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LIFE

Life Magazine’s Most Iconic Celebrity Photos: Marilyn Monroe, Paul Newman, Brigitte Bardot and More

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Aug 29, 2024 3:22 pm·

By Elise Nelson

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The new book Life: Hollywood, out now, immortalizes many iconic moments the magazine had with film’s greatest stars, including famous photos of Marilyn Monroe, Paul Newman and more celebrities.

1 of 9

Brigitte Bardot

“Not since the Statue of Liberty has a French girl lit such fires in America,” Life declared of the sultry And God Created Woman actress. This 1965 portrait, taken by photographer Ralph Crane in Mexico, was shot the same year her first Hollywood film, Dear Brigitte, premiered.

2 of 9

Paul Newman

On a break from directing 1968’s Rachel, Rachel, Paul unwound on a fishing trip in the Florida Keys but still exuded his on-screen presence, which was, in Life’s words, as a “non-hero.”

3 of 9

Grace Kelly

Pretty as a princess! For Life’s April 9, 1956, cover story on her wedding to Prince Rainier of Monaco, Grace greeted fans outside her NYC home and, as Life noted, “handled all the fuss and excitement around her with unruffled elegance and plain common sense … and still found time to smile for pictures.”

4 of 9

Hedy Lamarr

Intended for Life’s 1942 story on “The Girls of Hollywood,” this photo was ultimately not used. And that may have been just as well for Hedy, who believed, “Any girl can be glamorous. All you have to do is stand still and look stupid.”

5 of 9

Sophia Loren and Carlo Ponti

For Life’s 1964 photo essay “Carlo and Sophia,” Alfred Eisenstaedt was able to catch intimate moments of the couple, for which Sophia credits the iconic photog. “[Alfred] was happy to be with me just like I was to be with him! He couldn’t do any wrong to me. I trusted him so much.”

6 of 9

Marilyn Monroe

Photographing the up-and-coming Marilyn at L.A.’s Griffith Park in 1950, Life’s Edward Clark saw her star potential. But his bosses needed some convincing. “I sent several rolls to New York, but they wired back, ‘Who the hell is Marilyn Monroe?’”

7 of 9

Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis

This happy 1959 portrait with daughters Kelly and Jamie Lee was a far cry from what was expected of the young couple’s union. As Life explained, Tony faced “warnings that his movie career would be kaput” after eloping with Janet.

8 of 9

Marlene Dietrich

For Marlene’s daughter, Maria, this snap of mom smiling while entertaining troops in 1945 was perfect, since the GIs “knew that she was not phony, that she was really there for them.”

9 of 9

Ingrid Bergman

During the filming of 1950’s Stromboli in Italy, Ingrid’s pensive look caught here foreshadowed what was to come. As the book explains, “she would soon face public and media scorn on a global scale for her infidelity” with director Roberto Rossellini.

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