Ken Kelsch
Ken Kelsch | |
|---|---|
| Born | Kenneth Arthur Kelsch July 8, 1947 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | December 11, 2023 (aged 76) Hackettstown, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation | Cinematographer |
| Years active | 1972–2019 |
| Organization | American Society of Cinematographers |
| Children | 3 |
| Military career | |
| Service | United States Army |
| Rank | First lieutenant |
| Unit | Special Forces |
| Battles / wars | Vietnam War |
Kenneth Arthur Kelsch ASC (July 8, 1947 – December 11, 2023) was an American cinematographer. He was best known for his guerilla filmmaking style and his career-spanning partnership with filmmaker Abel Ferrara, with whom he made more than a dozen films, including The Driller Killer (1979), Bad Lieutenant (1992), Dangerous Game (1993), The Addiction (1995), The Blackout (1997), and Welcome to New York (2014), as well as a segment of the HBO dark comedy drama anthology series Subway Stories (1997).
On television, Kelsch was the director of photography for the pilot episode of the CBS crime drama series Hack (2002) and the first and second seasons of the NBC supernatural procedural drama series Medium (2005–06). He was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography for his work on Abel Ferrara’s The Funeral (1996).
Prior to his filmmaking career, Kelsch served in the United States Army Special Forces during the Vietnam War, as a member of MACV-SOG.