Motion Picture Cinematographer.  He was a Spanish-born cameraman of French and Hollywood films.  The hallmark of his style is a poetic use of natural light in both exteriors and interiors.  He won an Academy Award for his breathtaking photography of “Days of Heaven” (1978) and received Oscar nominations for “Kramer vs. Kramer” (1979),  “The Blue Lagoon” (1980),  and “Sophie’s Choice” (1982).  Néstor Almendros Cuyas was born in Barcelona.  At 18 he moved to Cuba to join his anti-Franco father in exile,  and began making short documentaries there after Castro came to power.  Based in France from the mid-1960s,  he collaborated frequently with directors Erich Rohmer and Barbet Schroeder and became the favorite cinematographer of Francois Truffaut,  for whom he shot “The Wild Child” (1970),  “Bed and Board” (1970),  “Two English Girls” (1971),  “The Story of Adele H.” (1975),  “The Man Who Loved Women” (1977),  “The Green Room” (1978),  “Love on the Run” (1979),  “The Last Metro” (1980),  and Truffaut’s last film,  “Confidentially Yours” (1983).  His other credits include “My Night at Maud’s” (1969),  “Claire’s Knee” (1970),  “Goin’ South” (1978),  “Pauline at the Beach” (1983),  “Places in the Heart” (1984),  “Heartburn” (1986),  “New York Stories” (the “Life Lessons” episode,  directed by Martin Scorsese,  1989),  and “Billy Bathgate” (1991).  Almendros later co-directed two documentaries on human rights abuses in Cuba,  “Improper Conduct” (1984) and “Nobody Listened” (1987);  the first is primarily about the Castro regime’s oppression of homosexuals.  He also wrote the book “A Man with a Camera” (1984).  Shortly before his death at 61 he discussed his technique and experiences for the documentary “Visions of Light” (1992). (bio by: Bobb Edwards) Cause of death: Complications of AIDS