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May 4, 2026
Ready for their close-ups: celebrity passport photos
In 1953, Dave Sharkey, a former professional boxer, and his wife, Ann, founded a photographic studio in Oxford Street, London. The studio promised prints ‘ready in 10 minutes’ long before anyone else in the city could provide such a quick turnaround. Conveniently located near the US embassy and Selfridges, the studio, which was eventually taken over by the couple’s son Philip, became a bustling crossroads for artists, actors, musicians and athletes alike, all looking to get their passport photos taken. Muhammad Ali, Bianca and Mick Jagger, David Hockney, Tilda Swinton and many more sat for their passport photo.
TL;DR
- Bianca and Mick Jagger, photographed on 1 June 1976.
- David Hockney, photographed on 22 June 1965 and 21 January 1970.
- Nancy Spungen, photographed on 10 August 1978.
- Poly Styrene, musician, photographed on 28 October 1997.
- Dudley Moore, actor, photographed on 30 November 1967 and 28 January 1975.
- Tilda Swinton, actor, photographed on 18 May 2013.
- Vincent Cassel, actor, photographed on 10 October 2015.
- Alec Guinness, actor, photographed in 1975.
- Ben Kingsley, actor, photographed on 15 October 1992.
- Leslie Caron, actor and dancer, photographed in the 1960s.
- Pattie Boyd, model, photographed in the 1960s.
- Sting, musician, photographed on 3 May 2006.
- Van Morrison, musician, photographed on 26 November 1988.
- Joan Collins, actor, photographed on 13 July 1971 and 31 October 1979.
- Marty Feldman, actor, photographed on 9 January 1969.
- Ava Gardner, actor, photographed on 16 September 1976 and 2 April 1987.
- Sean Connery, actor, photographed on 14 September 1977 and 15 May 1982.
- Christiane Amanpour, journalist, photographed on 15 October 2002.
- Kate Winslet, actor, photographed on 2 October 1997.
- Muhammad Ali, boxer, photographed on 11 June 1974.