Gabriel Figueroa Mateos(April 24, 1907 – April 27, 1997) was aMexicancinematographerwho worked both inMexican cinemaandHollywood. His mother died after giving birth to him. His father, unable to cope with the loss of his wife, left Gabriel and his brother Roberto to be cared for by their aunts. He studiedpaintingat theAcademia de San Carlos, and at the age of 16 he became interested inphotographythanks to José Guadalupe Velasco. He later befriended other photographers, such as Gilberto Martínez Solares and Raúl Martínez Solares, and these three would then move on tocinematography. Figueroa made his entry in themovie industryin 1932 as a photographer of stills for the filmRevoluciónof Miguel Contreras Torres. He was later one of the 20 cinematographers hired for theHoward HawksfilmViva Villa!. After a few jobs he obtained a scholarship to study in theUnited Stateswhere the established director of photographyGregg Tolandtaught Figueroa. Back in Mexico, his first film wasFernando de Fuentes'sAllá en el Rancho Grande(1936) which would become one of the most popular films in Mexico andLatin America, and gave him his first award at theVenice Film Festival. He filmed 235 movies over 50 years, includingLos OlvidadosbyLuis Buñuel,The Night of the IguanabyJohn Huston,The FugitivebyJohn Ford, andRío EscondidobyEmilio Fernández. One of his main collaborators was Fernández, with whom he shot twenty films, some of which won prizes at theVenice Film Festival, theCannes Film Festival, and theBerlin Film Festival. After collaborating with Fernández and Buñuel on their films with such actors asDolores del Río,Pedro Armendáriz,María Félix,Jorge Negrete,Columba Domínguez, andSilvia Pinal, Figueroa has come to be regarded one of the most influential cinematographers active in México.
Don't risk your personal information and online activities being exposed to hackers, government surveillance, and other online threats. A VPN encrypts your internet connection and hides your IP, giving you maximum security and privacy. Take control of your online safety, switch to a VPN now. Choose one of these services to learn more: