When two Academy award-winning cinematographers send messages saying how important someone was to their careers, you know that someone was a person of substance. Dean Semler ACS ASC and John Seale ACS ASC sent such messages from Hollywood in respect of Bill Grimmond ACS.
Bill was one of the last links with the post war film era, having worked with Charles Chauvel, Lee Robinson and Chips Rafferty on their valiant efforts to restart the Australian film industry after the American monopoly ended its heyday in the 30s.
Born in Cessnock, the son of a coal miner, he moved to Sydney with his family in 1938. He was fortunate that family contacts enabled the fifteen year old Bill to secure a job in the camera department at the high profile Cinesound productions. Bill spent three years at Cinesound before moving on and working on classic Australian films such as “Jedda”, “Bitter Springs”, “Dust in the Sun”, “Kangaroo”. “Long John Silver” and “Return to Paradise”.
In the early 60s he joined the ABC where he helped guide the fledgling careers of don McAlpine ACS ASC and John Seale ACS ASC.
Bill is probably best remembered for his work at Fauna Productions where he spent three years as the 2nd unit director/cinematographer on the iconic Aussie series “Skippy”. It was he who gave Skippy the Bush Kangaroo her personality and who captured the quite amazing performances from an animal which, however endearing, has no acting ability.
As the 70s brought a new wave of films and filmmakers it was Bill, with his quiet strength and creative skills, who became the cinematographer everyone wanted to work with.
This larger than life yet unassuming character was widely respected and loved and well deserves a place in the ACS Hall of Fame.
