Terry O'Neill

Terry O’Neill (1938–2019) was a renowned British photographer celebrated for his iconic portraits of celebrities that captured the essence of 1960s and 1970s pop culture.

Born in 1938 in London, O’Neill initially aspired to be a jazz drummer, but he became interested in the photojournalism through a chanced job opportunity at the technical photographic unit of the British Overseas Airways Corporation. He later took a job as a reportage photographer at London’s Heathrow Airport. By the early 1960s, he had become one of the most significant image-makers in the world, known for his ability to capture the personality and charisma of his subjects.

O’Neill photographed icons of the 1960s and helped generate some of the excitement of Swinging London. The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Elton John, Frank Sinatra, David Bowie, Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg had all been captured under his lens. His ability to connect with his subjects and put them at ease resulted in some of the most memorable images of the era. His photograph of Brigitte Bardot on the set of Shalako in 1968, with Bardot casually smoking a cigar, remains one of the most iconic images in celebrity photography.

From the 1970s onwards, O’Neill gained further international acclaim through his relationship with the Hollywood star, Faye Dunaway, whom he married in 1983. One of his most famous photographs is of Dunaway lounging poolside the morning after winning the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1977. The image has become one of the defining images of Hollywood glamour, often compared with the work of Slim Aarons, known for his depictions of the rich and famous in idyllic settings.

Throughout his career, Terry O’Neill produced a vast archive of images, many of which have become synonymous with the golden age of celebrity. As one of the world’s most collected photographers, his work has been exhibited worldwide and can be found in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery in London. O’Neill was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2019 for services to photography and died later that year at the age of 81.