Tuesday, July 24, 2012

ON THE PASSING OF CELESTE HOLM

ON THE PASSING OF CELESTE HOLM


For a long time, starting in the 1970s,  I took a camera with me almost everywhere I went, thanks to the encouragement to do so from Charles Henri Ford. We’d go to Studio 54, to parties at various apartments around the city, and to countless art openings, film screenings and book signings. Because of that habit, I have a big collection of snapshots taken at those events, many of them of people I did not know personally, but who were somehow familiar anyway.
 In 1979, one of those snapshots I took was of the actress Celeste Holm, who died on July 15th, 2012 at her home on Central Park West, at the age 95. She was an elegant lady, and she played on stage and in movies and television so much that her face would be familiar to almost anybody. The Turtle Point Press has an online gallery that is showing some of my photos from that period, including the one of Celeste Holm. Please take a moment to have a look: 
A photo of Celeste Holm I took in 1979.
I don’t remember where I took that particular photograph, although I’m guessing it was a film screening. But I like the way she looks in it, vital and youthful at the relatively young age of 62, holding a drink and smiling. Celeste Holm lived a long life full of achievement and honors. May she rest in peace.
Celeste Holm . Photo by AP

Here is a link to her obituary in The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2012/jul/15/celeste-holm

-Indra Tamang
  July 24, 2012

1 comment:

  1. I get the impression you might have been a fly on the wall (no disrespect intended, just the metaphor/phrase that popped up in my mind) of the NYC cultural scene for decades. It is so impressive all that you have seen, and all the people you have met.

    ReplyDelete