Robert F. Liu

Robert F. Liu was a Chinese-born cinematographer.

With a career that began in the sound department at Great Wall Studios in Hong Kong, Liu came to the states to study at USC, where he earned a master's degree in film.

He also met director Robert Wise and cinematographer James Wong Howe, both of whom became mentors to Liu as he ran USC's motion picture laboratory and worked his way up, shooting documentaries and surgical films for the UCLA Medical Center.

He soon landed a job as a second camera assistant on the television series Gunsmoke and then became a camera operator on Columbo and Lou Grant before being promoted to director of photography on the latter.

Liu went on to lens a number of shows including The Curse of Dracula, The Duck Factory, Newhart, Family Ties, The Steve Harvey Show, and The Nanny.

He was twice nominated for Primetime Emmy awards: first in 1982 for Outstanding Cinematography for a Series, for Lou Grant, and again in 1989 for Outstanding Lighting Direction for a Comedy Series for Family Ties.

Liu died January 11, 2021, in Los Angeles, California. He was 94.