Lawrence Schiller (b. 1936) was born in Brooklyn, New York, and grew up outside of San Diego, California. Though a childhood accident left him with impaired vision in one eye, he became an obsessive photographer, eventually capturing some of the most iconic images in the spheres of entertainment, politics, and film. While attending Pepperdine College, his photographs appeared in publications such as Life, Sport, Playboy, Glamour, and The Saturday Evening Post, launching a prolific career in print journalism. Schiller worked for major outlets including LIFE, Paris Match, Time, Newsweek, and Stern, documenting major stories and personalities around the world.
Schiller’s renowned images of figures such as Robert F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Bette Davis, Barbra Streisand, Muhammad Ali, Madame Nhu, and Marilyn Monroe are tributes to his doggedness, charm, and technical proficiency. Of all his subjects, Monroe remained an essential part of his career, and his photographs of her have become iconic. Schiller eventually expanded into film, directing portions of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) and Lady Sings the Blues (1972). His editorial direction of The Man Who Skied Down Everest (1972) contributed to the film winning an Oscar for Best Feature Documentary for its producer.
Perhaps nothing in Schiller’s multifaceted career proved more enduring than his close collaboration with author Norman Mailer. Over nearly three decades, the two worked on several books, including Marilyn (1973), The Faith of Graffiti (1974), The Executioner’s Song (1979)—which earned Mailer the Pulitzer Prize—Oswald’s Tale (1995), and Into the Mirror (2002). Schiller also co-authored the number one New York Times bestseller American Tragedy (1996) about the O.J. Simpson trial, where he had been embedded with the so-called “Dream Team” defense.
In addition to his roles as director and writer, Schiller has served as a consultant for NBC News, the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, and Annie Leibovitz Studios. He has contributed to The New Yorker, The Daily Beast, and other publications. Upon Norman Mailer’s death in 2008, Schiller was named President and Co-founder of the Norman Mailer Center and Writer’s Colony in Provincetown, Massachusetts. He continues to serve as an advisor to various estates and trusts, helping to preserve and monetize the legacies of prominent cultural figures.
His photographs are held in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C., the Millennium Museum in Beijing, and the National Gallery for Foreign Art in Sofia, Bulgaria.
