A native of Denmark, two-time Academy-Award nominee Dan Laustsen, ASC, DFF, is an acclaimed cinematographer with more than 60 international productions to his name. He has received myriad awards for his work in feature films, television movies, and documentaries.
His interest in photography was awakened at the age of 14 when, inspired by the stylish black & white imagery in popular magazines, Laustsen saved enough money to purchase his first still camera.
At 17, he enrolled in a program at a local school for fashion photography. By the end of the three-year program, Laustsen discovered that he had lost his interest in fashion photography and desired instead to shoot documentary films around the world with the goal of someday working for National Geographic. It was then that he enrolled in the Danish Film School to learn the art of motion picture photography.
Decades later, Laustsen’s diverse accomplishments in film and television include The Brotherhood of the Wolf, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Silent Hill, Solomon Kane, Nomad: The Warrior, Running Free, I Am Dina, and multiple Danish Film Academy Awards for Best Cinematography. He was also honored with a Guldbagge Award nomination for Best Cinematography from the Swedish Film Academy for Lisa Ohlin’s Simon and the Oaks—one of 13 Guldbagge Award nominations bestowed on this film. In 2007, Laustsen received Nordisk Film’s special Erik Balling Award in recognition of his lifetime achievements as a cinematographer.
Laustsen’s American studio credits include Guillermo Del Toro’s Nightmare Alley, The Shape of Water and Crimson Peak, continuing a collaboration that started in 1997 with Del Toro’s Mimic. Laustsen also recently garnered much acclaim for his mastery of beauty and action with Lionsgate’s John Wick sequels (2-4), starring Keanu Reeves.
Upcoming features include Blitz Bazawule’s new musical, The Color Purple, based on Alice Walker’s acclaimed novel, and director Scott Derickson’s action-romance, The Gorge, for Skydance Media and Apple TV+.
Laustsen is a member of the Motion Pictures Academy of Arts & Sciences, the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC), and the Danish Association of Cinematographers (DFF).