Personal info
Known for
Cinematographer
Gender
Male
Birthday
02 April
Location
Budapest, Hungary
Edit pageLajos Koltai
Biography
Lajos Koltai is a Hungarian cinematographer and film director, born on April 2, 1946, in Budapest, Hungary. He studied cinematography at the University of Theatre and Film Arts in Budapest and began his career as an assistant cameraman before establishing himself as one of Hungary's leading cinematographers.
He is particularly known for his long-running collaboration with director István Szabó, working on films such as Mephisto (1981), Colonel Redl (1985), Hanussen (1988), and Sunshine (1999). He also collaborated with Italian filmmaker Giuseppe Tornatore on The Legend of 1900 (1998) and Malèna (2000).
Directorial Career
Koltai made his feature-film directorial debut with Fateless (2005), based on the novel by Nobel Prize-winning author Imre Kertész. He later directed Evening (2007) and Semmelweis (2023), a biographical drama about Hungarian physician Ignaz Semmelweis.
Notable Filmography
Mephisto (1981)
Colonel Redl (1985)
Hanussen (1988)
Home for the Holidays (1995)
The Legend of 1900 (1998)
Sunshine (1999)
Malèna (2000)
Being Julia (2004)
Fateless (2005)
Evening (2007)
Final Report (2020)
Semmelweis (2023)
Awards and Recognition
Koltai received an Academy Award nomination for Best Cinematography for Malèna (2000). He also won the European Film Award for Best Cinematographer for The Legend of 1900 and received major Hungarian honours, including the Kossuth Prize.
