British photographer Cornel Lucas was a world-renowned film still photographer who, from the start of his career in the late 1940s, revolutionized the field of film portraiture. During his career he created the defining images of many celebrities at a time when carefully staged publicity photos were essential to the process of turning an actor into a star. Considered to be a master of lighting, Lucas’s work was so influential that, in 1996, he became the first photographer to receive and award from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.
Permanent collections of his work can be found at London’s National Portrait Gallery, The National Media Museum and London’s Photographers’ Gallery. A few examples of Lucas’s work can be found below.
Brigitte Bardot (1955)
Brigitte Bardot (1955)
David Niven (1955)
Diana Dors (1955)
Lauren Bacall (1958)
Leslie Caron (1964)
Marlene Dietrich (1948)
Mary Ure (1957)
Models on Scaffolding (1977)
Newsreel Cameraman (1952)
Penelope Wilton (1968)
Scenic Artist (1957)
Sir Ben Kingsley (1996)
Susan Travers/Linden Travers (1961)
