--- description: LIFE photographer Henri Dauman may not be a household name, but the subjects he photographed--from Monroe to Presley--were iconic. title: Henri Dauman's Classic Celebrity Portraits From Marilyn to Elvis image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt34d2cc50d8e937b6/6988750eab6d772a496a78c1/151211-marilyn-monroe-03.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [photography](/tag/photography/) ## photography Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # From Elvis to Marilyn: Henri Dauman's Classic Celebrity Portraits  by [Eliza Berman](/author/eliza-berman/)  ## Eliza Berman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Berman is a senior editor at TIME. Dec 16, 2015 5:36 PM CUT  Marilyn Monroe at The March of Dimes Fashion Show, Waldorf Astoria Hotel, 1958. Marilyn Monroe at The March of Dimes Fashion Show, Waldorf Astoria Hotel, 1958.Henri Dauman / daumanpictures.com, all rights reserved  by [Eliza Berman](/author/eliza-berman/)  ## Eliza Berman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Berman is a senior editor at TIME. Dec 16, 2015 5:36 PM CUT Though the subjects in front of his lens are some of the most famous people who ever lived, LIFE photographer Henri Dauman managed to create some of the most iconic images of the 20th century without ever becoming a household name. Photographing everyone from Marilyn Monroe to Elvis Presley to Jacqueline Kennedy on the day of her husband’s funeral in 1963, Dauman filled the pages of LIFE, _Newsweek_ and the New York _Times_, among other publications, with photos that play like a slideshow of some of the biggest moments in American history and popular culture. A forthcoming documentary aims to give Dauman his due by putting him and his life story on the other side of the lens. [_Henri Dauman: Looking Up_](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/336614479/henri-dauman-looking-up "undefined"), which is currently in the fundraising phase, will shed light not only on the photographer’s career as a self-taught photojournalist inspired by a love of cinema, but also on the odds he beat just to arrive at the beginning of that career: escaping the Holocaust, becoming orphaned at age 13 and finally making his way from France to the U.S. to begin anew. Dauman’s portraits of celebrities, a selection of which are featured here, reflect the work of an artist who sought not merely to capture the likenesses of, but to _understand_ the actors, artists and entertainers who posed for him. Playing with light, shadow and reflection, his particular brand of magic existed in summoning the essence of people whose work was known to many, but whose true selves were known to few.  Henri Dauman on set with Brigitte Bardot, Spoleto, Italy, 1962. Henri Dauman / daumanpictures.com, all rights reserved _Liz Ronk, who edited this gallery, is the Photo Editor for LIFE.com. Follow her on Twitter_ [_@lizabethronk_](https://twitter.com/LizabethRonk "undefined")_._  Brigitte Bardot on set of "Vie Privée," Spoleto, Italy, 1962. Henri Dauman / daumanpictures.com, all rights reserved  Elvis Presley returns to Graceland, 1960. Henri Dauman / daumanpictures.com, all rights reserved  Marilyn Monroe at The March of Dimes Fashion Show, Waldorf Astoria Hotel, 1958. Henri Dauman / daumanpictures.com, all rights reserved  Robert Redford at home, New York, 1963. Henri Dauman / daumanpictures.com, all rights reserved  Elizabeth Taylor watching the Ingemar Johansson and Floyd Patterson fight, Polo Grounds, New York, 1960. Henri Dauman / daumanpictures.com, all rights reserved  Andy Warhol at his exhibition "The American Supermarket," Paul Bianchini Gallery, 1964. Henri Dauman / daumanpictures.com, all rights reserved  Jane Fonda, Ballet Class, New York City, 1963. Henri Dauman / daumanpictures.com, all rights reserved  Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda, New York, 1969. Henri Dauman / daumanpictures.com, all rights reserved  Marshall McLuhan, peering through a transparent model of what he calls the “global village,” Toronto, Canada, 1974. Henri Dauman / daumanpictures.com, all rights reserved  The Bee Gees, New York, 1967. 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