From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Robert De Grasse (February 9, 1900 - January 28, 1971) was an American cinematographer. Born in Maplewood, New Jersey where his family was working in the fledgling movie industry, he was the nephew of film actor Sam De Grasse. Robert De Grasse began his career as an assistant cameraman then moved on to become a full-time cinematographer by the time he was 21 years old. He worked on over 100 movies including Vigil in the Night (1940), The Leopard Man (1943) and The Body Snatcher (1945) as well as classic television shows such as I Love Lucy and The Dick Van Dyke Show. In 1939, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography for his work on the film Vivacious Lady. Robert De Grasse died in 1971 in Newport Beach, California.