O'Connell, and nicknamed "Connie") was an American cinematographer who worked in Hollywood between 1918 and 1950 (starting during the silent era).
[1] He frequently worked with directors Howard Hawks and William K.
[2][3][4][5] William was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Lewis O'Connell and Caroline Stumpf.
He appears to have started his career as a cinematographer around 1918, although he left Los Angeles for a time while serving in World War I, working as an army photographer in Siberia.
[7] He married Joyce Burns, a Busby Berkeley dancing girl, and the pair had a son, Lew, together, who became a sound editor in the film industry.