Cecil Cooney was born at Ravenswood, Queensland, Australia; a gold
mining town in North Queensland, where his father was an industrial
steam engine operator. His career began on the back of the success of
his younger sister Mavis Villiers, who was a child film actress in
Australia. His family emigrated to Hollywood, USA, in 1921, in order to
further Mavis's career.
Cecil's career as a Camera Operator, began and progressed in Hollywood
over a 12 year period that ended in 1933. Most of his activity in
Hollywood is uncredited or undocumented. His first documented credit is
as assistant camera on the 1926 production Brand im Osten (1926),
staring Lon Chaney. In 1932-33, Cecil was assistant camera on six
titles under the direction of the innovative cinematographer Charles Rosher, who is considered to be Hollywood's first full time
cinematographer.
