Deschanel was born in Philadelphia, PA and raised there and in Annapolis, MD. His parents gave him a Brownie Hawkeye camera as a birthday present when he was 11. When Deschanel enrolled at Johns Hopkins University, he intended to study medicine but his interest shifted first to art history and then to film. After graduating, he enrolled in the University of Southern California film school where Haskell Wexler, ASC became an early mentor. Deschanel capped his formal studies at the American Film Institute with a six-week apprenticeship with Gordon Willis, ASC. Carroll Ballard, a neighbor in Venice, California, launched Deschanel's career when he hired him to shoot a documentary. Deschanel subsequently directed several award-winning documentaries (e.g., TRAINS, 1976). Other notable (non-nominated) credits include BEING THERE (1979), THE SLUGGER'S WIFE (1985), IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU (1994), HOPE FLOATS (1998), MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE and ANNA AND THE KING (both1999), THE HUNTED, TIMELINE and THE PASSION (all 2003). He directed the photography of the modern sequences in James Cameron's TITANIC (1997). He directed THE ESCAPE ARTIST (1982), CRUSOE (1988) and 3 episodes of the 1990 TV series "Twin Peaks." In 1994, he co-founded Dark Light Pictures in West Hollywood, CA. Wife Mary Jo is an actress, as are their daughters Zooey Deschanel and Emily Deschanel. Dechanel serves on the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Cinematographers Branch) [2003-    ].  Nominated for Cinematography 1983: THE RIGHT STUFF  Nominated for Cinematography 1984: THE NATURAL  Nominated for Achievement in Cinematography 1996: FLY AWAY HOME  Nominated for Achievement in Cinematography 2000: THE PATRIOT  Nominated for Achievement in Cinematography 2004: THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST 5 nominations