Richard M. Rawlings Jr., TV cinematographer, dies at 82
The four-time Emmy nominee shot Charlie’s Angels, L.A. Law, Gilmore Girls and Desperate Housewives across a 30-year TV career.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
Richard M. Rawlings Jr., the veteran television cinematographer whose camera work stretched from the original Charlie’s Angels to Desperate Housewives, has died at 82.
The American Society of Cinematographers confirmed his death. The group did not give a cause of death, or details on where or when he died.
Rawlings built a 30-year career behind the camera and earned four Emmy nominations along the way. His credits included Charlie’s Angels, L.A. Law, Gilmore Girls, Desperate Housewives, Boston Public, Matt Houston, Stingray and Reasonable Doubts.
A second-generation camera pro
Rawlings was born Oct. 9, 1943, in Los Angeles. He was the son of Richard L. Rawlings, another longtime television cinematographer whose work included Dynasty and Gilligan’s Island.
The younger Rawlings started in the business as a Warner Bros. messenger, a job he held for three years before moving into camera work. He later worked as an assistant to his father on shows including Gilligan’s Island.
His big break came through Aaron Spelling’s TV factory. The elder Rawlings had been working on Charlie’s Angels when Spelling moved him onto the new primetime soap Dynasty. Richard M. Rawlings Jr. then stepped into the cinematographer role on Charlie’s Angels midway through its third season in 1978, after the ABC crime drama had become one of primetime’s top-rated series.
He remained with Charlie’s Angels until the show ended in 1981.
Emmy nominations and an ASC award
Rawlings won an American Society of Cinematographers Award in 1988 for his work on the CBS western Paradise. That same series also brought him one of his Emmy nominations.
His other Emmy nominations came for ABC’s Ohara in 1988, NBC’s Reasonable Doubts in 1993 and the CBS television movie Big Dreams & Broken Hearts: The Dottie West Story in 1995.
The ASC later recognized him with its Television Career Achievement Award in 2014.
After Charlie’s Angels, Rawlings worked steadily across network television. His 1980s and 1990s credits included the ABC action series Matt Houston, ABC’s Stingray, NBC’s Reasonable Doubts, led by Marlee Matlin, and NBC’s legal drama L.A. Law.
He later added a run of 2000s series to his résumé, including Boston Public, Gilmore Girls and Desperate Housewives. He also worked on several television movies.
How he saw a scene
Rawlings described his approach to lighting and camera work in a 1995 interview with American Cinematographer, the ASC’s magazine. He said his decisions could change after arriving on a set and hearing the actors perform the scene.
“I always wait until the moment and then make my choices,” Rawlings told the magazine. He added that he was not guided by formulas for lighting, saying he worked by eye and knew what “20 footcandles” looked like.
Information about survivors was not immediately available.
This story draws on original reporting from Deadline.