Bob Willoughby

Bob Willoughby (1927–2009) was an American photographer celebrated for bringing a candid, documentary style to Hollywood’s Golden Age. After serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II, he studied at the ArtCenter College of Design in Los Angeles and began freelancing for Life magazine. In 1957 he captured on‑set images of Audrey Hepburn during the filming of Funny Face, helping to popularize behind‑the‑scenes portraiture and earning a reputation for his unobtrusive yet evocative approach.

Over the next three decades, Willoughby worked extensively with studios and publications—shooting publicity stills for major films like The Graduate and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, as well as editorials for Time and Paris Match. His photographs are marked by dynamic composition and a sensitivity to momentary gestures, revealing both the glamour and humanity of his subjects. He was among the first to travel with actors on location, documenting the creative process from rehearsal to wrap.

In later years, Willoughby’s archive of thousands of negatives became a vital resource for film historians and retrospectives, including exhibitions at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures and the National Portrait Gallery. He also published the monograph On Location with Bob Willoughby, sharing stories of his most memorable assignments. Willoughby’s legacy endures in the way contemporary photographers approach celebrity and cinema, blending journalistic instinct with artistic vision.