Phil Abraham

Cinematographer Phil Abraham was responsible for the stylish and distinctive look of "The Sopranos," one of the most visually appealing shows of its era, despite its often grim and violent subject matter. Abraham studied film at Wesleyan University and spent several years apprenticed to older cinematographers to further learn the craft. By the early 1990s, he was getting work as a camera operator, with credits ranging from the fine Paul Newman-led small-town character study "Nobody's Fool" to "The Jerky Boys," a low-budget comedy starring a pair of briefly popular comedians who specialized in prank phone calls. He graduated to cinematographer after a few years, working on documentaries and small features, before beginning work on a new HBO crime series called "The Sopranos" in '99. After serving as a camera operator for the show's first four episodes, Abraham was promoted to cinematographer, the position he held for the rest of the program's run; his debut as a director came in the show's final season. Most of his subsequent television work has been as a director, although when "The Sopranos" writer/producer Matthew Weiner began his own series about advertising executives in the early '60s, Abraham--as the primary cinematographer for its first season--established "Mad Men"'s elegant style; he has since returned to the series to direct several episodes per season. In 2009, Abraham returned to feature film as director of photography on the high-school-set romantic comedy "I Love You, Beth Cooper."