Jimmy Howe
Name: Jimmy Howe
Alias: James Wong Howe
Birth Name: Wong Tung Jim
Hometown: Pasco, Washington, USA
Birthplace: Taishan, China
Died: 1976-07-12 (Age:76)
Pro Boxer: Record
Jimmy Howe was born Wong Tung Jim in Taishan, Canton Province (now Guangdong), China in 1899. His father, Wong Howe, moved to America that year to work on the Northern Pacific Railway and in 1904 sent for his family. The Howes settled in Pasco, Washington, where they owned a general store. Howe grew up in the hop fields of Pasco, working and engaging in shadow boxing, to become, by age 19, the so-called "champion Chinese bantamweight of the world." By 1916, it was reported that his mother had become worth almost a million dollars. [1]
A childhood Kodak Brownie camera may have sparked an early interest in photography. The teenaged Howe moved to Oregon after his father's death and briefly considered a career as a boxer before moving to Los Angeles, California. In Los Angeles, Howe took several odd jobs, including work as a commercial photographer's delivery boy and as a busboy at the Beverly Hills Hotel, before becoming interested in movies. Howe eventually took a low-level job at Lasky Studios, which brought him into contact with silent film director Cecil B. DeMille. DeMille gave Howe a job as a clap boy. To earn additional money, Howe took stills during the filming, which he frequently sold to the stars as souvenirs. Howe was a cousin of actress Anna May Wong.
Cinematography Career
James Wong Howe is considered one of the greatest American cinematographers. He had over 130 films to his credit. A master of the use of shadow, he was one of the first to use deep-focus cinematography--photography in which both foreground and distant planes remain in focus. During the 1930s and 1940s he was considered one of the most sought after cinematographers in Hollywood. He was nominated for ten Academy Awards for cinematography, winning twice. Howe was judged to be one of history's ten most influential cinematographers in a survey of the members of the International Cinematographers Guild.
His December 1971 appearance on "The Dick Cavett Show" with comedian/actor Bob Newhart can sometimes be seen to this day on the Decades TV channel ([2]). [3]