In his Mayfair flat, Terry O’Neill was deeply asleep when the phone rang in the early hours. Startled, he answered, careful not to disturb his wife, actress Vera Day. It was exactly what he expected – Peter Sellers on the other end. ‘Why can’t I attract girls?’ lamented the actor, who frequently called at 2am for a bit of consolation.
‘Peter’s dilemma was always the same,’ Terry recalls. ‘I felt immense sympathy for him, so I would often head over to his place in Chelsea, even at such late hours. He had everything – a stellar career and wealth, yet he yearned for one thing above all – love. “I just can’t understand how you attract girls and I can’t,” he often said to me.
‘I often felt like his therapist, explaining that not only did he gravitate toward the wrong women, but that he also mishandled romance, quickly losing his composure over a woman he’d just met. Within weeks, he’d even pop the question.
‘I particularly remember his romance with Liza Minnelli in 1973. She had a genuine interest in him, but ultimately found Peter’s behavior overwhelming and chose to end things. He came to me pleading for some magical pick-up lines.’
Despite Peter’s desperate demeanor, Terry stood by him as a confidante until Sellers’ untimely death from a heart attack in 1980.
Perhaps Sellers hoped that some of Terry’s renowned charm with women would transfer to him – Terry’s romantic history includes Marilyn Monroe’s glamorous PR assistant and Sixties model Jean Shrimpton. He has been married three times: first to actress Vera Day, then to Hollywood star Faye Dunaway, and now to Laraine Ashton, a former owner of a London modeling agency.
Terry was not just friends with Sellers; his circle included other celebrities like Raquel Welch, Frank Sinatra, Ava Gardner, and Michael Caine, all of whom regarded him as more than just a photographer who made them look good.
The cover photograph of Raquel Welch was captured at the peak of her fame, a time when photographers were clamoring for her image. The iconic shot of her in shorts and a tied shirt was taken in Fox Studios in 1970 while she was filming Myra Breckinridge.
Reflecting on their friendship, Terry says: ‘I was fortunate that we were friends and I could photograph her whenever I desired.’
Terry’s iconic images, alongside contemporaries Terence Donovan and David Bailey, captured the intoxicating essence of Swinging Sixties London. He photographed British bands that would go on to become household names, including The Rolling Stones and The Beatles, as well as the Dave Clark Five.
Unstoppable, popular culture found its way into Terry’s innovative style of reportage photography, which took his subjects out of the confines of traditional studios.
Thanks to his East End charm, charisma, and good looks, Terry gained unparalleled access to Hollywood stars, who found him a delight to work with. His photographs often depicted celebrities in home settings or unwinding on film sets, revealing tantalizing glimpses of their private lives.
Despite his success, Terry has seldom given interviews, choosing to remain behind the camera.
Recently, at 73, Terry has overcome significant health challenges and decided to organize decades’ worth of stunning photographs… many of which have never been seen before. For the first time, he has opted to give an interview about his experiences capturing the iconic faces of the Sixties and Seventies.
‘For years, I was so consumed with capturing images that I never took the time to worry about the negatives,’ he shares. ‘It’s been only recently that I’ve discovered the incredible collection I possess.’
Next month, Terry is set to unveil a new exhibition in London and has also developed a mobile app showcasing his photographs of some of the world’s most beautiful women.
As many… Terry was at ease with women, and they with him; this was well-known among people. The world’s most stunning actresses— among them Elizabeth Taylor, Brigitte Bardot, and Audrey Hepburn— not only sought Terry to capture their images but also to befriend him. While Terry’s method was informal and instinctive, he remained acutely aware of the vulnerability present in his movie-star subjects.
“Almost all of them become quite neurotic upon reaching the pinnacle of success because they’re conscious of how easily it can all slip away,” Terry observes. “However, they understand that I perceive them for who they truly are, which helps them to relax.”
What defines a beautiful woman? “It’s difficult to pinpoint,” he states. “The phrase ‘something in the way she moves’ from The Beatles’ song ‘Something’ encapsulates it best. It certainly isn’t just about physical attributes like big breasts or a specific characteristic.”
“The most striking woman to photograph was Ava Gardner; not only was she breathtakingly beautiful, but her untameable spirit and ‘take-it-or-leave-it’ attitude towards all the men in Hollywood made her even more compelling. I have photographed thousands of beautiful women. Through my lens, I perceive their souls, acknowledge them with a click, and then I move forward.”
Nevertheless, Terry refrained from photographing the iconic beauty Marilyn Monroe. He turned down the opportunity because he was in love with someone else.
“I was in a relationship with Pat Newcombe, her publicist, and I realized that capturing Marilyn’s portrait could jeopardize it. So, I said no.” He chuckles. “I don’t regret that decision because finding a good woman is more challenging than finding a beautiful one.”
When asked to photograph The Rolling Stones, Terry faced rejection as the band was considered ‘too ugly’.
