Roy Schatt

Roy Schatt (1909–2002) was an American photographer whose career spanned seven decades and whose candid portraits of actors and artists helped define mid‑20th‑century celebrity iconography. Born in New York City, he studied painting under N.C. Wyeth and contributed murals to the WPA before serving in the U.S. Army in India, where he applied his artistic skills as a graphic specialist.

After the war, Schatt returned to New York and worked in advertising, illustration, and acting before finding his true calling behind the camera. He quickly became the unofficial photographer of The Actors Studio—documenting classes led by Lee Strasberg and capturing luminaries like Tennessee Williams, Elia Kazan, and Marlon Brando in unguarded moments. His relaxed rapport with subjects led to portraits that reveal both their craft and their humanity.

Schatt’s friendship with a then‑unknown James Dean in 1954 produced some of the most enduring images of the actor—series like the “Torn Sweater” portraits that caught Dean’s restless energy and solidified his legend. These photographs appeared in Camera Work and nationwide exhibitions, earning Schatt acclaim as the photographer who saw Dean before fame.

Throughout his life, Schatt’s work was exhibited at the International Center of Photography, the National Portrait Gallery, and the Art Institute of Chicago, among others. His archive—representing magazine covers, gallery shows, and private collections—remains a vital record of America’s theatrical and cinematic golden age, celebrated for its empathy, spontaneity, and unwavering devotion to the art of portraiture.