Roy Schatt

1909              Roy Schatt born in New York City

1924-27        Attended Grand Central High School (studied painting with N.C. Wyeth)

1928-30        Studied at Art Students League, Corcoran School of Art.

                      Worked at Warner Bros Art Department,  Washington DC as Art Director

1934              Married Masha Arms, Roy was 25 and Masha was 26 years old. They bought themselves a                                                                                       miniature German 45 mm camera (Pupille) as a wedding present and later traded it in for a                         

                       Leica. Roy taught Masha how to photograph and develop film. She later became a female

                       pioneer in photography and teacher. However, she left Roy for her second husband in 1941.                                                                                   Roy won first place in a Leica photography competition

1935-39        Illustrated books, created drawings and photographs

1940’s           Painted murals under “New Deal’ programs for artists (WPA) developed by President Franklin D.  Roosevelt

1942-45        Served in U.S. Army, India (Special Operations), wrote editorial, created posters, developed                                                                                       theater and music events

1945              Roy moved to NYC, 33rd Street

1946-53        Roy worked for advertising company BBDO as a graphic artist for Lucky Strike Hit Parade. Studied

                       acting and directing. Became a character model for ads by Howard Zieff, who created memorable ad

                       campaigns. Zieff became a Director and Producer, known for the films ‘My Girl’ and ‘Private Benjamin’.

                       Roy’s expressive face was perfect for Zieff’s campaigns and he cast Roy in numerous ads for everyday

                       products. Zieff was known for innovative ad casting and worked with Robert de Niro, Dustin Hoffman

                       and Richard Dreyfuss.

                       He met José Quintero, Director, Producer and co-founder of Circle in the Square theatre in the West

                       Village, which helped define the off-Broadway movement. Quintero was directing Tennessee Williams’,

                       “Summer and Smoke”. Roy photographed the cast and production and brought attention to Geraldine

                       Page and her performance through his images. Roy’s photos were utilized in publications and his work

                       was exhibited in the theatre and he became the house photographer. Roy was invited to view a class

                       at The Actors Studio and met Lee Strasberg. Roy photographed several classes and after viewing

                       his photos, Strasberg named him the Official Photographer for The Actors Studio. Elia Kazan asked

                       Roy to teach him about photography. Roy photographed many significant actors, directors,

                       playwrights, poets and writers at The Actors Studio and became known as ‘the photographer’ in the

                       acting and theatre community. His apartment was a gathering place for actor friends, as well as Roy’s

                       makeshift photo studio and darkroom.

1954              Roy met James Dean through an actress friend and Roy’s first impression of Dean was transformative,

                       “He was a squinty schlump of a person all bent over. Then Dean suddenly got up and this ugly

                       person became a dream, an Adonis who started to dance around the room. It was a transition I

                       couldn't believe." Roy also made an impression on Dean, and James Dean asked Roy to teach him

                       how to photograph. Dean wanted to learn everything about photography, the camera and the process.

                       The photography lessons brought together two very different individuals, Roy was committed to his

                       craft and was not so patient with the youthful antics of Dean. However, they walked the streets of

                       New York looking for photo ops, spent time in Roy’s beloved MOMA, hung out with actor friends

                       Martin Landau, Bill Heller and Bud Schulberg in Roy’s apartment. Although Roy taught Dean the art

                       of developing film, Dean had no patience to watch and wait for film to develop, he was more fascinated

                       with being behind the camera. Many of James Dean’s friends, including Roy, became the subjects for

                       Dean’s photography sessions. When James Dean died it was a confusing time for Roy, he was hounded

                       by James Dean fans for years, who discovered where Roy lived and wanted a glimpse into the world

                       of James Dean.

1955–            Roy continued to photograph the acting community, including Lee Strasberg, Elia Kazan, Marilyn Monroe,

1960's           Steve McQueen, Sidney Poitier, Rod Steiger, Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Martin Landau, Arthur

                       Miller, Geraldine Page, Dorothy Parker, Sidney Lumet, Lorne Greene, Anne Meara, Jerry Stiller, Andy

                       Griffith, Bud Schulberg, Ben Gazzara, Maureen Stapleton, William Saroyan, Leonard Bernstein, John                                                                       Cassavetes, Eli Wallach, Vincent Price, Eva Gabor, Marlene Dietrich, Peter Falk, Susan Strasberg, Ben

                       Gazzara, Lillian Hellman, Hal Holbrook, David Ross, Ricardo Montalban and many more talented

                       individuals.

1957               Jazz and other musicians, Roy photographed Mahalia Jackson, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Billie

                       Holiday, Louis Armstrong, Chet Baker, Eartha Kitt, Dinah Washington, Big Joe Turner, Coleman Hawkins,                                                               Dave Brubeck and other talented singers and musicians.

1960’s            Roy married Elaine Vorgetts, who encourages Roy to pursue his photography career

                        Roy photographed special guests on the long running popular radio program, ‘Long John Nebel’, who                                                                    received his name due to his height and slender build. Jackie Gleason wrote in his introduction to a

                        biography of Nebel: "Why is Nebel so strangely entertaining?... because the best entertainment is

                        entertainment that opens your mind and tells you the world is bigger than you thought it was."

1963               Photographed JFK’s funeral

1964               Photographed Malcolm X

1964–             Roy photographed many aspiring actors and provided special photographs through his ‘method’

1990’s             approach, looking for unguarded moments using available light.

1982               Published his book James Dean: A Portrait, which is Roy Schatt’s account of his time with Dean and

                        most of his legendary photographs of James Dean.

1984               Art Institute of Chicago acquired a Roy Schatt photo for their collection, a 1955 image of Marilyn Monroe                                                              without makeup, wearing a hat

1990               Limited editions prints were created, by Roy, of selected images of his James Dean photos. Roy sued a                                                                  licensing company for copyright infringement for taking his photos from his James Dean book and

                        reproducing them on merchandise. Thereafter the licensing company made an agreement to purchase

                        Roy’s copyright to all his James Dean images, which Roy sold in 1991.

2002               Roy passed away May 4, 2002, at the age of 92 He was survived by his wife, Elaine, nephews and

                        extended family.

2004               New York Public Library acquired the "Circle in the Square" archives, which include many photographs

                        by Roy Schatt, images of Arthur Miller, José Quintero and Tennessee Williams.

2006               Exhibitions of Roy’s limited edition prints of James Dean and other photos are presented in Munich,

                        Paris, Atlanta, Los Angeles and Miami.

2009               Syracuse University organizes the Long John Nebel radio archives, gifted by John Nebel, which includes                                                                historic photos from the radio program by Roy Schatt.

2014              The Smithsonian exhibition at The National Portrait Gallery in Washington DC, entitled, “American Cool”,                                                               selected and highlighted Roy’s photo of James Dean sitting in the round window of Dean’s West

                       68th Street apartment.

2015              WESTWOOD GALLERY NYC becomes the exclusive representative for the Estate of Roy Schatt and views

                       a large portion of Schatt’s archive. Many negatives still remain from the 1950’s - 90’s era of Roy Schatt’s                                                                 photos, some never developed.

2016              Retrospective of Roy Schatt photographs at WESTWOOD GALLERY NYC

Schatt’s work has been exhibited at Manhattan’s International Center for Photography, the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC, the Chicago Institute of Art, and many other museums. In January 1955, Edward Steichen’s choice for the Museum of Modern Art’s collection was a Roy Schatt photograph.

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