Born in London, England; grew up in East Afica. Alan and Joan Root, married from 1961 until 1981, made 10 movies together. They were considered pioneers for making nature films that woke up the genre of wildlife documentaries. A 1981 Times review called them "one of the world's greatest photographic teams." Root was a cinematographer for SERENGETI DARF NICHT STERBEN / SERENGETI SHALL NOT DIE (1959) and GEHEIMINIS LEBEN / SECRET LIFE (1966). His producing/directing credits include MZIMA: PORTRAIT OF A SPRING (1972), BAOBAB: PORTRAIT OF A TREE (1973), THE YEAR OF THE WILDEBEAST and BALOON SAFARI (both 1975), MYSTERIOUS CASTLES OF CLAY (1978), KOBJES: A ROCK FOR ALL SEASONS (1980) and "Heart of Africa" (1996, TV mini-series, segment "Forest Primeval"). He was executive producer of "The Queen of the Trees", a 2006 episode of the PBS series "Nature". While filming footage for GORILLAS IN THE MIST: THE STORY OF DIAN FOSSEY (1988), Root was bitten in the thigh by a charging gorilla, as he describes in TV documentary "Gorillas: Primal Contact." On another occasion his left forefinger was bitten off by a puff adder. Root's ex-wife Joan was fatally shot in January 2006 by assailants who broke into her lake front farmhouse outside Nairobi. Authorities suspected the conservationist was attacked because she tried to prevent illegal fishing on the lake. A former employee and a poacher were held in the killing.  Nominated for Documentary (Features) 1978: MYSTERIOUS CASTLES OF CLAY - Producer 1 nomination