Cornel Lucas

Cornel Lucas, who died at 92 on Nov. 8, was famous for taking lustrous still pictures of the stars of moving pictures. Born in London, the Royal Air Force veteran gained prominence after he shot Marlene Dietrich during production of the 1951 release No Highway in the Sky. After studying his photos with a giant magnifying glass, Dietrich, who was famous for knowing what she wanted, retouched them with an eyebrow pencil. When she saw the revised prints, she welcomed him to the world of moviemaking with the words, “Join the club, Mr. Lucas!”

Working on sets in Europe and the U.S., Lucas witnessed the British sexpot Diana Dors ride a gondola in a mink bikini and watched Katharine Hepburn wash her face with ice to make it glow. He learned that Gregory Peck, though confident onscreen, was nervous during portrait sessions. When English actress Kay Kendall feared that her nose would look too long, Lucas cleverly assured her that he would use a special shortening lens from America. No such thing existed, but she loved the results anyway.

TO SEE CORNEL LUCAS’ PHOTOS, GO TO time.com/lucas