John Everingham (born 1949) is an Australian journalist residing in Thailand, best known as the subject of the film ''Love is Forever'' and as the father of Thai actor

Ananda Everingham Ananda Everingham ( th, อนันดา เอเวอริงแฮม; born 31 May 1982) is a Thai actor and model. Working primarily in Thai films, he is best known for his lead role in the 2004 horror film, '' Shutter''. Biography Ana ...

. Everingham was in high school in 1966 when the urge to travel overcame the desire to study. He dropped out of school and left home at 16 years old, and left Australia to journey through London by motorcycle. Everingham began his career in photojournalism in the mid-1960s, as a teenager trekking through Indochina and learning languages. He originally worked as a translator for TV crews covering the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

. During the Vietnam War he received acclaim from the mainstream media, and disdain from the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

military, for his reporting on and photos of the effects of American bombing of hill tribe villages in the remote mountains of Laos. Some of the planes were based in

Udon Thani, Thailand Udon Thani ( th, อุดรธานี, ) is a city in Isan (Northeast Thailand), the capital of Udon Thani Province and with a population of approximately 430,000 in its urban area the 7th largest city in the country. The city municipality ...

. Laos became the most heavily bombed country in the world during the 'secret war' run by the CIA. Everingham published a story with graphic photos of bombed out villages in the ''Washington Monthly'', a story that helped break open the secrecy surrounding the war in Laos and shed light on the innocent rural Lao and Hmong hill tribes being killed. Everingham gained international fame when he sought asylum for his Laotian wife, Keo Sirisomphone, by swimming her out of

Laos Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...

under the Mekong River near

Vientiane Vientiane ( , ; lo, ວຽງຈັນ, ''Viangchan'', ) is the capital and largest city of Laos. Vientiane is divided administratively into 9 cities with a total area of only approx. 3,920 square kilometres and is located on the banks of ...

using

scuba equipment Scuba diving is a mode of underwater diving whereby divers use breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface air supply. The name "scuba", an acronym for " Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus", was coined by Chri ...

. Though successful in getting Keo out of Laos safely, he was arrested back on the Thai side of the Mekong and jailed for bringing an illegal into the country. The then Prime Minister signed a pardon for him, allowing Everingham to remain in Thailand. The story was turned into a TV film starring

Michael Landon Michael Landon (born Eugene Maurice Orowitz; October 31, 1936 – July 1, 1991) was an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for his roles as Little Joe Cartwright in ''Bonanza'' (1959–1973), Charles Ingalls in ''Little House on the Pr ...

called '' Love is Forever'' (USA release) and ''Comeback'' (international release), based on a screenplay by director/producer,

Hall Bartlett Hall Bartlett (November 27, 1922 – September 7, 1993) was an American film producer, director, and screenwriter. Early life Hall Bartlett was born in Kansas City, Missouri, he graduated from Yale University Phi Beta Kappa, and was a Rhodes Sc ...

. In 1983, Everingham was the contact to

Cork Graham Frederick Graham (born November 29, 1964), who writes under the name Cork Graham, is an American author of adventure memoir and political thriller fiction novels. He is a former combat photographer, who was imprisoned in Vietnam for illegally e ...

for Capt. Kidd Treasure Hunter Richard Knight. ''The Bamboo Chest: An Adventure in Healing the Trauma of War'', pp. 5, 12-18, 22, 27 Re Richard Knight] John Everingham was the founder and managing director of Artasia Press, a publisher of English language magazines in Thailand between 1985 and 2007.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Everingham, John 1949 births War photographers Australian photographers Australian photojournalists Photographers from Melbourne Living people Date of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people)