William Lawrence Christie (born 14 November 1948) is a British fashion photographer and film director.

Early life

Christie was born in 1948. He left Eton aged 17. At 19 he worked on

Richard Burton Richard Burton (; born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr.; 10 November 1925 – 5 August 1984) was a Welsh actor. Noted for his baritone voice, Burton established himself as a formidable Shakespearean actor in the 1950s, and he gave a memorable pe ...

and Elizabeth Taylor's yacht, Kalizma for a month, before working, aged 19, as assistant to fashion photographer David Anthony. In 1973 he appeared on

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show. For most o ...

'playing' bass with

Roxy Music Roxy Music are an English rock band formed in 1970 by Bryan Ferry—who became the band's lead vocalist and principal songwriter—and bassist Graham Simpson. The other longtime members are Phil Manzanera (guitar), Andy Mackay (saxophone ...

Fashion photography

In 1969 he was asked by the journalist BP Fallon to photograph the Rolling Stones who were rehearsing in the Beatles' Apple Studios for their concert in Hyde Park following the death of Brian Jones. Clive Arrowsmith took him under his wing later that year. He stayed for a year whilst Clive worked for UK Vogue and others. Christie met his future wife,

Grace Coddington Pamela Rosalind Grace Coddington (born 20 April 1941) is a Welsh former model and former creative director at large of American ''Vogue'' magazine. Coddington is known for the creation of large, complex and dramatic photoshoots. A '' Guardian'' ...

during this period. In 1970 Christie went freelance as a photographer. Commissions were slow but over the next three years he built a portfolio with work from Harpers Queen, Honey and Over 21 amongst others. Christie continued photographing both fashion and celebrities.

Cary Grant Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904November 29, 1986) was an English-American actor. He was known for his Mid-Atlantic accent, debonair demeanor, light-hearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing. He was one o ...

, Douglas Fairbanks Jnr and Grace Jones being just three. He produced portraits for

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

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and many more. In 1983, he directed a four-song video for Pink Floyd's '' The Final Cut'' album, whose sleeve also featured his photography. The band's bassist Roger Waters was at the time married to his older sister, Lady Carolyne Anne Christie. He also designed and took photographs for the sleeve of the 1973

Robert Fripp Robert Fripp (born 16 May 1946) is a British musician, songwriter, record producer, and author, best known as the guitarist, founder and longest-lasting member of the progressive rock band King Crimson. He has worked extensively as a session ...

and Brian Eno album "

(No Pussyfooting) ''(No Pussyfooting)'' is the debut studio album by the British duo Fripp & Eno, released in 1973. ''(No Pussyfooting)'' was the first of three major collaborations between the musicians, growing out of Brian Eno's early tape delay looping expe ...

". In 1982, he began directing commercials. Many of which won various awards including Creative Circle, Lions @ Cannes, Clio, International Film and TV Festival of New York. Willie Christie's work has been showcased in Vision Gallery (Arizona), the Little Black Gallery, selected for the RA's Summer Exhibition 2011 and his Mick Jagger portrait of 1969 was selected for the international tour of 2010 exhibition. Still rolling, this exhibition moved from the Da Vinci Museum, Tokyo on 29 July 2013. He wrote and directed the 1998 film '' The Whisper'', based on a short story by Anton Chekhov starring Michael Gough, Jamie Glover and fourteen-year-old Emma Pierson. It showed at Festivals around the world and made it to the BAFTA short list that year. He directed a limited run of Siren by

David Williamson David Keith Williamson AO (born 24 February 1942) is an Australian dramatist and playwright. He has also written screenplays and teleplays. Early life David Williamson was born in Melbourne, Victoria, on 24 February 1942, and was brought ...

at London's Grace Theatre in 2000. in 2012 Christie was named as one of Justin de Villeneuve's influences, along with Avedon and

Bert Stern Bertram Stern (October 3, 1929 – June 26, 2013) was an American commercial photographer. Biography Stern was the son of Jewish immigrants and grew up in Brooklyn. His father worked as a children's portrait photographer. After dropping out of ...

. In 2012, he was one of eighty artists selected to decorate a BT Artbox. The box sold on

eBay eBay Inc. ( ) is an American multinational e-commerce company based in San Jose, California, that facilitates consumer-to-consumer and business-to-consumer sales through its website. eBay was founded by Pierre Omidyar in 1995 and became ...

for £620, in aid of the charity Childline.

Recent life

An original contemporary drama-thriller, 'Woman in a Black Hat' and his adaptation of

Peter Cheyney Reginald Evelyn Peter Southouse-Cheyney (22 February 1896 – 26 June 1951) was a British crime fiction writer who flourished between 1936 and 1951. Cheyney is perhaps best known for his short stories and novels about agent/detective Lemmy C ...

's mystery spy thriller, '' Ladies Won't Wait'' are both currently in development. In October 2013 Willie Christie was confirmed as the director and headline presenter of a docu-reality TV show currently in development focusing on style photography.

Personal life

Christies's parents were Hector Lorenzo Christie and Lady Jean Agatha Dundas. His mother's father was Lawrence John Lumley Dundas, 2nd Marquess of Zetland and so he is nephew to Lawrence Aldred Mervyn Dundas, 3rd Marquess of Zetland, and a cousin to both

Mark Dundas, 4th Marquess of Zetland Lawrence Mark Dundas, 4th Marquess of Zetland, (born 28 December 1937), less formally known as Mark Zetland, is a British peer, known before 1989 as Earl of Ronaldshay. Education and career He was educated at Harrow School and Christ's College, ...

and

Lord David Dundas Lord David Paul Nicholas Dundas (born 2 June 1945) is an English musician and actor, best known for his chart success in the pop genre during the 1970s as well as his later career in film and television scores. Biography Dundas was born in Oxf ...

. His nephew, through Carolyne and Roger Waters, is the musician Harry Waters. He was first married to Grace Coddington. The marriage was dissolved in 1980. Christie has been married to his current wife Amanda, daughter of the actor

Derek Nimmo Derek Robert Nimmo (19 September 193024 February 1999) was an English character actor, producer and author. He is best remembered for his comedic upper class "silly ass" and clerical roles including Revd Mervyn Noote in the BBC1 sitcom ''Al ...

, since 1991. They have two children. He also has an older daughter Scarlett and Amanda has a son.

References

External links

*
Christie 's fashion photography
at Trowbridge Gallery * {{DEFAULTSORT:Christie, Willie 1948 births Living people English photographers English film directors People educated at Eton College Fashion photographers