Dean Semler, A.C.S., A.S.C. (born 1943) is an Australian cinematographer. Over his career, he has worked as a cinematographer, camera operator, director, second unit director, and assistant director.
Semler was born in Renmark, South Australia. His first work in the production industry was as a camera operator at a local television station. Later, he began making documentary and educational films for Film Australia. In the mid-1970s, he was the cinematographer for A Steam Train Passes (1974); Moving On (1974); and Let the Balloon Go (1976). In the late 1970s, he was the cinematographer for A Good Thing Going (1978). His first film was Stepping Out, in 1980. Allmovie praised his “stunning work” on the film Hoodwink (1981) with a screen play by Ken Quinnell.
Semler was the cinematographer for Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981). Semler’s vast panoramic shots of the Australian Outback’s deserts “...convincingly conveyed a parched, dusty, post-apocalyptic world” and led to international attention for his work. Semler also acted as cinematographer for the follow-up film to Mad Max 2, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985). Semler was also a cinematographer for the acclaimed Australian miniseries Bodyline (1984). In the late 1980s, Semler was the cinematographer for several popular films, such as Cocktail (1988) and Young Guns (1988).