Milton H. Greene (March 14, 1922 – August 8, 1985) was an American

fashion Fashion is a term used interchangeably to describe the creation of clothing, footwear, Fashion accessory, accessories, cosmetics, and jewellery of different cultural aesthetics and their mix and match into Clothing, outfits that depict distinct ...

and celebrity photographer and film and television producer, best known for his photo shoots with

Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe ( ; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; June 1, 1926 August 4, 1962) was an American actress and model. Known for playing comic "Blonde stereotype#Blonde bombshell, blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex ...

Early life

Greene was born Milton H. Greengold into a Jewish family in New York City on March 14, 1922. He became interested in photography as a teenager and began taking photos at the age of 14. Greene was awarded a scholarship to

Pratt Institute Pratt Institute is a private university with its main campus in Brooklyn, New York. It has an additional campus in Manhattan and an extension campus in Utica, New York at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute. The institute was founded in 18 ...

, but decided to pursue a career in photography instead. He apprenticed with photojournalist Elliot Elisofen and later worked as an assistant to Louise Dahl-Wolfe. Greene eventually began his own career and, at the age of twenty-three, became known as the "Color Photography's Wonder Boy".

Career

Greene initially established himself in high fashion photography in the 1940s and 1950s. His fashion shots appeared in ''

Harper's Bazaar ''Harper's Bazaar'' (stylized as ''Harper's BAZAAR'') is an American monthly women's fashion magazine. Bazaar has been published in New York City since November 2, 1867, originally as a weekly publication entitled ''Harper's Bazar''."Corporat ...

'' and '' Vogue''. Greene then turned to portraits of celebrities. He photographed many high-profile personalities in the 1950s and 1960s, including

Elizabeth Taylor Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was an English and American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 19 ...

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...

Audrey Hepburn Audrey Kathleen Hepburn ( Ruston; 4 May 1929 – 20 January 1993) was a British actress. Recognised as a film and fashion icon, she was ranked by the American Film Institute as the third-greatest female screen legend from the Classical Holly ...

, Grace Kelly,

Ava Gardner Ava Lavinia Gardner (December 24, 1922 – January 25, 1990) was an American actress during the Golden Age of Hollywood. She first signed a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1941 and appeared mainly in small roles until she drew critics' att ...

, Sammy Davis Jr., Catherine Deneuve, Marlene Dietrich, and Judy Garland. Greene's work with

(whom he first shot for a layout for '' Look'' in 1953) changed the course of his career. The two struck up a friendship and, when Monroe left Los Angeles to study acting with

Lee Strasberg Lee Strasberg (born Israel Strassberg; November 17, 1901 – February 17, 1982) was an American acting coach and actor. He co-founded, with theatre directors Harold Clurman and Cheryl Crawford, the Group Theatre in 1931, which was hailed ...

in New York City, she stayed with Greene, his wife Amy and young son Joshua in Connecticut. Together with Greene, Monroe formed Marilyn Monroe Productions, a production company in an effort to gain control of her career (from Hollywood powerhouses). Greene would go on to produce ''

Bus Stop A bus stop is a place where Public transport bus service, buses stop for passengers to get on and off the bus. The construction of bus stops tends to reflect the level of usage, where stops at busy locations may have shelter (building), shelters ...

'' (1956) and '' The Prince and the Showgirl'' (1957). The two also collaborated on some 53 photo sessions, some of which became well known, including "The Black Sitting". Greene's photograph for one such sitting in 1954 featuring Monroe in a ballet tutu was chosen by Time Life as one of the three most popular images of the 20th century. Monroe and Greene's friendship ended after the production of ''The Prince and the Showgirl'' in 1957, and they decided to separate.

Personal life

Greene's first marriage was to his childhood sweetheart Evelyn Franklin in 1942. They divorced in 1949. His second marriage was to model Amy Franco (born 1929 in Cuba), whom he married in 1953. They had two sons, Joshua and Anthony. They remained married until Greene's death in 1985.

Death

On August 8, 1985, Greene died of

lymphoma Lymphoma is a group of blood and lymph tumors that develop from lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell). The name typically refers to just the cancerous versions rather than all such tumours. Signs and symptoms may include enlarged lymph node ...

at a Los Angeles hospital at the age of 63. His ashes were scattered in the Pacific Ocean by his family.

Publications

* ''But That's Another Story – A Photographic Retrospective of His Life's Work'' by Amy & Joshua Greene * '' Of Women and Their Elegance'' – A Collaboration: Norman Mailer, Simon & Schuster * ''Marilyn Monroe'' – A Biography by Norman Mailer, Grosset & Dunlop, Inc. * ''The Nude in Photography'' – Arthur Goldsmith; Ridge Press * ''The Look Book'' – Leo Rosten and Harry N. Abrams * ''The Image Makers'' – Sixty Years of Hollywood Glamour; McGraw Hill * ''U.S. Camera'' – U.S. Camera Publishing * ''20,000 Years of Fashion'' – Harry Abrams * ''My Story'' – Marilyn Monroe; Stein & Day * ''The Marcel Marceau Counting Book'' –

Doubleday (publisher) Doubleday is an American publishing company. It was founded as the Doubleday & McClure Company in 1897. By 1947, it was the largest book publisher in the United States. It published the work of mostly U.S. authors under a number of imprints and ...

* ''Life Goes to the Movies'' – Time-Life Books * ''The Best of Life'' – Time-Life Books * ''Life in Camelot; The Kennedy Years'' – Time-Life Books * ''The First Fifty Years of Life'' – Time-Life Books * ''Milton's Marilyn'' by James Kotsilibas-Davis and Joshua Greene * ''My Story: The Autobiography of Marilyn Monroe''

In popular culture

English actor Dominic Cooper portrayed Greene in the 2011 film '' My Week with Marilyn''.

References

External links

Milton H. Greene Archives

Milton's Marilyn Monroe Photographs

Milton H. Greene Archives Shop
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Greene, Milton H. 1985 deaths 1922 births Film producers from New York City 20th-century American Jews Deaths from lymphoma in California American fashion photographers Photographers from New York (state) American portrait photographers 20th-century American musicians