“Next, I photographed the Dave Clark Five, and those pictures accompanied the headline Beauty and the Beast.” He mentions, “It was Brian Jones, who succumbed to drug addiction and passed away in July 1969, who managed The Rolling Stones. While Mick was always adept at attracting women, I’ve never quite understood why he holds such appeal for them.”
But Terry truly learned the craft of taking photographs when he met Frank Sinatra, whom he describes as ‘magnetic,’ in the late Sixties. He had been commissioned to take photos of Raquel Welch during the 1968 film Lady In Cement, a project she was working on with Sinatra in Miami.
Terry recalls: “I shared this with Ava Gardner, whose photo I had just captured, and she kindly offered to write a letter to Sinatra on my behalf. When I arrived on set, Sinatra approached me, flanked by bodyguards. He read the letter and stated, ‘Right, he is with me.’ For three weeks, he ignored me while allowing me to take any shots I desired.”
Terry discovered that the key to being an effective photographer was to blend into the background. “I witnessed how a room would come alive with Sinatra’s presence. I also learned how much success stems from self-belief. Simply being in the company of someone like that inspired me to do my best work. He was performing nightly at the illustrious Fontainebleu club.”
Terry first encountered his second wife, Faye Dunaway, in 1970 while she was filming the Western Doc. “I met her again when she won an Oscar for her role in Network in 1976. I took the iconic photo of her lounging by the pool the morning after her victory. It was complicated since we were both married at the time.”
In 1983, they tied the knot and adopted a son named Liam. Four years later, they ended their marriage. This relationship was the one topic that made Terry visibly uncomfortable.
‘I always promised myself that I wouldn’t marry another actress. I even signed a legal agreement that prevented me from discussing our marriage. Faye wanted to settle down, and I went along with her wishes. She aspired for me to become a film director, which never interested me. When Faye landed the lead role as Joan Crawford in Mommie Dearest, she became enveloped in that character, which was terrifying since Joan was quite a monster. To make matters worse, I felt pressured to step into the role of executive producer.
‘On the first day of filming, I arrived on set to discover that Faye had misplaced the $100,000 diamond necklace she was supposed to wear. I spent nearly the entire day searching for it without success.
‘The filming lasted for three months. I was under such stress that it made me physically ill. My life felt like a continuous nightmare. One night, after drinking too much, I called my close friend, celebrity tailor Doug Hayward, at 4 am and confessed that I had thoughts of ending my life. He spent an hour talking me down.’
Terry left the marriage with nothing and returned to London, where he rented a small studio in South Kensington, hopeful that he could resume his career and that work would come pouring in.
However, Terry recalls: ‘The phone never rang. I learned a valuable lesson: you are only as good as your last picture.’
Not long after, he met Laraine Ashton, who had a son named Claude.
‘We tied the knot ten years ago, and I assure you, this marriage is my final one,’ he says with a chuckle. ‘I’m not getting out of it, especially as one needs companionship in old age.’
On Christmas Day in 2005, while dining with Laraine’s family in Somerset, Terry started to feel unwell. Anticipating a trip to the Bahamas, he tried to brush it off.
He received a diagnosis of bowel cancer and, within days, underwent significant surgery. Additionally, he had an undiagnosed stomach ulcer that ruptured, resulting in a two-week stay in intensive care followed by three months of chemotherapy. ‘I always believed I was invincible,’ Terry admits, noting that he has since faced heart issues and a hernia.
He also suffers from cataracts that require surgery, but Terry continues to take photographs—albeit ‘only when I feel like it.’
‘This photograph was taken in the summer of 1974,’ Terry recalls, ‘and at that time, Elizabeth Taylor was the biggest star worldwide. She wanted to meet David Bowie to see if he could star in her upcoming film, The Blue Bird. I set up a meeting at the Los Angeles residence of the film’s director, George Cukor.
Although Elizabeth was known for being tardy, it was Bowie who showed up three-and-a-half hours late. This was during the peak of his cocaine addiction. Elizabeth was infuriated and nearly walked away, but once he finally arrived, she took charge. The resulting image captures a nervous Bowie alongside a commanding Elizabeth. He didn’t get the role, but they developed a strong friendship.’
In 2008, however, an irresistible opportunity arose. The Nelson Mandela Foundation wanted Terry to capture photos of everyone visiting Mandela during his 90th birthday celebrations in London.
‘Mandela was booked at The Dorchester for a week. A variety of people came to see him, including Gordon Brown, Oprah Winfrey, Bill Clinton, Naomi Campbell, Lewis Hamilton, and David Cameron. When he departed, I felt like breaking down in tears because he truly was one of the greatest men I’ve ever encountered. I thought to myself, if these are to be my final photographs, I will happily leave this world.’
Despite his successes, two substantial regrets linger. ‘I wish I hadn’t gone through two divorces,’ he reflects.
His second regret is surprisingly that he has been with too many beautiful women throughout his life.
‘I feel embarrassed that I exclusively dated actresses and models,’ he admits. ‘I’m more than that, but those were the only individuals I met. I simply didn’t come across lawyers, doctors, or women with professions.’
He doesn’t seek any sympathy.
by Helena Bryanlith
