Thomas Del Ruth

Thomas Del Ruth was interviewed for two hours plus in Los Angeles, CA. Del Ruth talked about growing up the son of parents in the entertainment industry (his father, Roy Del Ruth was a director, and his mother a singer) and his early interest in cinematography. He discussed his first jobs as an assistant on such series as Batman and Peyton Place. He then detailed his climb up the production ladder, which culminated in his becoming a bona fide Director of Photography on the series Mrs. Columbo. He discussed his other work in television, including the pilots for Simon & Simon, The X-Files and ER. Finally, he detailed his work on the series The West Wing, in particular, setting the tone for the series and his liberal use of the steadicam. Throughout the interview, Del Ruth discussed the art of cinematography and the technical aspects of the profession. The interview was conducted by Karen Herman on January 18, 2007.