Born 1904 in Kharkiv, Ukraine, French photographer Sam Lévin was one of the most important glamour photographers of the 20th Century. He photographed generations of actors and actresses, artists, politicians and royalty.
Lévin's work embraces the Golden Age of French cinema perfectly. For 20 years, he was the photographer of Brigitte Bardot, and his photos of her contributed to a radically new image of women in the 1960s.
Among the film stars whom he portrayed are Jean Marais, Simone Signoret, Jean Gabin, Romy Schneider, Alain Delon, Michel Piccoli, Jane Birkin, Catherine Deneuve, Yves Montand and Edith Piaf.
Out of France, Lévin also worked for Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM) and for the Cinecittà studio in Rome. There Lévin pictured such international superstars as Burt Lancaster, Ingrid Bergman, Ava Gardner, Orson Welles, Gina Lollobrigida, Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni.
Lévin died in 1992 at the age of 88.
Here below is a glamorous photo collection of classic beauties that Lévin shot in the 1950s and 1960s.