John Bailey, cinematographer for ‘Groundhog Day,’ ‘Ordinary People’ dead at 81

LOS ANGELES — John Bailey, the cinematographer for the movies “Groundhog Day,” “Ordinary People” and “As Good as It Gets” and was a two-term president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, died Friday. He was 81.

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Bailey died “peacefully in his sleep” in Los Angeles, his wife, Carol Littleton, said in a statement released by the Academy, according to Variety.

“It is with deep sadness I share with you that my best friend and husband, John Bailey, passed away peacefully in his sleep early this morning,” wrote Littleton, a film editor who was nominated for an Academy Award for “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.” “During John’s illness, we reminisced how we met 60 years ago and were married for 51 of those years. We shared a wonderful life of adventure in film and made many long-lasting friendships along the way. John will forever live in my heart.”

They worked on more than a dozen films together, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Bailey worked with director Paul Schrader on “American Gigolo” (1980), “Cat People” (1982), “Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters” (1985), “:Light of Day” (1987) and “Forever Mine” (1999), according to the entertainment news website.

Bailey collaborated with Lawrence Kasdan on “The Big Chill,” “Silverado” (1985), “The Accidental Tourist” (1988) and “Wyatt Earp” (1994).

In 2015, Bailey was presented with a lifetime achievement award by the American Society of Cinematographers, Variety reported.

He was elected to the Academy’s Board of Governors in 1996 and won reelection three years later, serving until 2002, according to the entertainment news website. He served in the same post again beginning in 2010 and was reelected in 2013 and 2016.

Bailey was elected as AMPAS president in 2017 and steered the organization through Hollywood’s #MeToo movement, Variety reported.

“I had no idea how stressful that job was going to be,” Bailey said.

ohn Ira Bailey was born on Aug. 10, 1942, in Moberly, Missouri, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He was raised in Norwalk, California, and edited the school newspaper at Pius X High School in Downey, California. Bailey attended Santa Clara University and graduated from Loyola Marymount University in 1964.

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