Don Burgess, ASC is a native of Los Angeles. He studied filmmaking at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, and launched his career shooting industrial films, documentaries and commercials. He also worked as a camera operator and was soon tabbed as a go-to guy when you needed a second unit cameraman who could shoot while skiing backwards.

By the mid-1980s, Burgess was lensing a steady diet of telefilms and rejecting most second unit assignments. However he bent that rule on Back to the Future II and Death Becomes Her, which were directed by Robert Zemeckis. That led to a chance to shoot an episode of Tales From the Crypt and then Forrest Gump with Zemeckis, which earned Burgess Academy and ASC Award nominations. He also worked with Zemeckis on such memorable films as Contact, Cast Away, What Lies Beneath and The Polar Express. Burgess’ additional credits include Spiderman, Terminator 3, The Bourne Identity, 13 Going on 30, and Christmas with the Kranks.