Marty Feldman

Marty Feldman, British comedian, in Brisbane 1971

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Marty Feldman was an English comedian, writer, and actor, who most people will remember as Igor (pronounced Eyegore, for the purposes of the film), the hunch-backed servant in Mel Brookes’s 1974 film ‘Young Frankenstein’, which starred Gene Wilder as Dr. Frederick Frankenstein.

He was also well-known for his work in ‘At Last The 1948 Show’, the hilarious television series, which also featured John Cleese, Graham Chapman and Tim Brooke-Taylor. The winner of two BAFTA awards, Marty achieved a great deal in his short life (1934 - 1982), appearing in 12 movies and 9 television series.

In 1971, Marty did a tour of Australia, which is where I shot this picture, on stage in Brisbane. I was an audience member, and shot this with a Nikkor f4 200mm lens. His most notable features were his extreme goggle eyes, which were produced by a condition known as Graves Disease. I kept watching him through the lens, until he pulled this classic face. Sadly, the negatives were destroyed in a flood, so I had to photograph the only surviving print.