CHICAGO – The year 2019 was when everyone, including myself, seemed to struggle to focus. Politics suddenly appeared to be all consuming when we have an administration as George Orwell predicted, trying to convince so many not to believe their own eyes.
“What you are seeing and what you are reading is not happening,” proclaimed the President in July. This eerily echoed Orwell’s warning. “The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears … it was their final, most essential command.” Meanwhile the Commander-in-Chief was enthusiastically tweeting out images with his head badly photoshopped onto different bodies.
Last year 98 celebrities posed for my lens, and a fashion accessory – both on and off the red carpet – became quickly apparent. A modest poem about that trend … If you were a fashionable male/One worshipped by the masses/And you posed for my lens last year/You were probably wearing glasses.
Maybe this was more than mere coincidence or a simple fashion statement? Perhaps it was an unconscious call to desperately hold onto our sight and senses. For what is an artist if not the sum of their own unique vision? Proper vision is defined by the ability to sharpen the focus and resist the blurring of our truth.
As we bid farewell to 2019, hopefully I can share some of my own particular vision as I present my Top 20 Celebrity Portraits of 2019. As per every year, the ranking of these portraits are based on a combination of the star power wattage of the subjects, the artistic results and the difficulty of landing the quarry … especially vying against those budding smart phone celebrity stalkers who may wish to play along at home. Let’s begin!
20. E.G. Daily, Voiceover Artist
I don’t think I made it past the opening credits of 1983’s “Valley Girl” without being instantly smitten by E.G. Daily. Long before she became Hollywood’s voiceover golden girl (“Rugrats” as Tommy Pickles, Buttercup of “The Powerpuff Girls” or the voice of “Babe” the Pig), her stunning looks, quirky character roles and unique voice were demanding notice. From her starring role in Rod Stewart’s “Young Turks” video (1981), to performing her own song “One Way Love” in the 1985 film “Better Off Dead,” to Pee Wee Herman’s jilted seductress named Dottie in that same year, E.G. was suddenly everywhere.
Her vocal chops landed her a record deal, with four singles that landed on the dance charts, and musical performances on both “American Bandstand” and “Saturday Night Live” in 1986. In addition, her songs landed on numerous movie soundtracks including “Scarface” and “Thief of Hearts.” If there ever was a 1980’s triple threat it was E.G. Daily. Her film and television roles are often short, but like the petite actress herself they are always mighty and memorable.
In 2003, Daily appeared as a contestant on NBC’s “The Voice,” and people were shocked that the voice of Tommy Pickles could sing like a nightingale. I was only surprised she didn’t win it all. I remember watching her performance on “American Bandstand,” and even back then I swore to a friend that one day she would grace my lens. Last year that dream finally came true. Of all the celebrities I photographed in 2019, she was the only one I was actually nervous to meet and I’m not afraid to “Say It, Say It” (Daily’s number one U.S. Dance chart hit in 1986).
19. Aisling Franciosi, Actor in THE NIGHTINGALE
Aisling Franciosi, without a doubt, was one of 2019’s rising stars. The 26-year-old Irish actress was awarded that honor by both the Berlin Film and The Chicago Film Critic Festivals for her tour de force breakout performance in “The Nightingale,” directed by Jennifer Kent. The Australian film, set in 1825, created a firestorm of controversy for its honest and brutal depiction of colonial atrocities, especially violence against women and the native Tazmanian population.
Franciosi’s character was an Irish convict in servitude, and sets out on an epic journey of revenge after she and her family are sadistically brutalized … in scenes for many almost too difficult to view. Her performance as a woman driven over the edge and trying to cope with the resulting PTSD is simply some of the best acting I’ve seen on screen in years. If Franciosi doesn’t secure an Oscar nomination, it will be almost as horrendous a crime as what befalls her character onscreen. The former star of “Legends” and “The Fall,” as well as (spoiler alert) Jon Snow’s mother on “Game of Thrones,” is my pick for rising star of the year as well.
