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Movie Figure Known for ‘Terminator’ and ‘Rush Hour’ Dead at 88: RIP to Adam Greenberg

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By Craig Garrett
November 4, 2025 | 1:20 p.m. CST
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Adam Greenberg, the Oscar-nominated cinematographer behind films like The Terminator and Rush Hour, has died at 88.

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In a statement to Deadline, director James Cameron called Greenberg “a guiding light” since they first worked together on Cameron’s breakout film, The Terminator (1984). Cameron added that Greenberg “graciously” returned for the 1991 sequel, Terminator 2: Judgment Day.

“I learned so much from Adam, not just about cinematography, but about the spirit of independent production,” the three-time Oscar winner said. “He refused to let budget limitations inhibit his artistic expression. Adam had done scores of films when I worked with him on my first, and his scrappy, can-do spirit has been a guiding light for me ever since, even on the biggest of productions.”

“I saw him last a few years ago, when he graciously came in to help color time Terminator 2: Judgment Day for its stereo 3D re-release. I had just been in the middle of arguing with the colorist that the blues in a night scene were too purple and needed a little cyan. Adam took one look at the scene, took me aside, and said, ‘Jim, don’t you think it needs a point of cyan?’ He remembered a point of color over two decades later. That’s precision. I now see color with his eyes,” the Avatar director continued.

James Cameron Calls the Veteran Cinematographer “The Master”

“I could not have done my Terminator films without Adam,” Cameron added. “He taught me the narrative power of color and lighting. Nobody did night photography like Adam. I pride myself on my hand-held camera operating, but I learned that at Adam’s knee. He was the master. I know there is a whole generation of filmmakers that he influenced, and there were a handful of us that were privileged to have him shoot for us. We got to learn the lessons directly at his side. His talent and spirit will be missed.”

Fellow cinematographer Avraham Karpick, who worked with Greenberg on the 1984 film The Ambassador, announced the director of photography’s death on Oct. 30.

“Adam did not speak to impress — he spoke to connect. He did not lead by direction — he led by example. He never commanded — he swam beside us, anchored in clarity, wisdom, and calm,” Karpick wrote on Facebook. “Free of ego, far from vanity, he stayed above noise, gossip, and distraction.

“Now we are left with echoes — of his words, his spirit, his way. Because whales never truly vanish. They become part of something deeper,” Karpick added.

Adam Greenberg’s Career in Film Began in thr 1950s

Born on April 11, 1937, in Kraków, Poland, Greenberg grew up in Tel Aviv. There, he started his career as a film lab technician and documentary cameraman in the 1950s and ’60s, Deadline reported.

Greenberg began his career as a Director of Photography (DP) on the 1966 Israeli musical The Flying Matchmaker. He then filmed Hasamba (1971), I Love You Rosa (1972), My Michael (1974), and Lemon Popsicle (1978).

Once in the American film industry, he served as cinematographer for director James Cameron on The Terminator (1984) and Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), receiving an Oscar nomination for the sequel.

Greenberg’s other credits also include Once Bitten (1985), La Bamba (1987), Three Men and a Baby (1987), Turner & Hooch (1989), Ghost (1990), Sister Act (1992), Rush Hour (1998), Inspector Gadget (1999) and Snakes on a Plane (2006).

In 2013, Greenberg returned to Israel to create the documentary Footsteps in Jerusalem. The film was a tribute to David Perlov’s 1963 film In Jerusalem, which was Greenberg’s first camera credit.