Born in
Winnipeg, Osmond Borradaile grew up in
Alberta, moving often during his childhood. While living in
Medicine Hat, he saw one of his first movies when he was seven years old. He started in
Hollywood filming silent movies during which period he made movies starring, among others,
Wallace Reid and legends such as
Rudolph Valentino,
Gloria Swanson, and
Lillian Gish. He then went on to "talkies" working closely on numerous films with
Cecil B. DeMille. He filmed the aerial sequences for Howard Hughes' ''
Hell's Angels'' (Hughes was his pilot), this being a precursor to the location and outdoor shooting that would become his trademark. Borradaile's speciality was filming natural environments to serve as backdrops and stock footage. Much of this footage was taken in Africa, where he met and filmed the rituals and daily lives of several tribes. He was also behind the camera for the films of
Sabu, including
Elephant Boy,
The Drum, and
The Four Feathers, which was nominated for the
Academy Award for Best Color Cinematography. In the late 1940s, Borradaile travelled to
Antarctica to file sequences for
Scott of the Antarctic, one of the most ambitious film projects for the time period. In 1957, he was commissioned by the
Government of British Columbia to make a documentary film commemorating the province's upcoming centennial.
The Tall Country was released in 1958, and won the
Genie Award for Best Theatrical Short Film at the 11th Canadian Film Awards in 1959. In 1982, he was made an Officer of the
Order of Canada, Canada's highest civilian honour. He died eight months past his 100th birthday in Vancouver. Borradaile's grandson is former rugby union footballer
Norm Hadley. ==Selected filmography==