18. Mike Rowe, TV Host
Mike Rowe has never been afraid of a dirty job. As an on-camera apprentice, he’s literally castrated a sheep with his teeth, waded through a filthy fecal sewer system, pumped out Porta-Potties and more recently defended the President on FOX News. From 2003 through 2012 the nearly fearless TV host of The Discovery Channel’s “Dirty Jobs” and CNN’s ”Somebody’s Gotta Do It” has championed the blue collar working man. Rolling up his sleeves with his humorous-but-practical “get ur done” attitude, the former Eagle Scout and first Critics Choice TV Award winner for Best Reality Show Host has also appeared on Sesame Street accepting Oscar the Grouch’s Dirty Job Challenge … Rowe hilariously was tasked with organizing and counting the Muppet’s stinky cheese collection and rotting garbage, before giving a mud bath to Spot (Oscar’s pet pig) in triumphant jubilation.
My direction for Rowe was far less dramatic, but just as celebratory. All I needed him to do was roll up his sleeve backstage before my lens, right before his sold-out appearance at North Central College in Naperville, Ill. (he was promoting his book “The Way I Heard It”). That simple metaphor was enough for the perfect shot. Not exactly a dirty job, but for a working photographer it was nice work if you can get it … at least that’s the way I see it.
17. Former Pro Wrestlers CM Punk and AJ Lee
It seems like the winning move for former pro wrestlers is to transition their act to the big screen … Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson is currently the highest paid actor in the entertainment industry, for example. Dave Bautista and John Cena have both made successful transitions, and now a new challenger is stepping into the “actors ring.” Former WWE Champion and Chicago’s own CM Punk (AKA Phil Brooks) has made his onscreen debut with a starring role in the horror film, “The Girl On the Third Floor.” His performance was smashing, and he got surprisingly good reviews. He also appeared in another horror film in 2019 called “Rabid.”
I photographed Brooks and his wife, former WWE Diva Champion AJ Lee (A.J. Mendez Brooks) just before the premiere of his acting debut film at The 55th Chicago International Film Festival in October. The couple tag teamed my lens with a raw no-holds-barred portrait that hit all the right moves victoriously.
16. Podcaster and Actor Marc Maron
Marc Maron is a master podcaster and in my opinion (and many others), the greatest interviewer since Howard Stern. The thirty-year plus veteran stand up comedian and actor also – like his pal Louis CK – had his own semi autobiographical show entitled “Maron,” which successfully ran for three years on the IFC Channel.
Maron launched his podcast in 2009, after years of working terrestrial radio on the now defunct American Air Radio Network. After relocating from New York to Los Angeles, he kicked off his aptly titled “WTF” Podcast from his garage. Maron booked his fellow comedians and other various showbiz friends on the ‘cast, and in 2014 it was named the Number One Comedy Podcast by Rolling Stone Magazine. Maron’s superpower, aside from his humor and his ability to empathize, is to simply listen while engaging his celebrity guests in the lost art of long form conversation. His long-time friend Robin Williams revealed his thoughts of suicide, comedian Todd Glass come out of the closet on the air and Barack Obama used the n-word while talking about the scourge of racism in America.
Almost 2000 celebrity interviews in the past decade have taken place in Maron’s confessional garage. His twice-weekly WTF Podcasts were picked up by NPR, and now boasts over six million listeners … making him one of the most listened to voices in America. Besides currently selling out various on-the-road venues, his acting career has taken off. Beginning with a starring role as Sam Sylvia on Netflix’s “GLOW,” it continued with an appearance opposite Robert De Niro and Joaquin Phoenix in the 2019 blockbuster “Joker.” When Maron posed for my lens in July – promoting his other 2019 film, “Sword of Truth” – the result was a shimmering, razor sharp portrait … which possesses more than just a glimmer of honesty, and his own unique GLOW.
