Celebrity photographer whose jaw was once broken by Marlon Brando
Ron Galella
Born: January 10, 1931; Died: April 30, 2022.
IT was one of the most notorious examples of a celebrity lashing out at a paparazzo.
Marlon Brando and TV chat show host Dick Cavett, both wearing sunglasses despite it being dark, encountered the photographer Ron Galella.
Brando asked him what he wanted. Galella said he would like a picture without the sunglasses, but without warning Brando “sucker-punched” him, breaking his jaw and knocking out five teeth.
The 1973 incident led to a lawsuit and a $40,000 settlement. Later, Galella took to wearing a football helmet whenever he stalked Brando.
Galella, who has died aged 91, told Vanity Fair in 2015 that Brando assaulted him because Brando had once had an affair with Jackie Kennedy and knew about her court battles with Galella.
Jackie so detested Galella that she once said, “Smash his camera!” – a phrase that in 2010 became the title of a documentary about Galella. She took him to court, and a judge ordered him to stay 25ft away from her. He violated the order and was later threatened with jail.
Galella always insisted Jackie liked being pursued. One particularly striking picture, Windblown Jackie, was declared by Time magazine in 2016 as
“one of the most influential photos of all time.”
Bronx-born Galella published some 20 books of his work, and their contents reflected the sheer longevity of his remarkable career. This was a photographer whose subjects over six decades ranged from Elvis Presley, Charlie Chaplin and Greta Garbo to Steve Mcqueen, Richard Burton, Clint Eastwood, Jack Nicholson, and
Diana, Princess of Wales. He also shot musicians, athletes, politicians and business moguls.
His picture of an unsuspecting John Lennon and Mick Jagger might well be the last professional photograph taken of the two musicians before Lennon was shot dead.
Galella’s work remains hugely influential – he has been described as “the godfather of US paparazzi culture”.
But his work is also highly esteemed by prominent art galleries and collectors. His signed, fine-art prints are on display and are much in demand.