Lawrence Schiller

Lawrence Schiller (b. 1936) first used photography as a way to see the world. He took his still camera everywhere, which resulted in a rich body of photographic work. As a true documentarian, his multi-faceted approach to telling a story, not just through photography, but also investigative journalism, film, television, and book publishing produced unique and deep perspectives on his subjects.

With a career spanning more than five decades, Schiller has created a visual and written history of America during some of the most tumultuous and important years of the twentieth century. He ingratiated himself with the individuals behind the headlines, interviewing Marina Oswald on the private life of her husband; Gary Gilmore hours before his execution by a firing squad; and O.J. Simpson as he sat in jail waiting to be tried for murder. His unique interview process opened the door to his many collaborations with Norman Mailer, including The Executioner’s Song, which won the Pulitzer Prize. Schiller himself has written four New York Times bestsellers and his films have won an Oscar and seven Emmys.