Terry O'Neill (1938–2019) was a renowned British photographer celebrated for his iconic images that captured the essence of the Swinging Sixties and beyond. Born on July 30, 1938, in London, O'Neill's career spanned several decades, and his lens captured some of the most significant cultural and historical moments, as well as intimate portraits of celebrities and public figures.
O'Neill's career took off in the early 1960s when he became the photographer for the prominent British magazine, The Daily Sketch. He quickly gained recognition for his ability to capture candid and unguarded moments of celebrities, both in the public eye and behind the scenes. His photographs of stars like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and Judy Garland became iconic representations of the cultural revolution happening during the Swinging Sixties in London.
One of O'Neill's most famous images is the candid shot of Faye Dunaway at the Beverly Hills Hotel poolside the morning after she won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1977. This photograph, with Dunaway lounging by the pool with her Oscar and a morning newspaper, perfectly encapsulates the glamour and casual allure of Hollywood.
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Terry O'Neill, Faye Dunaway and Hollywood
Aged just 24, O’Neill travelled to Hollywood, freelancing for Vogue, Paris Match and Rolling Stone. Most celebrated of his Los Angeles works are his photographs of a sullen Brigitte Bardot smoking in the wind, and of Faye Dunaway—who he went on to marry—the morning after she won her Best Actress Oscar for the film Network in 1977. Lounging by the Beverly Hills Hotel swimming pool at dawn, the image depicts Dunaway in a night robe, surrounded by several newspapers proclaiming her victory, and her Oscar statuette prominently shown on a table beside her breakfast tray.
The series of shots were photographed in both colour and black & white. One image from the series hangs in the permanent collection of the National Portrait Gallery in London, and is widely regarded as the most iconic Hollywood shot of all time.
In the decades that followed his move to Los Angeles, Terry O’Neill became one of the world's most published photographers on both sides of the Atlantic. In addition to photographing the decade's showbiz elite such as Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra and Twiggy, he also photographed members of the British Royal Family and prominent politicians, showing them in a more natural and human light than they had been portrayed in the past.
Terry O'Neill - Audrey Swims, 1966
Terry O'Neill, CBE
Terry O'Neill was awarded an honorary fellowship of the Royal Photographic Society in 2004. In 2011 he was awarded The Royal Photographic Society's Centenary medal in recognition of a sustained, significant contribution to the art of photography.
Reflecting on his work and influence to Life Force magazine over half a century after making his name, O’Neill said: “In a way, photographers like myself, David Bailey, Terence Donovan and Brian Duffy created the Sixties. It wasn’t just who we were shooting, but the way we shot them. You can’t take candid shots of today’s celebrities because they are brands and their management demand control of the images. It means the public only gets to see what the stars want them to see—or what the paparazzi can snatch… honesty, immediacy and intimacy has been extinguished and any reality is distorted through the lens of stalker photographers.”
Terry O'Neill was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2019 Birthday Honours for services to photography.