15. Actor, Author and Activist Amber Tamblyn
Amber Tamblyn is a Renaissance woman 2.0. And, when I say renaissance I mean she is likely to skillfully vanquish any oppressor with her flaming and fully illuminated sword of truth to their groin. Is it any wonder that she rose to fame playing a modern day Joan of Arc? Did she not help oversee the socially democratic equal distribution of a pair of traveling pants in service to her sisterhood? Was this not prophesied?
Actress, author, poet, director, and now feminist warrior, Tamblyn was one of the founders of the #TimesUp movement in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal. She publicly called out actor James Woods in an open letter to Teen Vogue in 2017, and detailed how the 52-year-old actor had tried to seduce her and her fellow 16-year-old girlfriend … offering to whisk them away on a Vegas getaway while fully aware of their age. In her 2019 best-selling book “Era of Ignition,” she disclosed the sexual assault in her past and long history of harassment working as a young Hollywood actress. She also described her personal metamorphosis, which became a feminist call to arms to hopefully ignite a new era for both genders, creating a social and racial equality. Tamblyn – like her most famous character – seems to be fighting the good fight on a mission from God. I managed to capture her looking simply divine in this almost saintly looking portrait. It was taken in the green room before her sold-out book tour stop in Naperville, Ill., in March. Ignition sequence activated.
14. Comic Actor Rachel Dratch
“If THIS portrait made your Top 20 List it might be time to reconsider your parents advice about establishing an occupational back up plan!” Womp Womp!
13. Actor Richard Thomas
John-Boy Walton still isn’t sleeping and neither is the actor who portrayed him, the Emmy award-winning Richard Thomas. Now 68, the one time breakout star of “The Waltons” – a hit for CBS-TV in the 1970s – has been a continuously working actor of both stage and screen since the age of seven. Raised by parents who danced with the New York ballet, and later opened the New York School of Ballet, his earliest childhood memories revolved around his life backstage.
With over 120 acting credits to his name, Thomas rarely has time to say goodnight. Some of his recent work includes portraying FBI agent Frank Gaad on “The Americans, “ a reoccurring role on “Billions,” “The Blacklist,” five episodes of “Tell Me Your Secrets,” and “NCIs New Orleans,” in addition to his nearly constant theater work on the live stage. Sure it may seem that John-Boy evolved into a workaholic and insomniac, but Richard Thomas still managed to graciously give up a few minutes of his time for me at “The Hollywood Show” Chicago last March. The result was a portrait that according to my girlfriend was still, “Absolutely dreamy!”
12. Actor Tom Skerritt
Since 1962 Tom Skerritt has appeared in more than 40 films and over 200 television episodes, and there is no doubt he is a “Top Gun” character actor. He has appeared in such classic films as “M*A*S*H,” “Alien,” “Harold and Maude,” “ Steel Magnolias,” “Top Gun” and “A River Runs Through It.” Skerritt’s rugged good looks kicked off his early career on TV westerns, as well as portraying military men and astronauts. Those rugged good looks also cast him as the poster boy for Guess Jeans in the late 1980’s, and People Magazine’s “50 Most Beautiful People in the World” in 1993.
I caught up with the Emmy winning Best Lead actor (1993, for “Picket Fences”) before a sold out appearance and screening for the 40th anniversary of the film “Alien” at Chicago’s Music Box Theater. Before I turned the lens on him he asked if he could step out for a quick smoke first. I watched him out the window. There he was the iconic 86-year-old actor standing outside the theater café on the sidewalk, puffing away and saying hello to random passersby on Southport Avenue. He looked twenty years younger than his age, and still fully capable of bitch slapping any photographer foolish enough to interfere with a well-deserved smoke break. To reference the movie “Ted,” it took only a couple of shots with Skerritt beaming in my viewfinder before I felt just like Matt Walsh (who portrayed Mark Wahlberg’s boss). I too was ready to “Hang a garage door with Tom Skerritt, take his wife and kid miniature golfing, or even watch the Chicago Bulls with him in Chicago”.
