Born in New York City. He entered films in the mid-1920s as a general-purpose apprentice at Paramount's Astoria, Queens, New York, studios, then became an assistant cameraman. Graduating to camera operator, he worked in the 1940s on such MGM productions as BATHING BEAUTY (1944), ANCHORS AWEIGH (1945), HOLIDAY IN MEXICO (1946), and THE ROMANCE OF ROSY RIDGE (1947). He became a lighting cameraman in the early 1950s and, working as a free-lancer, provided striking images for a number of major Hollywood productions, including CARMEN JONES and A STAR IS BORN (both 1954), THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN ARM (1955), ADVISE AND CONSENT and CAPE FEAR (both 1962), GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER (1967) and THE MAN IN THE GLASS BOOTH (1975). Leavitt won an Academy Award for the cinematography of THE DEFIANT ONES (1958). Near the end of his career, he worked extensively in made-for-TV movies and series.  Cinematography (Black & White) 1958: THE DEFIANT ONES  Nominated for Cinematography (Black & White) 1959: ANATOMY OF A MURDER  Nominated for Cinematography (Color) 1960: EXODUS 3 nominations, 1 Award