Phil Stern
Philip Stern (born September 3, 1919 in Philadelphia , † December 13, 2014 in Los Angeles ) was an American photographer . He was best known for his portraits of Hollywood movie greats, of which recordings of James Dean and Marilyn Monroe gained particular popularity.
Life
Philip (usually called "Phil") Stern was one of three children of Jewish immigrants from Russia, Alix and May Stern. When Phil was 11, the family moved from Philadelphia to New York in the Bronx. At 18 he worked in a photo lab during the day and as a photographer for the Police Gazette in New York at night . A year later, in 1938, the Los Angeles film magazine Friday hired him as a photographer.
With the entry of the USA into the Second World War , Stern enlisted in the army and initially worked in a photography unit in London. In 1943 he voluntarily joined an American commando in North Africa. During this time numerous photos were taken of the fighting against the German attackers. Phil Stern made a reputation for himself as a war photographer there and in 1943 when American troops arrived in Sicily .
After the war he returned to Los Angeles and married Rosemae Lindou; the couple had four children. He photographed numerous Hollywood actors and was often present at film shoots. Many of the posters for the films are from him. Phil Stern created portraits of Marlon Brando (in Der Wilde ), John Wayne , Alfred Hitchcock , Marlene Dietrich and many others. He also photographed in the jazz scene ( Count Basie , Lester Young , Sarah Vaughan etc.). His photo report on the inauguration day of John F. Kennedy on January 20, 1961 achieved world fame. Among other things, the photo from Stern shows Frank Sinatra handing the newly elected president enough fire for his cigarette.
The main gallery where Stern exhibited his photographs was the Fahey / Klein Gallery in Los Angeles. His oeuvre can be found online.
Philip "Snapdragon" star died of heart failure in Los Angeles in 2014.
Books with photos by Phil Stern (selection)
- Life: The First Decade, 1936-1945
- Phil Stern's Hollywood: Photographs, 1940–1979 (1993)
- Phil Stern: A Life's Work (2003)
Online resources
- Phil Stern Archives
- Phil Stern in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ Robert D. McFaddendec: Phil Stern, 95, Dies; Photographed War, Movie Stars and a President , New York Times, December 15, 2014
- ↑ Snapdragon, German: Snapdragons, was his nickname.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Stern, Phil |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Stern, Philip (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American photographer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | September 3, 1919 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Philadelphia |
| DATE OF DEATH | December 13, 2014 |
| Place of death | los Angeles |