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Biography

David Claessen

Overview

  • Born
    March 6, 1959 · Haarlem, Noord-Holland, Netherlands
  • Birth name
    David Edward Sauerbier von Hochfeldt

Mini bio

  • While working as Camera Operator for legendary French Directors of Photography Henri Alekan on A Strange Love Affair and Sacha Vierny on Zed and Two Naughts, I started working as a Feature Film Director of Photography. My first opportunity was the French Film Haute Mer for Argentinean director Eduardo Cozarinsky. Once settled in the USA, I photographed The Telephone [Whoopi Goldberg], Getting In for Doug Liman [The Bourne Identity.] An Evil Town directed by Richard Sears won Best Short Film @ the Film Festival of Cannes, France. The Kodak Achievement Award for Best Cinematography for Marc Chiat's Every Dog Has Its Day came next. While primarily focusing on commercials [Google, Nike, Cadillac] and Music Videos [Britney Spears, Jay Z, Snoop Dogg, Back Street Boys, Aaliyah ] during the '90 I have completed several films with director Julie Dash [Daughters of the Dust] including The Rosa Parks Story for which she received a DGA best direction nomination. Tyler Perry's Diary of A Mad Black Woman was my only # 1 Box Office Hit. Make It Happen reunited me with director Darren Grant [Diary Of A Mad Black Woman.] Besides primarily photographing commercials globally, I have ventured into international productions such as Jellyfish in the Moon in Lithuania, Het Bestand for Dutch TV, and several Museum Installations. I make my home in New York City and consider myself local in Los Angeles, CA, and Rome, Italy.
    - IMDb mini biography by: David Claessen

Family

  • Spouses
      Taiye Selasi(August 13, 2013 - ?)
      Karen Green(May 16, 1992 - October 22, 2002)
      Whoopi Goldberg(September 1, 1986 - October 1988) (divorced)

Trivia

  • Former stepfather of Alex Martin.
  • His father, a retired two-star general in the US Army, was born in Massachuetts, his mother was from Surabaya, Indonesia.

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