Tom Kelley (photographer)

Tom Kelley
Tom Kelley Sr. with A New Wrinkle calendar
Born	Tom Kelley (1914-12-12)December 12, 1914 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Died	January 8, 1984(1984-01-08) (aged 69)
Nationality	American
Occupation	Photographer
Known for	Entertainment, commercial, and advertising photography
Children	Tom Kelley

Tom Kelley Sr. (December 12, 1914 – January 8, 1984) was an American photographer who photographed Hollywood celebrities in the 1940s and 1950s. He is best known for his iconic 1949 nude photographs of Marilyn Monroe, which were distributed widely as calendar art—one of which was featured in the inaugural issue of Playboy magazine in 1953.^[1][2]

Kelley was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.^[2] He learned photography as an apprentice in a New York photo studio, and then worked for the Associated Press and Town & Country magazine. After coming to California in 1935, Kelley established a photography studio in Hollywood and produced promotional photographs of motion picture stars. David O. Selznick and Samuel Goldwyn retained Kelley to take promotional photos of their stars and starlets for magazine covers and advertising. Later, Kelley's business shifted to commercial and advertising photography.

Some of Kelley's most famous photo subjects have included Gary Cooper, Greta Garbo, James Cagney, Clark Gable, Winston Churchill, Bob Hope, Marlene Dietrich, Joan Crawford, Jack Benny, David Bowie, John F. Kennedy, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Franklin D. Roosevelt and, of course, Marilyn Monroe, with and without clothes.

Kelley served on the panel of judges at the Miss Universe 1952 and Miss Universe 1956 pageants. He appeared in the 1966 documentary film The Legend of Marilyn Monroe.

External links

• Biography of Tom Kelley, by Norman Mailer
• Tom Kelley Studio
• mptvimages.com, archive of celebrity photography including many Tom Kelley photos
• Tom Kelley at the Internet Movie Database

References