Jack English (photographer)

Jack English (born 13 June 1948) is a photographer, known for his work in the film and music industry.

English is the first of two sons born in Leicester, to businessman Jack English and Dutch mother Jansje Schoen. He attended Ashby Grammar School.

Friends of English at the time include Leicester natives fashion photographer David Parkinson and musician Ric Grech (Family and Blind Faith) both of whom died young.

English’s younger brother William attended the London Film School in 1972, encouraging Jack to move to London where he worked at the International Telephone Exchange on Carter Lane.

In the autumn of 1978, Jack was involved in setting up a PX clothes shop in Covent Garden with Roger Burton. He and Burton then left to form Contemporary Wardrobe, leading to a commission to supply the costumes for the film Quadrophenia and independent styling work for MPL (Paul McCartney), Italian Vogue and Boulevard.

After his mother’s death from cancer, English spent five years working for oil companies in Madagascar, Nigeria and rigs in the North Sea, eventually becoming a flaneur/plongeur in his brother William’s restaurant in London’s Borough Market (Dining Room 1980-1990). Here, his brother introduced him to avant-garde film. In 1981, an interview English conducted with Kenneth Anger in New York was published in Time Out magazine, and was later republished in the summer 1983 edition of On Film.

English’s interest in photography grew from a longstanding love of film, further fueled by his work in the fashion industry. In 1989, using a borrowed camera, English photographed jazz musician Chet Baker after a chance encounter in Cannes, followed by a portrait of Andy Warhol that was published in The Sunday Times magazine.

In 1992, English came to a decision to abstain from drugs and alcohol and concentrate on a career as a photographer.

This new focus lead to several commissions. Eric Clapton hired English to photograph his 1992 tour of the USA with Elton John as well as shoot images for the liner notes of his 1994 blues album From the Cradle.

It was this album that caught the eye of Gary Oldman, who was preparing to shoot his debut film Nil By Mouth. Oldman wasn’t looking for traditional ‘film stills’ and sought out English for a meeting, ultimately recruiting him for the job.

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Wikipedia