Tony Richardson. Lassally formed a long and productive partnership with Michael Cacoyannis, photographing several of his films, including Alexis Sorbas (1964), which earned him an Academy Award for Best Cinematography. His later work included projects with James Ivory, further expanding his international reputation. After decades behind the camera, he made his screen debut in Richard Linklater's Before Midnight (2013), portraying an aging British writer living in Greece. He spent the last years of his life in Chania, the place where he had shot Zorba the Greek and which he considered a second home.
