Carey, Patrick (1916–94), film-maker, was born Gerard Patrick Carey 5 September 1916 in Streatham, London, the youngest of four children of Cork-born William Denis Carey (d. 1959), a revenue commissioner (1923–44; chairman 1939–44), and May Frances (Wilkinson) Carey (d. 1966) from Yorkshire, an actress at the Gate Theatre and co-founder of the Irish Film Society. His twin brother, Brian, was an actor based in Edinburgh, while his eldest brother, Denis, was the founder of the Bristol Old Vic theatre. The family moved in 1923 from Streatham to Dublin, where they resided at 41 Ailesbury Road and later at 3 Wilton Place.
Educated in Dublin at Sandford Park School, Castleknock College (1930–35), and for a short time at TCD, Carey followed his mother and brothers onto the stage of the Gate Theatre, and in 1939 toured Eastern Europe with Micheál MacLiammóir (qv) and the theatre company run by Hilton Edwards (qv). During the second world war he worked for a time as an announcer on Radio Éireann and studied art at the NCAD under Maurice MacGonigal (qv) and Seán Keating (qv). With Brendan J. Stafford he started Studio One, a photographic studio, but in 1944 moved to London. Working at the Green Park Studios, Carey honed his skill as an assistant cameraman for two years before shooting his first film, in 1947 for the RAF. Thereafter he exhibited a particular talent for nature photography on locations in East Africa, India, Ceylon, and Indonesia. In 1953 he worked with the technical unit filming the ascent of Mount Everest. His finest work of this period was the nature documentary Journey into spring (1956): set in Selborne, Hampshire, it was described by The Times as beautifully shot.
In 1957 Carey went to Canada, where he worked for the National Film Board. His films from this period included the Academy award-nominated The living stone (1957) and Sky (1960). He returned to Ireland in 1962 and founded Aengus Films with his wife, Vivien. Jobs were initially scarce in Ireland, and so he worked on documentaries in England, including the photography on Wild wings, which won an Academy award (1967). In 1965 Carey made his first Irish film, when the Department of External Affairs commissioned Yeats country (1965) to commemorate the centenary of the birth of W. B. Yeats (qv). Released to critical acclaim, the film won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival (1965), an Academy award nomination (1965), and many other prestigious international prizes. A series of superb shorts followed, also to great acclaim: Mists of time (1968), Errigal (1968), Oisin (1970), and Waves (1974). According to Carey, film was the synthesis of all art. His keen ability to convey lyrically the majesty of nature set him apart and saw him much in demand by some of the top directors. Among his best work as second unit photographer are such films as A man for all seasons, Ryan's daughter, and Barry Lyndon.
As a member of the Irish Film Industry committee (1968), whose chairman was John Huston, Carey formulated the basis for the Film Industry Bill (1970), but the outbreak of the troubles in Northern Ireland saw the bill and Carey's future working in Ireland founder. He returned to England for a brief period, during which time he made Reflections Ireland, a wordless film featuring music by the Chieftains and shown several times on British television. In 1974 he moved back to Canada, where he remained for the rest of his life. His most notable work from the period included Flamingo – variations on a theme (1973–5) and The Algonquin trilogy (1975–83). A member and president of the Irish Film Society, he was a member of the advisory committee on cultural relations of the Department of Foreign Affairs (1973–7). He was elected HRHA (1970) and was a founder member of Aosdána (1983). Louis Marcus described Carey as ‘one of the greatest film artists that Ireland has ever produced’ (Ir. Times, 4 Nov. 1998).
On 23 July 1942 Carey married Vivien Marie Medland, an actress at the Gate Theatre (stage name: Vivien Dillon), only daughter and fourth child of William John Medland, insurance broker of Toronto, and Isobel M. Dillon-Mills Medland; they had two children. He died on 13 September 1994 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.