Clarence Sinclair Bull (May 22, 1896 – June 8, 1979) was a

portrait photographer Portrait photography, or portraiture, is a type of photography aimed toward capturing the personality of a person or group of people by using effective lighting, backdrops, and poses. A portrait photograph may be artistic or clinical. Frequentl ...

who worked for movie studios during the

Golden Age of Hollywood Golden means made of, or relating to gold. Golden may also refer to: Places United Kingdom *Golden, in the parish of Probus, Cornwall *Golden Cap, Dorset *Golden Square, Soho, London *Golden Valley, a valley on the River Frome, Stroud#Golden Val ...

. He was head of the

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

stills department for nearly 40 years.

Biography

Clarence Sinclair Bull was born in

Sun River, Montana Sun River is a census-designated place (CDP) in Cascade County, Montana, United States. The population was 124 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Great Falls, Montana Metropolitan Statistical Area. History The town is named after the Sun R ...

, in 1896. His career began when

Samuel Goldwyn Samuel Goldwyn (; born Szmuel Gelbfisz; ; July 1879 (most likely; claimed to be August 27, 1882) January 31, 1974), also known as Samuel Goldfish, was a Polish-born American film producer and pioneer in the American film industry, who produce ...

hired him in 1920 to photograph publicity stills of the

film studio's stars. He is most famous for his photographs of

Greta Garbo Greta Garbo (born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson; 18 September 1905 – 15 April 1990) was a Swedish-American actress and a premier star during Hollywood's Silent film, silent and early Classical Hollywood cinema, golden eras. Regarded as one of the g ...

, taken between 1926 and 1941. Bull's first portrait of Garbo was a costume study for the silent romantic drama film ''

Flesh and the Devil ''Flesh and the Devil'' is a 1926 American silent romantic drama film directed by Clarence Brown and stars Greta Garbo, John Gilbert, Lars Hanson, and Barbara Kent. Based on the 1894 novel ''The Undying Past'' by German writer Hermann Suder ...

'' in September 1926. Bull was able to study with the great Western painter,

Charles Marion Russell Charles Marion Russell (March 19, 1864 – October 24, 1926), also known as C. M. Russell, Charlie Russell, and "Kid" Russell, was an American artist of the American Old West. He created more than 2,000 paintings of cowboys, Native Americans, ...

. He also served as an assistant cameraman in 1918. Bull was skilled in the areas of lighting, retouching and printing. He was most commonly credited as "C.S. Bull." Bull died on June 8, 1979, in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, aged 83.

Gallery

File:Charles Laughton-publicity2.JPG,

Charles Laughton Charles Laughton (; 1 July 1899 – 15 December 1962) was a British and American actor. He was trained in London at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and first appeared professionally on the stage in 1926. In 1927, he was cast in a play wi ...

, 1934 (publicity photo for film ''

The Barretts of Wimpole Street ''The Barretts of Wimpole Street'' is a 1930 play by the Dutch/English dramatist Rudolf Besier, based on the romance between Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett, and her domineering father's unwillingness to allow them to marry. Presented f ...

'') File:Una Merkel - still.JPG,

Una Merkel Una Merkel (December 10, 1903 – January 2, 1986) was an American stage, film, radio, and television actress. Merkel was born in Kentucky and acted on stage in New York in the 1920s. She went to Hollywood in 1930 and became a popular fil ...

, 1934 File:Madge Evans - still.jpg,

Madge Evans Madge Evans (born Margherita Harrison Evans; July 1, 1909 – April 26, 1981) was an American stage, film, radio, and television actress.Obituary '' Variety'', April 29, 1981. She began her career as a child performer and model. Biography C ...

, circa 1935 File:Garbo - Ninotchka - Clarence Bull.JPG,

(publicity photo for film ''

Ninotchka ''Ninotchka'' is a 1939 American romantic comedy film made for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer by producer and director Ernst Lubitsch and starring Greta Garbo and Melvyn Douglas. It was written by Billy Wilder, Charles Brackett, and Walter Reisch, b ...

'', 1939) File:Hedy lamarr - 1940.jpg,

Hedy Lamarr Hedy Lamarr (; born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler; November 9, 1914 January 19, 2000) was an Austrian-born American actress and inventor. After a brief early film career in Czechoslovakia, including the controversial erotic romantic drama '' Ecstasy ...

, 1940 File:Lynne Carver (1940).JPG, American actress

Lynne Carver Lynne Carver (born Virginia Reid Sampson, September 13, 1916 – August 12, 1955) was an American film actress. She appeared in more than 40 films between 1934 and 1953. Early years Carver was born in Lexington, Kentucky. Her father, Reid Johns ...

, 1940 File:Van Heflin - 1941.jpg,

Van Heflin Emmett Evan "Van" Heflin Jr. (December 13, 1908 – July 23, 1971) was an American theatre, radio, and film actor. He played mostly character parts over the course of his film career, but during the 1940s had a string of roles as a leading man. ...

, 1941 File:Conrad Veidt 1941.jpg,

Conrad Veidt Hans Walter Conrad Veidt ( , ; 22 January 1893 – 3 April 1943) was a German and British actor. He attracted early attention for his roles in the films ''Different from the Others'' (1919), ''The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari'' (1920), and ''The Man ...

, 1941 File:Judy Garland in Presenting Lily Mars.jpg,

Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. Possessing a strong contralto voice, she was celebrated for her emotional depth and versatility across film, stage, and concert performance. ...

, 1943 File:June Allyson-publicity.jpg,

June Allyson June Allyson (born Eleanor Geisman; October 7, 1917 – July 8, 2006) was an American stage, film, and television actress. Allyson began her career in 1937 as a dancer in short subject films and on Broadway in 1938. She signed with MGM in 1943 ...

, 1944

Biography

Gallery

References

Further reading