FranK Worth was born in New York City in 1923. During his senior year he approached the New York offices of the International News Service (INS) with some of his photos and was offered a trial position. His first assignment was to photograph actors and actresses as they arrived at Grand Central Station getting off the California Express train. This was his introduction to Hollywood.
Frank was charming, witty and immediately struck up a rapport with those he was photographing. He quickly met and became close friends with many top stars, including James Dean, with whom he shared a fascination for sports cars.
Worth never released his best photos. Some of his shots were to him as private as his personal life. captured and retained extensive collections of Marilyn Monroe and James Dean photographs, most of which were never seen.
Frank Worth was a friend and confidant to many of Hollywood's elite. His personal relationship and loyalty to the stars he candidly shot kept him from publishing his images. Consequently, only a few of his extraordinary photographs were seen during his lifetime.
Worth made a modest living as a freelance photographer in Hollywood during the 1940s and 50s, when most photographers were constrained by the powerful studio system. However, Worth used his personal relationships to sidestep these restrictions, allowing him to capture the greatest collection of intimate images and the glamour of the era.
Following his death in Los Angeles in 2000, relatives of the 'reluctant' Frank Worth found a treasure trove of incredible photographs capturing screen legends such as Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Jayne Mansfield and Elizabeth Taylor. Worth had recorded a private and vivid history of the last years of Hollywood's "Golden Age."
