Who was Bill Butler? Cinematographer on ‘Jaws’ Dies at 101

Renowned cinematographer, Bill Butler who worked on Jaws, has been reported dead. He was 101 years old when he died. His cause of death has not been revealed yet but it is believed that he died of old age.

He worked on other movies including The Rain People, Something Evil, Spielberg, Rocky sequel, Demon Seed, and more.

“The American Society of Cinematographers is sorry to report that Wilmer C. Butler died on the evening of April 5, at the age of 1010, just days short of his birthday. The Conversation (1974), Jaws (1975), and three Rocky sequels. He also shared credit on One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) with Haskell Wexler, ASC – as well as an Academy Award nomination for Best Cinematography,” the statement read.

Butler started his career at a radio station in Gary, Indiana, and moved to Chicago in no time. He helped design and build the first television stations at the ABC affiliate and later at WGN-TV.

While working at WGN, he met William Friedkin and later became good friends. Friedkin then asked him to be his cinematographer on The People vs. Paul Crump, a documentary that focused on a prisoner who was scheduled to be executed in Illinois.

Butler became popular in the movie industry after he worked on the 1967 film Fearless Frank which was also directed by  Philip Kaufman.

“I did some work with director Philip Kaufman on the Universal Studios lot as a writer while I was still trying to get into the Los Angeles camera guild. That’s when I met Steven Speilberg,” Butler once shared.