Sid Avery EUA, 1918 -2002

Sid Avery was born in Akron, Ohio, in 1918.

When he was still very young, his family moved to Los Angeles. There, he learned the rudiments of photography from his uncle, Max Tatch. He later worked at Morgan Camera Shop on Sunset Boulevard while studying at the Hollywood Art Center.

Shortly after opening his own studio—specializing in portraits of dancers—he was sent to Europe as an army photographer during World War II. Upon returning to Los Angeles, Avery established himself as a photographer of movie stars. His style is distinguished by its naturalness; his informal portraits of celebrities, often captured between takes in relaxed moments, are particularly characteristic.

His work was published in magazines such as Life, Look, Collier’s, and The Saturday Evening Post. Sid Avery was the founder of the highly significant Hollywood Photographer’s Archive and the Motion Picture and Television Photo Archive. His work has been exhibited extensively in the United States, Australia, Japan, the United Kingdom, and throughout the world.

He died in Los Angeles in 2002.