Raoul Coutard was born on September 16, 1924, and died on November 8, 2016.

He was a French cinematographer.

Coutard was best known for his connection with the Nouvelle Vague period and particularly for his work with director Jean-Luc Godard.

He also shot films for New Wave director François Truffaut as well as Jacques Demy, a contemporary frequently associated with the movement.

Coutard has shot over 75 films during a career that lasted nearly half a century.

Originally, he had planned to study chemistry, but switched to photography because of the cost of tuition.

During 1945, he was sent to participate in the French Indochina War; he lived in Vietnam for the next 11 years, working as a war photographer, eventually becoming a freelancer for Paris Match and Look.

During 1956, Coutard was approached to shoot a film by Pierre Schoendoerffer, La Passe du Diable.

He had never used a movie camera before, and reportedly agreed to the job because of a misunderstanding (he believed he was being hired to shoot production stills of the film).

Raoul Coutard passed away at 92 years old.