11. George Chakiris and Russ Tamblyn of WEST SIDE STORY
George Chakiris and Russ Tamblyn (A Poem)
Spielberg’s rehabbing “West Side”
And it’s causing quite a fuss
But I prefer an authentic O.G.
The perfection of George and Russ
Steven Spielberg wrapped filming on his remake of “West Side Story” on September 28th. The updated version is scheduled for a December of 2020 release. I’m not a big fan of remakes, and in the case of that iconic musical, why would you want to tinker with perfection? The 1961 movie won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director (Robert Wise), Best Supporting Actress (Rita Moreno), Best Supporting Actor (Chakiris). And Russ Tamblyn – who portrayed Riff, the leader of the Jets (rival to the street gang the Sharks in the story) – already was an Oscar nominee for “Peyton Place” before he was cast.
Having previously photographed Moreno, Chakiris and Tamblyn, I found myself revisiting those classic gang leaders of the Sharks and Jets while the recast Moreno was off filming in Spielberg’s new production. In typical West Side Story fashion, one actor had optimistic hopes for the reboot, while the other agreed with me that it was a travesty and was downright pissed. What next, a remake of “Schindler’s List” featuring Cardi B and Lady Gaga? A near rumble was averted by my sharing photos of the shoot I did with Russ’s daughter Amber Tamblyn a few days earlier. And it got me thinking, in a world torn apart by loyalties to rival factions … whether Shark or Jet … if we set our differences aside for a moment to create something for our mutual benefit, then perhaps we could all just get along. What a wonderful picture that would be.
10. Author Salman Rushdie
When working with Salman Rushdie it’s probably not a great idea to introduce yourself with,“It’s such an honor, I’ve been dying to shoot you for years!” Luckily, the iconic “The Satanic Verses” author has a great sense of humor. He is a man who danger has courted, and hilariously appeared as himself on “Curb Your Enthusiasm” to offer Larry David sage advice on the joys of Fatwa sex, and manning up with his f**k-it philosophy.
It was the 30th Anniversary of the 1989 Fatwa death sentence proclaimed on Salman Rushdie (for perceived blasphemy against the Islam religion in “The Satanic Verses”) by Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini … the order was made permanent in 2006. Every February 14th,, Rushdie still receives a “Valentines Day” card from Tehran reminding him his death sentence still stands. To mark this anniversary as a wanted man, the novelist made it clear he wasn’t hiding. Quite to the contrary, he was selling out area venues such as Chicago’s Vic Theater and Naperville’s (Ill.) Wentz Hall (North Central College) to promote his latest bestselling novel, “Quichotte,” which is Don Quixote redone for the modern age. I was at his North Central College appearance, where I finally got to capture the wanted man in the green room. In true literary Rock Star fashion it was revealed that as part of his rider contract Rushdie ironically requests a shot glass be placed backstage in every city he visits. F**k it, indeed!
9. Legendary Bluesman Buddy Guy
Buddy Guy (A Poem)
Before Clapton was anointed God
Or Jimi kissed the sky
Before Beck, Page or Richards
There was Blues Man Buddy Guy
Pick your favorite classic guitar hero, and the one thing they will all agree on – in an almost fan boy reverence – is that their guitar idol is Buddy Guy. Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and the late Stevie Ray Vaughn all have hailed him as the greatest living guitarist.
Back in 1958, Leonard Chess (founder of Chicago’s Chess Records) didn’t really know what to do with Buddy Guy, other that use him as a session man or team him up with other artists like Muddy Waters or Junior Wells. His live solo performances – according to Leonard – were just too loud and noisy. Guy pioneered playing the guitar with his teeth and behind his head years before Jimi Hendrix … who borrowed those tricks and stunned the world at Monterey Pop in 1967. That was the same year Buddy Guy was still working as a part-time tow truck driver on Chicago’s Southside. No wonder the Man had the blues!
