George Tyssen Butler (12 October 1943 – 21 October 2021) was a British-American filmmaker and photographer, and a pioneer of the theatrical documentary. Some of his most popular films include ''

Pumping Iron ''Pumping Iron'' is a 1977 American docudrama about the world of professional bodybuilding, with a focus on the 1975 IFBB Mr. Universe and 1975 Mr. Olympia competitions. Directed by George Butler and Robert Fiore and edited by Geof Bartz and ...

'' (1977), which introduced a wider audience to

Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, businessman, former politician, and former professional bodybuilder, known for his roles in high-profile action films. Governorship of Arnold Schwarzenegger, ...

, ''The Endurance'' films, retelling

Sir Ernest Shackleton Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton (15 February 1874 – 5 January 1922) was an Anglo-Irish Antarctic explorer who led three British expeditions to the Antarctic. He was one of the principal figures of the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarc ...

's saga of Antarctic survival, and '' Going Upriver: The Long War of John Kerry'' (2004), about his friend

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat who served as the 68th United States secretary of state from 2013 to 2017 in the Presidency of Barack Obama#Administration, administration of Barac ...

's leadership in the peace movement. Butler's films are known for their combination of high artistic, educational and entertainment values, as he believed well-crafted documentaries can hold their own against dramatic features. In addition to his feature-length documentary classics, Butler has also produced acclaimed IMAX features, such as the award-winning ''

Shackleton's Antarctic Adventure ''Shackleton's Antarctic Adventure'' is an IMAX film about the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition led by Ernest Shackleton between 1914 and 1917. Directed by George Butler, the film was released in February 2001 and was narrated by Kevin Spacey ...

'' (2001) and ''

Roving Mars ''Roving Mars'' is a 2006 American IMAX documentary film about the development, launch, and operation of the Mars Exploration Rovers, '' Spirit'' and ''Opportunity''. The film uses few actual photographs from Mars, opting to use computer generate ...

'' (2006).

Early life

Born in Chester, England on 12 October 1943, Butler grew up in Somalia, Kenya, and Jamaica, the son of Dorothy (West) and Tyssen Desmond Butler. His father was a British Army officer and his mother was an American

Boston Brahmin The Boston Brahmins are members of Boston's historic upper class. From the late 19th century through the mid-20th century, they were often associated with a cultivated New England accent, Harvard University, Anglicanism, and traditional Britis ...

socialite. Butler jokingly described himself as "half American, half Irish, and half English." Butler attended the

Groton School Groton School is a Private school, private, college-preparatory school, college-preparatory, day school, day and boarding school located in Groton, Massachusetts, United States. It is affiliated with the Episcopal Church (United States), Episcop ...

before graduating from

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC, UNC–Chapel Hill, or simply Carolina) is a public university, public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolli ...

in 1966. He received a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

degree in creative writing from

Hollins College Hollins University is a private university in Hollins, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1842 as Valley Union Seminary in the historical settlement of Botetourt Springs, it is one of the oldest institutions of higher education for women in t ...

in 1968.

Career

After completing his M.A. degree, Butler worked as a reporter for ''Newsweek''. Objecting to the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

, he joined VISTA (the domestic Peace Corps) as a volunteer, working in the inner city of Detroit's North End, where he established a successful community newspaper, ''The Oakland Lion''. The author of a number of books, Butler collaborated with David Thorne and former Secretary of State

on '' The New Soldier'' (1971), a highly praised book about the Vietnam Veterans Against War. In 1972, a photo assignment for ''

Life Life, also known as biota, refers to matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes. It is defined descriptively by the capacity for homeostasis, Structure#Biological, organisation, met ...

