Famous for his work on movies like “Secret in Their Eyes” and “Fireflies in the Garden,” Daniel Moder is an American cinematographer. Daniel was reared in Los Angeles and went to college to study psychology. However, his intense interest in cameras and lighting led him to try to get a job as a cinematographer in Hollywood. In the 1995 action-adventure movie “Crimson Tide,” he got his start in the industry as a production assistant. Then, he performed assisting duties on the set of the movie “The Fan.” For movies including “The Brave,” “Enemy of the State,” and “The Big Tease,” he served as a camera assistant. In 2000, he began his career as a cinematographer with the short film “Kid Quick.” The 2002 movie “Grand Champion” served as the basis for his first significant cinematography project. Additionally, he operated cameras in movies like “Spider-Man 3.” He worked on the 2007 documentary “Border” as a full-fledged cinematographer. Later, he contributed to the movies “Plush” and “Secret in Their Eyes.” In 2014, his performance in the television movie “The Normal Heart” led to a nomination for a “Primetime Emmy Award.” He is also well-known for being Julia Roberts’s husband, a legendary Hollywood icon. In July 2002, Daniel and Julia exchanged vows.
Early Childhood & Life
To Mike Moder and Patricia Ann-Waltz, Daniel Moder was born on January 31, 1969, in Los Angeles, California. His parents were part-time film producers in the entertainment business. Daniel had his first experience with the entertainment industry because of this.
John, Jane, Jyl, and Debbie were Daniel’s four siblings, and he grew up in a large household. Daniel was academically successful during his early years and showed little interest in the movie industry. In 1987, he received his diploma from ‘Saint Monica High School’. He then enrolled in the “University of Colorado Boulder” and began studying psychology.
He made the decision to work as a cinematographer in the film industry after graduating. Daniel was able to gain useful experience as a production assistant thanks to the relationships his father had in the field.
Career of Daniel Moder
In the 1995 action-thriller movie “Crimson Tide,” Daniel worked as a production assistant for the first time. Three ‘Academy Award’ nominations were given to the movie, which was a major commercial and critical success.
He was a camera loader for the movies “The Fan” from 1996 and “The Brave” from 1997. The latter resulted in a serious and financial disaster. It was, however, shown in the “Cannes Film Festival.”
After that, Daniel worked as a second assistant cameraman on the 1997 film “Enemy of the State,” which starred Will Smith. The movie is regarded as a cult classic and was a huge commercial and critical success. These movies gave Daniel a lot of cinematography knowledge and prepared him for his debut.
However, Daniel served as a production assistant for “The Big Tease,” “Tuesdays with Morrie,” and “Lucky Numbers” before making his filmmaking debut. Additionally, he served as first assistant in the independent movie “Jerks.”
He made his professional filmmaking debut in 2000 with the short “Kid Quick.” The comedy movie’s originality was praised. Daniel was aware that he wasn’t yet prepared to work as a cinematographer on feature films, though. He made the decision to give himself more time to learn and continued to work as an assistant on movies like “The Mexican” and “Sand.”
He served as the cinematographer for the 2002 movie “Grand Champion.” In addition to Bruce Willis and Julia Roberts, it was a kid’s movie. The movie, which was primarily filmed in rural America, did not do well at the box office. No specific praise was given for the cinematography.
He served as the cinematographer’s first assistant on the Steven Soderbergh-helmed movie “Full Frontal” in 2002. The movie was a critical and financial failure. The following year, he served as the second unit’s director of photography on the Julia Roberts-starring movie “Mona Lisa Smile.” His contribution to this movie was really appreciated.
He finally stopped working as an assistant in 2004 and began working as the chief camera operator, making his acting debut in the movie “The Forgotten.” It was a science fiction movie that did well at the box office despite receiving poor reviews from critics.
He was employed as the cameraman for the Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie-starring movie Mr. & Mrs. Smith in 2005. The movie received positive reviews and widespread acclaim for its cinematography.
He proceeded to operate cameras for other high-profile movies in the years that followed, including “Déjà Vu,” “Spider-Man 3,” and “Seraphim Falls.” He resumed his role as chief cinematographer with the 2007 documentary “Border.” The film, which was made along the border with Mexico, only saw a small number of screenings.
Daniel worked on “The Hit” and “The Kopper Kettle,” two independent short films, throughout the course of the following two years. His most well-known and accomplished effort as a cinematographer thus far was the 2008 movie “Fireflies in the Garden.” Although the movie bombed both critically and financially, everyone admired the cinematography.
Daniel thereafter carried on acting in independent movies including “Grace” and “In Dreams I Run Wild.” Daniel contributed to the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival world premiere of the movie “Jesus Henry Christ.”
‘Plush,’ an erotic thriller from 2013, had Daniel handle the cinematography. Although the movie was thought to be brave and to have a distinctive aesthetic appeal, it was unable to get positive reviews or make a profit at the box office.
Daniel contributed to the 2015 psychological suspense thriller ‘Secret in Their Eyes,’ which featured Nicole Kidman and Julia Roberts in pivotal roles. In terms of box office receipts and critical acclaim, the movie was a mediocre success. Daniel was never a sought-after cinematographer since he had too many failures on his resume and too few accolades for his work.
In order to operate the camera for the 2015 movie “Point Break,” he had to do so once more. Additionally, he shot more scenes for the 2016 movie “Heaven’s Floor.” In 2018’s romance movie “Ibiza,” he made yet another comeback as a cinematographer. Mixed reviews were given to the movie.
Honors & Awards of Daniel Moder
Throughout his career, Daniel Moder has remained a subpar director of photography. His most notable professional accomplishment as a cinematographer was being nominated for a “Outstanding Cinematography for a Miniseries or Movie” “Primetime Emmy” for the TV movie “The Normal Heart” from 2014. For the same movie, he was also up for a “OFTA Television Award.”
Individual Life of Daniel Moder
In 1997, Daniel Moder wed Vera Steimberg. After five years of marriage, the couple filed for divorce in 2002. He allegedly started dating Julia Roberts in 2000 after first meeting her on a movie shoot. When Daniel married Julia in 2002, not long after divorcing his first wife, the allegations were shown to be true. Daniel and Julia are parents to Henry Daniel Moder, a son, and twin daughters Hazel Patricia and Phinnaeus “Finn” Walter Moder.
The net worth of Daniel Moder
An American cinematographer with a $10 million fortune is Daniel Moder. In January 1969, Daniel Moder was born in Los Angeles, California. In 2002, he wed Julia Roberts. In 1995, Moder started out as a production assistant on the movie Crimson Tide. He worked as a camera loader on the 1996 film The Fan and the 1997 film The Brave.