Thomas Neuwirth obit

Tom Neuwirth, Cinematographer on ‘Cagney & Lacey,’ Dies at 78

He collaborated often with his wife, director Karen Arthur, who made Emmy history in 1985 with her work on the fabled CBS crime drama.

 He was not on the list.

Tom Neuwirth, the cinematographer who worked alongside his wife, history-making TV director Karen Arthur, on episodes of Cagney & Lacey and many other projects, has died. He was 78.

Neuwirth died June 29 at his home in Manhattan, friend and producer Craig Anderson announced (they worked on six films together). No cause of death was revealed.

Over four decades, “Neuwirth’s career was defined by his extraordinary eye for capturing emotion, character and place — whether through the lens of his camera or from the cockpit of his own plane,” Anderson noted. “He earned his pilot’s license in high school and found joy and freedom in flying throughout his life. That same spirit guided his work behind the camera: bold, precise and always seeking a new perspective.”

Survivors include his wife of 41 years, Arthur, who became the first woman to receive a Primetime Emmy for outstanding directing for a drama series when she won in 1985 for helming the Cagney & Lacey fourth-season episode “Heat,” which featured a guest-starring turn by a young Michael Madsen.

Her husband was the cinematographer on that installment and five others directed by Arthur during that 1984-85 season.

“We fell madly in love on the first show that we did together, which was ‘Heat,’” Arthur said on a 2023 episode of the 80s TV Ladies podcast. “And we made all my movies, his movies, our movies, from Cagney & Lacey on together.”

Born in the Bronx, Neuwirth served as a photography apprentice in New York City before opening his own studio and moving to Hollywood after a photo assignment in Puerto Rico ignited his passion for filmmaking.

Starting as a camera assistant on such films as Russ Meyer’s Supervixens (1975), he advanced to helicopter camera operator on Ted Kotcheff’s First Blood (1982) and second-unit director of photography on J. Lee Thompson’s Death Wish 4: The Crackdown (1987).

Neuwirth shot 18 of 22 episodes of Cagney & Lacey during its fourth season, which culminated with the show winning six Emmys, including its first for outstanding drama series and the trophy presented to Arthur. (In the “Heat” episode, Tyne Daly’s Mary Beth is taken hostage in a railroad yard by a psychopathic teenager portrayed by Madsen.)

Over the years, Neuwirth also brought his visual storytelling to such acclaimed productions as the five-hour 1992 ABC miniseries The Jacksons: An American Dream; the 1997 CBS miniseries True Women, starring Dana Delany and Angelina Jolie; the 1998 CBS telefilm The Staircase, starring Barbara Hershey; and the 2001 PBS telefilm The Song of the Lark, starring Maximilian Schell. (All were directed by Arthur.)

“When we started out together, most people, like agents and producers, said [their business relationship] would never work. We might get into an argument, but it was never an issue. It’s always been professional,” Neuwirth said in 2012.

“When we watch a rehearsal, we look at each other and communicate with subtle movements and statements, and it allows Karen to focus more on the bigger picture.”

Neuwirth and his wife also lived in the Bahamas, where they co-founded Island Films; their 2008-12 documentary series Artists of the Bahamas, which premiered at the Bahamas International Film Festival, spotlighted some of the nation’s leading visual artists.

“Make a lot of films,” he often told young filmmakers. “With every one, you realize mistakes and keep getting better.”

In addition to Arthur, survivors include his son, Adam, and his twin sister, Hilary. A private memorial will be held. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory can be made to the Make-a-Wish Foundation of America.

 

Director

Artists of the Bahamas (2008)

Artists of the Bahamas

Director

2008

 

Lorenzo Lamas, Kathleen Kinmont, and Branscombe Richmond in Renegade (1992)

Renegade

6.0

TV Series

Director (as Thomas Neuwirth)

1996

1 episode

 

Broken Bars (1995)

Broken Bars

5.1

Director

1995

 

Cinematographer

Artists of the Bahamas (2008)

Artists of the Bahamas

Cinematographer

2008

 

Tom Arnold, Candace Cameron Bure, and Christopher Wiehl in Moonlight & Mistletoe (2008)

Moonlight & Mistletoe

6.0

TV Movie

director of photography

2008

 

The Christmas Blessing (2005)

The Christmas Blessing

6.2

TV Movie

director of photography

2005

 

The Locket (2002)

The Locket

7.0

TV Movie

director of photography

2002

 

The Song of the Lark (2001)

The Song of the Lark

6.1

TV Movie

Cinematographer (as Thomas Neuwirth)

2001

 

Frances Fisher and Derwin Jordan in Passion and Prejudice (2001)

Passion and Prejudice

6.5

TV Movie

Cinematographer

2001

 

The lost child (2000)

The lost child

6.4

TV Movie

Cinematographer

2000

 

Lea Thompson, Ellen Burstyn, Faye Dunaway, and Thomas Gibson in A Will of Their Own (1998)

