Life and career

Early years

Semler was born in Renmark, South Australia. His first work in the production industry was as a camera operator at a local television station. Later, he began making documentary and educational films for Film Australia. He was the cinematographer for A Steam Train Passes (1974), Moving On (1974), Let the Balloon Go (1976), and A Good Thing Going (1978). His first film was Stepping Out, in 1980. Allmovie praised his "stunning work" on the film Hoodwink (1981) with a screen play by Ken Quinnell.

1980s

Semler was the cinematographer for Mad Max 2 (1981). Semler's vast panoramic shots of the Australian Outback's deserts "...convincingly conveyed a parched, dusty, post-apocalyptic world" and led to international attention for his work. Semler also acted as cinematographer for the follow-up film to The Road Warrior, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985). Semler was also a cinematographer for the acclaimed Australian miniseries Bodyline (1984). In the late 1980s, Semler was the cinematographer for several popular films, such as Cocktail (1988) and Young Guns (1988).

1990s

In 1990, Semler was hired as cinematographer for Kevin Costner's Dances with Wolves, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Cinematography. Semler lensed the comedy City Slickers (1991) and the action film Last Action Hero (1993) in the early 1990s. In 1995, Semler again worked with Costner on his film Waterworld.

2000s

In the 2000s, Semler was the cinematographer for a range of movies that included comedies (Nutty Professor II: The Klumps from 2000, and Bruce Almighty from 2003), action films (xXx from 2002 and The Alamo from 2004). In the mid-2000s, Semler was the cinematographer for the football comedy The Longest Yard (2005) and Just My Luck (2006). In 2006, Semler worked with Mel Gibson again for the film Apocalypto. Semler's camera work conveyed the beauty of the lush Mesoamerican jungle setting in Apocalypto.

Filmography

1960s

Year	Title	Cinematographer	Director	Notes
1962	The Valley of Water	No	No	Television film Floor manager

1970s

Year	Title	Cinematographer	Director	Notes
1971	The Choice	Yes	No	N/A
1971	Where Dead Men Lie	Yes	No	N/A
1973	The Fifth Facade: The Making of the Sydney Opera House	No	No	Camera operator
1973	I Need More Staff	Yes	No	N/A
1973	One Good Reason	Yes	No	Camera operator
1973	Through My Eyes: Kilkenny Primary School, South Australia	Yes	No	Camera operator
1973	Through My Eyes: Stradbroke Infants School, South Australia	Yes	No	Camera operator
1974	Parent Teacher Interviews	Yes	No	Camera operator
1974	A Steam Train Passes	Yes	No	Short documentary film
1974	Moving On	Yes	No	N/A
1976	Do I Have to Kill My Child?	Yes	No	Television film
1976	Let the Balloon Go	Yes	No	N/A
1977	Outback Supply	Yes	No	Camera operator
1977	Cass	No	Yes	Second unit director Television film
1978	A Good Thing Going	Yes	No	N/A
1979	Saturday	Yes	Yes	N/A

1980s

Year	Title	Cinematographer	Director	Notes
1980	War Without Weapons	Yes	No	N/A
1980	The Russians	Yes	No	TV series documentary
1981	Hoodwink	Yes	No	N/A
1981	Mad Max 2	Yes	No	N/A
1983	The Dismissal	Yes	No	TV miniseries
1983	Kitty and the Bagman	Yes	No	N/A
1983	Return to Eden	Yes	No	TV miniseries
1984	After the Flood	No	No	Camera operator
1984	Bodyline	Yes	No	TV miniseries 7 episodes
1984	Undercover	Yes	No	N/A
1984	Razorback	Yes	No	N/A
1985	Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome	Yes	No	N/A
1985	The Coca-Cola Kid	Yes	No	N/A
1986	Passion Flower	Yes	No	Television film
1987	Bullseye	Yes	No	N/A
1987	Going Sane	Yes	No	N/A
1987	The Lighthorsemen	Yes	No	Camera operator
1988	Great Performances	Yes	No	TV series Episode: "Melba"
1988	The Clean Machine	Yes	No	Television film
1988	Cocktail	Yes	No	N/A
1988	Young Guns	Yes	No	N/A
1989	Lonesome Dove	Yes	No	Director of photography: Second unit
1989	Farewell to the King	Yes	No	N/A
1989	Dead Calm	Yes	No	N/A
1989	K-9	Yes	No	N/A

1990s

Year	Title	Cinematographer	Director	Notes
1990	Impulse	Yes	No	N/A
1990	Young Guns II	Yes	No	N/A
1990	Dances with Wolves	Yes	No	N/A
1991	City Slickers	Yes	No	N/A
1992	The Power of One	Yes	No	N/A
1993	Super Mario Bros.	Yes	Yes	Second unit director
1993	Last Action Hero	Yes	No	N/A
1993	The Three Musketeers	Yes	No	N/A
1994	The Cowboy Way	Yes	No	N/A
1995	Waterworld	Yes	No	N/A
1997	Gone Fishin'	Yes	No	N/A
1997	Trojan War	Yes	No	N/A
1998	Firestorm	No	Yes	N/A
1998	The Patriot	No	Yes	N/A
1999	The Bone Collector	Yes	No	N/A

2000s

Year	Title	Cinematographer	Director	Notes
2000	Nutty Professor II: The Klumps	Yes	No	N/A
2001	Heartbreakers	Yes	No	N/A
2002	D-Tox	Yes	No	N/A
2002	Dragonfly	Yes	No	N/A
2002	We Were Soldiers	Yes	No	N/A
2002	xXx	Yes	No	N/A
2002	The Adventures of Pluto Nash	Yes	No	Director of photography: Second unit
2003	Bruce Almighty	Yes	No	N/A
2004	The Alamo	Yes	No	N/A
2005	The Longest Yard	Yes	No	N/A
2005	Stealth	Yes	No	N/A
2006	Just My Luck	Yes	No	N/A
2006	Click	Yes	No	N/A
2006	Apocalypto	Yes	No	N/A
2007	I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry	Yes	No	N/A
2008	Get Smart	Yes	No	N/A
2008	Appaloosa	Yes	No	N/A
2008	Bedtime Stories	Yes	No	Director of photography: Second unit
2009	2012	Yes	No	N/A

2010s

Year	Title	Cinematographer	Director	Notes
2010	Date Night	Yes	No	N/A
2010	Secretariat	Yes	No	N/A
2011	In the Land of Blood and Honey	Yes	No	N/A
2012	Parental Guidance	Yes	No	N/A
2013	Grudge Match	Yes	No	N/A
2014	Heaven Is for Real	Yes	No	N/A
2014	Maleficent	Yes	No	N/A
2015	Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2	Yes	No	N/A
2016	The Do-Over	Yes	No	N/A

[ Source: Wikipedia ]