Rousselot was born in Briey, Meurthe-et-Moselle, France. After studying cinema at l'École Louis Lumière, he graduated in 1966 with, He began as an assistant to Néstor Almendros, then quickly emerged as chief operator, leading to his career. He collaborated, in particular, with Jean-Jacques Beineix (Diva), Alain Cavalier (Thérèse), Jean-Jacques Annaud (The Bear), Robert Redford (A River Runs Through It), Stephen Frears (Dangerous Liaisons), John Boorman (The Tailor of Panama), Patrice Chéreau (Queen Margot), Bertrand Blier (Thanks Life), Neil Jordan (Interview with the Vampire), and Tim Burton on Planet of the Apes, Big Fish, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
For Henry & June, he was nominated the Academy Award for Best Cinematography in 1990. He won the 1992 Academy Award for Best Cinematography for his work on A River Runs Through It, and earned three César Awards for Best Cinematography, in 1982 for Diva, in 1987 for Thérèse and in 1995 for Queen Margot.
Other notable credits include Shane Black’s “The Nice Guys (2016) Guy Ritchie’s “Sherlock Holmes. 1/2 (2009, 2011. ” David Yates: Fantastic Beasts 1/2 (2016, 2018). Shane Black' "The Nice Guys" and "Play Dirty" (2025) and Diane Kurys ' "Moi qui t'aimais", (2025)

Self-portrait Philippe Rousselot