'' magazine to cover the Mr. Universe Championship inspired Butler to make a theatrical documentary on the subject of bodybuilding; this proved to be a challenging undertaking, as he had difficulty convincing potential investors that bodybuilders and their Austrian-accented star performer could hold the screen. The eventual movie ''Pumping Iron'' launched Arnold Schwarzenegger, put bodybuilding and the gym business on the map, and became a film classic. With ''Pumping Iron'', George Butler established White Mountain Films, named for the White Mountains of New Hampshire, where he made his home. White Mountain Films has gone on to create some of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed documentaries made. Butler's films have screened at festivals such as Sundance, Telluride, Toronto, Leningrad and Full Frame, and won honors ranging from National Board of Review Best Documentary of the Year (2001, ''The Endurance''), IDA Best Documentary finalist (1990, ''In the Blood''), the Whitney Biennial (2006, ''Going Upriver''), National Academy of Science Best Science Film of the Year (2008, ''Roving Mars'') to the Warner Prize for Best Director, Environmental Film Festival (2015, ''Tiger Tiger'').

Photography

Butler's photographs have appeared in many major publications including ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'', '' Smithsonian'', ''

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** '' Vogue Adria'', a fashion magazine for former Yugoslav countries ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ' ...

'', ''

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly news magazine based in New York City. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely distributed during the 20th century and has had many notable editors-in-chief. It is currently co-owned by Dev P ...

'', ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...

'', '' Vanity Fair'' and ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

''. His work has been showcased in a one-man show at the

International Center of Photography The International Center of Photography (ICP) is a photography museum and school at 84 Ludlow Street on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City. ICP's photographic collection, reading room, and archives are at Mana Contemporary in Jer ...

in New York, and exhibited in the Detroit collection, among other galleries around the country. Additionally, Butler is known for his life-size portraits of Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Unfinished projects

A lifelong conservationist (''The Lord God Bird'', ''In the Blood''), Butler was working on a two-film project—a feature documentary and an

IMAX IMAX is a proprietary system of High-definition video, high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and movie theater, theaters known for having very large screens with a tall aspect ratio (image), aspect ratio (approximately ei ...

film—about the imperiled tiger. Both films follow world-renowned big cat biologist Dr. Alan Rabinowitz as he travels deep into the mangrove forests of the Sundarbans, searching for its legendary royal Bengal tigers—one of the world's largest remaining tiger populations, and last hopes for the species' survival. The IMAX film is scheduled for release in 2023. Reportedly, White Mountain Films is also developing a medical thriller probing the mystery of how "shell shock" affects the brains of soldiers and veterans. The project is based on author

Caroline Alexander Caroline Sarah J. Alexander (born 3 March 1968) is a cross-country mountain biker and road cyclist born in Barrow-in-Furness. She was a swimmer as a child and did not cycle until she was 20. She first rode a bike in competition in a triathlon: ...

's ''National Geographic'' cover story.

Personal life

Butler, who had been battling

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a neurodegenerative disease primarily of the central nervous system, affecting both motor system, motor and non-motor systems. Symptoms typically develop gradually and non-motor issues become ...

, died from pneumonia at his farm in

Holderness, New Hampshire Holderness is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,004 at the 2020 census. An agricultural and resort area, Holderness is home to the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center and is located on Squam Lake. Hold ...

, on 21 October 2021, at the age of 78.

Filmography

* ''

'' (1977) * '' Pumping Iron II: The Women'' (1985) * ''In the Blood'' (1989) * '' The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition'' (2000) * ''

'' (2001) * '' Going Upriver'' (2004) * ''

'' (2006) * ''The Lord God Bird'' (2008) * ''The Good Fight (2010)'' * ''Tiger, Tiger'' (2015)Tiger, Tiger Film
/ref> * ''Tiger, Tiger: The IMAX Experience'' (upcoming)

References

External links

*
White Mountain Films

''Tiger, Tiger'' film

Pumping Iron: The George Butler Interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Butler, George 1943 births 2021 deaths American photographers British expatriates in Somalia Deaths from pneumonia in New Hampshire English emigrants to the United States English expatriates in Kenya English photographers