Born in Szeged, Hungary. A graduate of the Budapest Film School, he fled to the US during th 1956 uprising with a fellow student, Laszlo Kovacs. In Hollywood, he worked as a still photographer, lab technician, cameraman on educational shorts, and camera assistant, before making his debut as cinematographer in 1963 (THE SADIST and LIVING BETWEEN TWO WORLDS). He worked on many bottom-budget productions but gained prominence in the early 70s when he worked on such films as Robert Altman's McCABE AND MRS. MILLER (1971) and John Boorman's DELIVERANCE (1972). He won an Academy Award® for the cinematography of CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977). Other notable non-nominated credits include IMAGES (1972), CINDERELLA LIBERTY (1973), THE SUGARLAND EXPRESS (1974), THE GIRL FROM PETROVKA and OBSESSION (both 1976), THE ROSE (1978), WINTER KILLS (1979), HEAVEN'S GATE (1980), BLOW OUT (1981), JINXED! (1982), TABLE FOR FIVE (1983), NO SMALL AFFAIR (1984), REAL GENIUS (1985), THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK (1987), FAT MAN AND LITTLE BOY (1989), THE BONFIRE OF THE VANITIES and THE TWO JAKES (both 1990), SLIVER (1993), MAVERICK (1994), THE CROSSING GUARD (1995), ASSASSINS (1995), THE GHOST AND THE DARKNESS (1996), PLAYING BY HEART (1998), THE ARGUMENT (1999), THE BODY (2000), LIFE AS A HOUSE (2001), JERSEY GIRL and MELINDA AND MELINDA (both 2004), TORN FROM THE FLAG (2006, also exec. producucer), CASSANDRA'S DREAM (2007), and THE GREAT OBSERVER and BOLDEN! (both scheduled for 2008). In 1992, he made a directorial debut with THE LONG SHADOW. In 1999, Zsigmond received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC).  Cinematography 1977: CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND  Nominated for Cinematography 1978: THE DEER HUNTER  Nominated for Cinematography 1984: THE RIVER  Nominated for Cinematography 2006: THE BLACK DAHLIA 4 nominations, 1 Award