Theodor Sparkuhl

Theodor Sparkuhl (October 7, 1894, Hannover, Germany – June 13, 1946, Los Angeles, California) was a German-born cinematographer with 140 movies to his credit.

He was trained as a newsreel cameraman at the German subsidiary of the French film production company Gaumont in 1912.

During World War I he chronicled battles in the Middle East and in Russia.

From 1928 to 1930 Sparkuhl worked for British International Pictures in London.

Film historians consider Sparkuhl's work in these three films to be a significant contribution to the development of the archetypical noir style and an indication of its debt to German Expressionism and French Poetic realism.