William Ashman Fraker, born on September 29, 1923, in Los Angeles, California, was a prominent American cinematographer and film director whose influential career helped shape postwar Hollywood.

The son of a Hollywood studio photographer and a Mexican mother who fled her homeland during the revolution, he was raised by his Mexican grandmother after both of his parents died during his childhood.

Guided early on by his family's experience in photography, he developed an enduring passion for visual storytelling. After serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II, where he saw action in the Pacific, Fraker attended the University of Southern California on the G.I. Bill, graduating with a degree in cinema.

Beginning his career in television, his first significant experience in the industry came from his work as a camera operator on "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet." His transition to major motion pictures came in the late 1960s, and he rapidly built a reputation as an innovative and expressive cinematographer.

His credits as director of photography include such classics as "The President’s Analyst" (1967), "Rosemary’s Baby" (1968), and the influential action thriller "Bullitt" (1968), for which he earned acclaim for helping redefine action cinematography, particularly with the film’s legendary car chase sequence.

Over the decades, he contributed to a diverse array of films, including "Paint Your Wagon" (1969), "The Day of the Dolphin" (1973), "Looking for Mr. Goodbar" (1977), "Heaven Can Wait" (1978), "WarGames" (1983), "Tombstone" (1993), and more.

He also worked as a second unit director and contributed additional photography for important films like "One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest" and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind."

As a director, William A. Fraker helmed three feature films: "Monte Walsh" (1970), "A Reflection of Fear" (1972), and "The Legend of the Lone Ranger" (1981), as well as multiple episodes for television series.

Throughout his prolific career, he received five Academy Award nominations for Best Cinematography, including for "Looking for Mr. Goodbar," "Heaven Can Wait," "1941," "WarGames," and "Murphy’s Romance."

He was also honored with the American Society of Cinematographers’ Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000 and the Camerimage Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003.

He died on May 31, 2010, after a battle with cancer.