By the mid 1980’s the musical world caught up to Buddy Guy, and finally recognized him as one of the original torchbearers, a “Guy” that had influenced an entire generation of 1960s and 70’s guitar players. His Blues guitar was the bridge to rock and hard rock playing, and begat the younger generation at the time. He has nine Grammys, including a Lifetime Achievement Award, as well as a Kennedy Center Honor, a National Medal of Arts and an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Now 83 years old, he is considered the last of the original Blues icons.
He still tours 100 plus days in a year, mentors young Blues players and still performs at his Chicago club “Buddy Guy’s Legends.” I photographed him at the premiere of “The Torch” (as in torchbearer) the documentary film based on his life, which closed the 55th Chicago International Film Festival. Mayor Lori Lightfoot also proclaimed it “Buddy Guy Day” in his adopted hometown. Trust me, there is nothing like capturing Buddy Guys radiant smile in your lens to chase the blues away.
8. Rocker Geddy Lee of RUSH
I got turned on to Rush by my fellow guitar-playing buddy Jim in the sixth grade. It was the opening track – “Bastille Day”– from the 1976 live album “All the Worlds a Stage” that was one of the first songs Jim ever taught me. Thus began my young-guitar-player’s love affair with the hard rocking trio from Canada’s great white north.
Geddy Lee had the most unique and instantly recognizable voice in the soundtrack of my youth. Was there ever a better 1970s album than Rush’s “2112” for laying around on beanbags with your eighth grade buddies, while hitting a bong and hilariously solving all the worlds problems?
By the time Rush was finally admitted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013 (despite the clenched teeth of Rolling Stone Magazine founder Jann Wenner), the band had sold over 40 million albums. Twenty-four gold, 14 platinum and three multi-platinum … only rock groups The Beatles and the Rolling Stones surpassed their total record sales. In the 2009 film “I Love You Man,” the bromance between Paul Rudd and Jason Segel is cemented by their mutual obsession with Rush. They attend a concert and then hilariously attempted to play the songs in their dream to form a Rush tribute band.
When Geddy Lee came to Chicago to promote his “Big Beautiful Book of Bass” in July, it was a teenage dream as I became a “Working Man,” and he “… echoes with the sounds of salesman…of salesmen…of SALESMEN” posing in the limelight for my camera eye. XAN-A-DU!
7. TV Legends Shirley Jones, Dawn Wells and Loretta Swit
When Shirley Partridge, Hot Lips Houlihan and Mary Ann from Gilligan’s Island are all laughing and posing together for my camera, while John-Boy Walton is somewhere behind me whooping it up, and cheering me on … it seems exactly like one of my weird chicken-pox-induced fever dreams from 1972. But in reality it was March of 2019, and I was working The Hollywood Show Chicago. The three still-stunning and legendary TV actresses are now all north of age 80, yet proving for all that it ain’t nothing but a number.
Shirley Jones, who is known to millions for her role as Shirley Partridge – the doting mom on the ABC-TV 1970’s smash hit “The Partridge Family” – was no novice when it came to providing the vocals for that show. Her singing voice was so affecting that she wowed Broadway musical legends Rogers and Hammerstein at her first audition … so much so that she was the only actress ever put under a personal contract with the iconic duo. She later appeared in their musicals “Oklahoma” and “Carousel.” Jones also won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, in a dramatic role, for “Elmer Gantry” (1960). She would become the first female Oscar winner to also have a #1 Billboard Chart topper, vocalizing with The Partridge Family on “I Think I Love You” (1970).
Loretta Swit is a two-time Emmy winner for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy (1980 and ’82) for portraying Major Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan on M*A*S*H from 1972 through 1983. Swit and Alan Alda were the only two actors to appear in the original pilot for the series, and the final episode. Over 106 million people viewed that final episode entitled “Goodbye, Farewell & Amen.” It was not only the most watched television series finale, but also holds the record for most watched American television broadcast (in amount of viewers) in history … topped only by the Super Bowl XLIV in 2010.
