Andrzej Bartkowiak

Andrzej Bartkowiak, ASC (born 6 March 1950) is a Polish cinematographer and film director, long based in the United States.^[1][2][3] He became known in the 1980s for his partnership with director Sidney Lumet, shooting 11 of his films.^[4] Beginning in the early 2000s, he transitioned into a directing career, mainly of action films.

Bartkowiak was born and raised in Łódź.

As a teenager, he played in a rock band and wrote for his school newspaper.^[5] Though he originally intended to become a painter, he developed an interest in filmmaking and enrolled in the Łódź Film School in 1970. He has cited the influence of painters, particularly Caravaggio and Goya, in his cinematography.

After two years of study, he left his studies, and moved to the United States and settled in New York City, where he lived for a time with Polish actress Elżbieta Czyżewska and David Halberstam.

Barkowiak worked as a cinematographer and director on dozens of television commercials and industrial films, for clients like IBM, Xerox, American Express, Pepsi, Coca-Cola, and Toyota.^[5] He also worked for several years in Italy.

Bartkowiak shot his first feature, the independent feature Deadly Hero, in 1975. Though the film was neither a critical nor commercial success, he later recalled "it gave me confidence — and it gave other people confidence in me."^[5]

He achieved prominence in the early 1980s through a close association with director Sidney Lumet, shooting 11 of his films between 1981 and 1993.^[4]. Lumet approached Bartkowiak after being impressed by his day-for-night photography on the made-for-TV film The Five Forty-Eight.^[5]

Bartkowiak is a member of the American Society of Cinematographers^[6] and received the Society's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2025.^[5]

Bartkowiak later became known as a director of action films, making his debut with Romeo Must Die (2000). He then directed Exit Wounds (2001) and Cradle 2 the Grave (2003), as well as the video game adaptations Doom (2005) and Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li (2009).

Bartkowiak was married to actress Diane Venora between 1980 and 1989. They have one daughter, Madzia. He also has a daughter named Ania and a son named Marco.^[7][8]

In addition, Bartkowiak was friends with actor Bruce Willis during the 1980s. Willis credited Bartkowiak with securing his earliest extra acting work in The Verdict.^[9][10]

• Romeo Must Die (2000)
• Exit Wounds (2001)
• Cradle 2 the Grave (2003)
• Doom (2005)
• Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li (2009)
• Maximum Impact (2017)
• Dead Reckoning (2020)

Film

Short film

Television

• Andrzej Bartkowiak at IMDb