Almendro's father, Herminio, was a liberal pedagogue who worked for the Spanish Republic's educational istitutions then went into exile to Cuba in 1938, when Francoism became a treat for left-leaning intellectuals. Young Néstor was left behind until the Spanish political climate became asphyxiating and he decidd to follow his father's footsteps in 1948.

He trained as a cinematographer in both France and Italy, although Cuba remained very close to his heart. Almendros embraced Castroism enthusistically, as did other intelectuals, only to become deeply disenchanted with the growt of bureaucracy and political rpression.

As a gay man in an explictly homophobic country, he experienced a menacing climate that would finally force him to leave his adopted homeland definitively in 1963. Almendros then moved to France where he became François Truffaut's favourite cinematographer during the 1970s.

Hollywood beckoned in the late 1970s and he became a highly esteemed professional after he got an Oscar prize for Days of Heaven. Equally at home with Hollywood glamour and European art film, Almendros kept combining both when undertaking projects.

In his documentary Mauvaise Conduite, he told the world about Castro's government's stern attitudes toward sexual dissidence. Through personal testimonies and other documents, the film presents the plight of homosexuals in Cuba and tackles the issue of "concentration camps" where they were interned.

Almendros died of an Aids-related illness.