Dawn Wells – while cast to portray Mary Ann Summers, the country girl next door on “Gilligan’s Island” – was actually a real life beauty queen. She was Miss Nevada in 1959, and she would compete in the 1960 Miss America Pageant. Afterward, she appeared in numerous TV and films roles before and after her stay on the island. And while “Gilligan’s Island” initially only ran three years on CBS-TV (1964-1967), the show has run continuously since then. It has never been out of rerun syndication in over 50 years. Dawn Wells embraces that good-natured character, and it is so beloved it has famously stood the test of time. There are far worse islands to be stranded on.
6. Actor/Director Jon Favreau
On screen superheroes are a dime a dozen. However, if there was a true titan or “Avenger” working behind the camera it would be Jon Favreau, and 2019 was a big year for him. Currently he is the creator and writer of the Disney+ live action Star Wars series “The Mandalorian,” which has just been given a second season. He is the creative father of “Baby Yoda,” the Mandalorian character that is currently sweeping the Internet and will probably generate enough merchandise dollars to fill a Death Star. And since Favreau directed “The Jungle Book” in 2016, he most likely will direct “Jungle Book 2,” which has been announced for production in 2020.
Jon Favreau got his first exposure co-staring opposite Sean Astin in “Rudy” (1993). He then teamed up with his college buddy Vince Vaughn and created an indie film sensation, writing and co-starring in “Swingers” (1996). He soon began piling up both film and TV appearances, but his real superpower emerged in his writing, producing and directing skills. He famously directed “Elf,” “Cowboys and Aliens,” the first two films in Marvel Studios “Iron Man” series and both live-action versions of Walt Disney Studios “The Jungle Book” and “The Lion King.” He also executive produced “Iron Man 3,” and has appeared in and/or produced every “Avengers” film, as well as “Spider-Man: Homecoming” and “Spider-Man: Far From Home.”
I photographed Disney’s greatest asset since Mickey Mouse in June of 2019, just before he received the Siskel Film Center Renaissance Award For Career Achievement, which was presented to him by his buddy and Iron Man work partner Robert Downey Jr. The celebration of Jon Favreau’s meteoric rise from indie film darling to the top of the Hollywood heap was enough to make Happy Hogan smile ear-to-ear for my camera. Cheeseburgers for everyone!
5. Actor Michael Shannon
Is there any actor of late that can project a bigger, badder and more villainous onscreen psychotic than Michael Shannon? In my opinion, the answer is a resounding “No!” Whether he is setting fire to Ashley Judd’s character in “Bug,” or raving about assaulting his mother (Kathy Bates) with a coffee table in “Revolutionary Road,” or being more monstrous than the actual monster in “The Shape of Water,” Michael Shannon is so brilliant at portraying crazy it’s downright scary. He possesses a skill set so deep, that like his character General Zod in “Man of Steel,” it almost demands that lesser actors kneel before him. TV’s “Family Guy” might have parodied it best when Peter Griffith was interrupted as he was giving the intense actor calming words, and Shannon then slaughters the entire film crew in the two seconds.
I’ve photographed the two-time Oscar nominee at least four times previously, and off screen he is the complete polar opposite of his menacing characters. Shannon playfully gifted me with a badass tongue shot – money in the bank! – at the red carpet premiere of “Knives Out” for the 55th Chicago International Film Festival. He was no doubt demonstrating his superb taste in selecting his over-the-top roles. Our readers absolutely lapped it up.
4. Actor Eddie Redmayne
Eddie Redmayne is a good candidate for the best actor of his generation. At age 37, he has already won an Oscar, Tony, Golden Globe, SAG award, BAFTA (British Oscar) and the Laurence Olivier Award. He was nominated for a second Oscar for “The Danish Girl” (2015), after winning his first for “The Theory of Everything” (2014), portraying physicist Stephen Hawking.