A Will of Their Own

6.8

TV Mini Series

Cinematographer

1998

2 episodes

 

Labor of Love (1998)

Labor of Love

5.7

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1998

 

The Staircase (1998)

The Staircase

6.7

TV Movie

director of photography

1998

 

Dana Delany, Annabeth Gish, and Angelina Jolie in True Women (1997)

True Women

6.6

TV Mini Series

Cinematographer (as Thomas Neuwirth)

1997

 

Journey of the Heart (1997)

Journey of the Heart

6.5

TV Movie

director of photography (as Thomas Neuwirth)

1997

 

Terry Farrell and Jim Davidson in Reasons of the Heart (1996)

Reasons of the Heart

5.9

director of photography (as Thomas Neuwirth)

1996

 

Dead by Sunset (1995)

Dead by Sunset

6.7

TV Mini Series

Cinematographer

1995

2 episodes

 

Love and Betrayal: The Mia Farrow Story (1995)

Love and Betrayal: The Mia Farrow Story

5.3

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1995

 

Judith Light in Against Their Will (1994)

Against Their Will

5.5

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1994

 

John Stamos in The Disappearance of Christina (1993)

The Disappearance of Christina

5.5

TV Movie

director of photography (as Thomas Neuwirth)

1993

 

The Jacksons: An American Dream (1992)

The Jacksons: An American Dream

7.5

TV Mini Series

Cinematographer

1992

2 episodes

 

The Secret (1992)

The Secret

6.0

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1992

 

Joseph Cotten and Teresa Wright in Shadow of a Doubt (1991)

Shadow of a Doubt

5.5

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1991

 

Robert Wagner and Nancy Everhard in This Gun for Hire (1991)

This Gun for Hire

5.8

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1991

 

Christopher Reeve in Bump in the Night (1991)

Bump in the Night

5.9

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1991

 

A Killer Among Us (1990)

A Killer Among Us

5.9

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1990

 

Project: Tinman (1990)

Project: Tinman

4.6

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1990

 

Kevin Spacey and Bernadette Peters in Fall from Grace (1990)

Fall from Grace

5.8

TV Movie

director of photography (as Thomas Neuwirth)

1990

 

Blue Bayou (1990)

Blue Bayou

6.5

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1990

 

Bridge to Silence (1989)

Bridge to Silence

6.1

TV Movie

director of photography

1989

 

Randy Quaid and Lindsay Wagner in Evil in Clear River (1988)

Evil in Clear River

6.2

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1988

 

Lady Beware (1987)

Lady Beware

5.7

director of photography

1987

 

Hard Copy (1987)

Hard Copy

4.3

TV Series

Cinematographer

1987

8 episodes

 

Kim Delaney in Cracked Up (1987)

Cracked Up

5.7

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1987

 

Harvey Korman and Valerie Perrine in Leo & Liz in Beverly Hills (1986)

Leo & Liz in Beverly Hills

6.1

TV Series

Cinematographer

1986

6 episodes

 

Condor (1985)

Condor

5.0

TV Movie

Cinematographer (as Thom Neuwirth)

1985

 

Richard Crenna in The Rape of Richard Beck (1985)

The Rape of Richard Beck

6.7

TV Movie

director of photography

1985

 

Cagney & Lacey (1981)

Cagney & Lacey

6.9

TV Series

director of photography

1984–1985

18 episodes

 

Lottery! (1983)

Lottery!

6.9

TV Series

Cinematographer

1983–1984

7 episodes

 

Tom Selleck in Magnum, P.I. (1980)

Magnum, P.I.

7.5

TV Series

director of photography (as Thom Neuwirth)

1981

1 episode

 

Joanna Cassidy, Mark Harmon, and John Bennett Perry in 240-Robert (1979)

240-Robert

7.1

TV Series

director of photography (as Thom Neuwirth)

1981

3 episodes

 

Camera and Electrical Department

Charles Bronson in Messenger of Death (1988)

Messenger of Death

5.4

additional photographer

1988

 

Charles Bronson in Death Wish 4: The Crackdown (1987)

Death Wish 4: The Crackdown

5.5

director of photography: second unit

1987

 

Marcia Cross in Pros & Cons (1986)

Pros & Cons

6.0

TV Movie

additional photography

1986

 

Evil Town (1985)

Evil Town

3.8

assistant camera (as Thomas Neuwirth)

1985

 

High Performance

5.6

TV Series

director of photography: second unit

1983

1 episode

 

Sylvester Stallone in First Blood (1982)

First Blood

7.7

helicopter camera operator (as Thomas Neuwirth)

1982

 

Pigs vs. Freaks (1982)

Pigs vs. Freaks

6.0

TV Movie

camera operator

1982

 

Joanna Cassidy, Mark Harmon, and John Bennett Perry in 240-Robert (1979)

240-Robert

7.1

TV Series

camera operator

1979

11 episodes

 

Christina Cummings in Supervixens (1975)

Supervixens

5.9

assistant camera

1975