Philip "Snapdragon" Stern (September 3, 1919 – December 13, 2014) was an American photographer noted for his iconic portraits of Hollywood stars, as well as his war photography while serving as a U.S. Army Ranger with "Darby's Rangers" during the North African and Italian campaigns in World War II.

Phil Stern
Born(1919-09-03)September 3, 1919
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US
DiedDecember 13, 2014(2014-12-13) (aged 95)
Los Angeles, California, US
OccupationPhotographer
Known forWar and film industry photographer

Settling in Los Angeles after the war, Stern was staff photographer for LOOK magazine. He also worked for Life magazine and Collier's. He was present on numerous film productions as still photographer, and in that capacity took photographs of a huge cross-section of the film community. In 1972 Stern, at the instigation of Gary Merrill was in Nova Scotia for several weeks to document Merrill's friend, artist Jack L. Gray Several cine-reels shot by Stern from that period have survived. [1] Stern's images of Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Marlon Brando and even musician Louis Armstrong have become widely recognized icons.[2][3]

A lifelong smoker, Stern died at the age of 95 in Los Angeles from COPD and congestive heart failure which he had been battling for over three and a half decades.[4]

References

edit
  1. ^ Mclellan, Denis (2014-12-14). "Phil Stern dies at 95; photographer captured wartime and Hollywood". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2014-12-15.
  2. ^ George, Lynell (26 October 2003). "Artistry on the sly". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 12 December 2010.
  3. ^ Weinstein, Shelli (December 14, 2014). "Phil Stern, Photographer Who Shot Top Stars, Dies at 95". variety.com.
  4. ^ McFadden, Robert D. (2014-12-15). "Phil Stern, Who Made Candid Images of War and Hollywood, Dies at 95". New York Times. Retrieved 2014-12-15.
edit