In addition to acting he has also modeled in ads for Burberry alongside supermodel Cara Delevingne, and was named the Number One Best Dressed British Man by GQ Magazine in 2015. It seems Eddie Redmayne has indeed experienced the theory of everything.
In his latest film “The Aeronauts,” it seems that even the sky isn’t the limit for this also-recipient of the British OBE medal. Teaming up with director Tom Harper and his “Theory of Everything” co-star Felicity Jones, Redmayne portrays meteorologist James Glaisher … who in 1862 soared 37,000 feet over England, collecting weather data while shattering the previous manned balloon record. I photographed both Eddie Redmayne and Director Tom Harper at the 55th Chicago International Film Festival premiere of “The Aeronauts.” The celebrated actor gave me a portrait good enough to leave his fans with their heads in the clouds. Up, Up and away!
3. Jeff Goldblum
Jeff Goldblum (A Poem)
Here we see tall man Jeff
Still always looking fly
Disney+’s King of Quirk
A worldly inquisitive guy
Be it Chaos Theory
Or Law and Order
I haven’t got a clue
So it’s brains over brawn
He turns them on
I guess nerds are sexy too
2. John Travolta
John Travolta (A Poem)
He’s been strutting across our screens
Since Nineteen Seventy-Five
SweatHog or Boy In the Plastic Bubble
Destined to Stay Alive.
Step-by-step through every role
Where dancing legends thrive
In Greased Lightning, and Urban Cowboy
Or Vincent Vega’s Jive.
1. Robert Downey Jr.
How much of a badass is Robert Downey Jr.? Do you know any other Hollywood actors who would simply pass on a studio’s offer to launch a major public relations campaign to win them their first Oscar? During an interview with Howard Stern, Downey Jr. revealed that he asked Disney Studios not to bother pushing him for an Oscar, despite overwhelming demand from Avengers fans. He didn’t feel like dealing with the campaign and simply said, ”Let’s not.” But Disney naturally went ahead anyway with it, because you know its not like he can just snap is fingers and end the world or anything.
Downey Jr. earned a reported $75 million dollars for “Avengers: Endgame” and has accumulated an estimated $250 million from the Disney/Marvel Studios Universe since first appearing as Iron Man Tony Stark in 2008. For this reason alone he doesn’t need any stinking golden statues. He’s the box office Man of Iron, and like his character Tony Stark, the mercurial Downey Jr. has also found his redemption through his family, friends and the fans that love him 3000.
I photographed Downey for the second time in June, as he was Master of Ceremony at The Siskel Film Center Renaissance Award Gala, honoring his buddy and Iron Man director, Jon Favreau. Downey pointed directly at my lens and instructed me to make him look at least ten years younger as he approached the red carpet cameras.
RIP to this list of the following celebrity subjects, who I had previous photographed, and that we sadly lost in 2019 (Click the highlighted link for the photo and article where applicable), Valerie Harper, Horror Icon Sid Haig, Carroll “Big Bird” Spinney, Peter Fonda [30], Luke Perry [31], Peter Mayhew [32], Carol Channing [33], Peter Tork [34], Jan Michael Vincent [35], Dick Miller and Julie Adams [36], French New Wave Icon Agnes Varda [37], Actress Carol Lynley [38], Denise Nickerson of “Willy Wonka” [39], David Hedison of “The Fly” (1958) [40], Michael J. Pollard of “Bonnie and Clyde” [41], the great character actor Robert Forster [42] and my spirit animal Tardar Sauce, AKA Grumpy Cat [43].
