Alexander Witt

Of German descent and hailing from Santiago, Chile, filmmaker Alexander Witt ascended the Hollywood ranks from camera assistant to feature film director. Receiving his early training in Mexico and Europe, Witt's first industry job was as camera assistant on the 1976 William Holden vehicle "21 Hours at Munich," filmed on location in Germany. In the early 1980s, the cameraman relocated to the United States and began establishing himself as a second unit director of photography on movies such as "Jewel of the Nile," "The Hunt for Red October," "Lethal Weapon 3," and also on many commercials. Witt's first big break came in 1994 when director Jan de Bont promoted him to second-unit director on the blockbuster action film "Speed," starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock. Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, Witt worked as second-unit director on increasingly high-profile films like "The Bourne Identity" and "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl," but would receive his first chance to direct a feature in 2004 with "Resident Evil II: Apocalypse," the second installment in the Resident Evil franchise. Solidifying his reputation as a master of action scenes, Witt lent his touch to the science fiction adventure "X-Men: First Class" in 2011.