Eduardo Serra, Cinematographer on Harry Potter ‘Deathly Hallows’ Films and ‘Girl With a Pearl Earring,’ Dies at 81

Eduardo Serra, the cinematographer behind the “Harry Potter” films “Deathly Hallows – Part 1” and “Deathly Hallows – Part 2,” died Tuesday. He was 81.

The news was confirmed by the Portuguese Film Academy.

Born in Lisbon in 1943, Serra was the only Portuguese person to be nominated twice for an Oscar, for his work on “The Wings of the Dove” and “Girl with a Pearl Earring.”

Serra worked largely on European and British films. Director Patrice Leconte was a frequent collaborator. The two worked on films such as “Tango” and the 1990 film “The Hairdresser’s Husband.” He also worked with Claude Chabrol on several films, including “The Swindle” and “The Flower of Evil.”

Serra notably shot M. Night Shyamalan’s “Unbreakable” and the final two Harry Potter films which were directed by David Yates and were shot back-to-back.

The cinematographer spoke with Variety in 2004 about his work on the Peter Webber film “Girl With a Pearl Earring.” He said, “Vermeer’s studio is one of the main characters in the film. The painters from that period would work from natural light and would be very accurate in respect to the light. Light would come from one window and they would try to represent exactly what it would do on someone’s face, the wall, the table and objects on it.” Serra went on to say, “That’s the story of our film: how the light touches the young model Griet, and how Vermeer captures it on canvas. It’s wonderful for any cinematographer to have such an opportunity to evoke that, especially for those who, like me, work with and respect natural lighting. I had the experience of, in a way, touching Vermeer’s creative process.”

Other notable titles in his filmography include “Bobby Darin,” “The Wives of Saint-Pierre,” with Juliette Binoche, and “What Dreams May Come.”

Marek Żydowicz, producer and director of the Camerimage festival, wrote a tribute to Serra on Instagram, saying, “Eduardo was a warm, humble, and devoted friend of the festival. He visited us many times, always capturing the attention of students, young artists, and masters of the camera. His knowledge, sensitivity, and extraordinary mastery of light delighted his colleagues in the film industry as well as audiences around the world. Meetings and conversations with him were both enlightening and inspiring.”