Links:
[1] http://www.hollywoodchicago.com/users/hankq
[2] http://www.hollywoodchicago.com/news/10
[3] http://www.hollywoodchicago.com/news/2019
[4] http://www.hollywoodchicago.com/news/25
[5] http://www.hollywoodchicago.com/news/best
[6] http://www.hollywoodchicago.com/news/buddy-guy
[7] http://www.hollywoodchicago.com/news/cm-punk-0
[8] http://www.hollywoodchicago.com/news/eddie-redmayne
[9] http://www.hollywoodchicago.com/news/entertainment-news
[10] http://www.hollywoodchicago.com/news/geddy-lee
[11] http://www.hollywoodchicago.com/news/hollywoodchicagodotcom-content
[12] http://www.hollywoodchicago.com/news/jeff-goldblum
[13] http://www.hollywoodchicago.com/news/joe-arce
[14] http://www.hollywoodchicago.com/news/john-travolta
[15] http://www.hollywoodchicago.com/news/jon-favreau
[16] http://www.hollywoodchicago.com/news/list
[17] http://www.hollywoodchicago.com/news/loretta-swit
[18] http://www.hollywoodchicago.com/news/michael-shannon
[19] http://www.hollywoodchicago.com/news/patrick-mcdonald
[20] http://www.hollywoodchicago.com/news/photography
[21] http://www.hollywoodchicago.com/news/photos
[22] http://www.hollywoodchicago.com/news/pictures
[23] http://www.hollywoodchicago.com/news/portraits
[24] http://www.hollywoodchicago.com/news/rachel-dratch
[25] http://www.hollywoodchicago.com/news/robert-downey-jr-0
[26] http://www.hollywoodchicago.com/news/russ-tamblyn
[27] http://www.hollywoodchicago.com/news/salmon-rushdie
[28] http://www.hollywoodchicago.com/news/ten
[29] http://www.hollywoodchicago.com/news/top-20-2019
[30] https://www.hollywoodchicago.com/news/29606/films-news-peter-fonda-forever-the-easy-rider-dies-at-79
[31] https://www.hollywoodchicago.com/news/29211/entertainment-news-luke-perry-of-90210-dies-at-52
[32] https://www.hollywoodchicago.com/news/29387/exclusive-photo-in-memoriam-peter-mayhew-of-star-wars
[33] https://www.hollywoodchicago.com/news/29129/exclusive-photo-in-memoriam-for-broadway-legend-carol-channing-dead-at-97
[34] https://www.hollywoodchicago.com/news/29197/exclusive-photo-peter-tork-member-of-the-monkees-dies-at-77
[35] https://www.hollywoodchicago.com/news/29227/exclusive-photo-in-memoriam-actor-jan-michael-vincent-dead-at-73
[36] https://www.hollywoodchicago.com/news/29156/exclusive-photos-in-memoriam-character-actors-dick-miller-and-julie-adams
[37] ”https://www.hollywoodchicago.com/news/29367/photo-audio-in-memoriam-agn-s-varda-of-french-new-wave-cinema”
[38] https://www.hollywoodchicago.com/news/11404/interviews-george-kennedy-carol-lynley-at-the-hollywood-celebrities-show
[39] https://www.hollywoodchicago.com/news/12939/slideshow-30-photo-star-gallery-from-hollywood-celebrities-show?slide=27
[40] https://www.hollywoodchicago.com/news/12939/slideshow-30-photo-star-gallery-from-hollywood-celebrities-show?slide=16
[41] https://www.hollywoodchicago.com/news/16905/slideshow-29-exclusive-portraits-from-hollywood-celebrities-memorabilia-show?slide=5
[42] https://www.hollywoodchicago.com/news/29698/film-news-character-actor-robert-forster-dies-at-78
[43] https://www.hollywoodchicago.com/news/24563/exclusive-portrait-grumpy-cat-gains-a-voice-in-lifetime-tv-movie
[44] https://wizardworld.com/comiccon/chicago
[45] https://www.chicagofilmfestival.com/
[46] https://www.andersonsbookshop.com/
[47] https://musicboxtheatre.com/
[48] https://navypier.org
[49] https://hollywoodshow.com/mainchicago.php
[50] https://www.siskelfilmcenter.org/