Dr. Bruno Bernard, or “Bernard of Hollywood,” was the most sought-after photographer of Hollywood’s Golden Era. He has been coined the “King of Glamour” and the Rembrandt of Photography. He was the first still photographer to be honored by the Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1984 with an exhibition of 150 of his photographs, with such luminaries as Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Gregory Peck, Ginger Rogers, John Wayne, Marlene Dietrich, Rita Hayworth, Elvis Presley, Lucille Ball and many others.
His legendary studio on Sunset Boulevard was a landmark for decades. He was the only photographer of his time to run three studios. Branching out to the desert oasis of The Palm Springs Racquet Club, the exclusive hideaway for the stars. He also ran a glamorous penthouse salon in Las Vegas at the Riviera Hotel, where he captured the biggest headliners and the most gorgeous showgirls of the time. “No one knew the name Bernard, but they all knew Hollywood,” he stated and hence was created the trademark signature, Bernard of Hollywood, that for decades visually insured the image of glamour.
In 1999, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City chose Bruno Bernard’s memorable photograph, Marilyn in White, of Marilyn Monroe as the symbol of the 20th century for their Fame After Photography exhibition. The New York-based International Center of Photography (ICP) honored Mr. Bernard in their television documentary, 20 Unforgettable Photos.
Bruno fled Nazi Germany in 1937, alone and penniless, with a doctorate in criminal law. Born into poverty in 1912 in Berlin, Germany, he and his four siblings were on welfare by the time Bruno was eight years old and were all placed in orphanages. Encouraged by his ailing parents to get an education, he attended Kiel University, where he received his doctorate. He was one of the 2% of Jews to gain a doctorate in 1934. As General Secretary of the Jewish Underground movement, his life was at risk and he was on the Gestapo hit list. In 1937, at the age of 26, he escaped and immigrated to America, where he continued his post-graduate studies at University of California, Berkeley. By 1940, he was torn between Academia and the Arts and became a Directorial Apprentice under Max Reinhart at his Actor’s Workshop.
Bruno Bernard set up his first darkroom in the basement of his Hollywood apartment in 1941.
Professor and Director Reinhardt planted the seed that came to fruition in his directorial approach to photography, which would later be coined ‘the posed candid.’ Along with Bruno’s historical collaboration with renowned illustrator, Alberto Vargas, he would pioneer the art of pin-up photography with the ‘elongated leg.’
By the early 1960s, Bruno had sold his three landmark studios to return to his homeland, Berlin, Germany, and became a foreign photojournalist, covering the Eichmann trial in Israel for Der Spiegel. He was so moved by the experience that he compiled the bestselling Israel Impressions. In 1969, he built a three-story villa, ‘Casa Bernard’ in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. There, he documented pop culture and its social relevance in the Sixties through dozens of European covers, where both prominent and unknown liberated models posed semi-nude on the pristine beaches of the Mediterranean Sea.
Since his passing in 1987, his daughter, author Susan Bernard founded Bernard of Hollywood/Renaissance Road Inc., which preserves, exhibits, publishes and internationally licenses her father’s legendary work and famous trademark—and introduced his art to a new generation. Bernard’s work has generated feature articles in The New York Times, Time Magazine, Newsweek, Vanity Fair, American Photo, Entertainment Weekly and more. In the past, the Bernard of Hollywood trademark has co-branded with such names as Marc Jacobs, Ralph Lauren, Harley Davidson—and there are more than 60 existing international licenses in collectibles, giftware, stationery and fashion apparel.
During her time running Bernard of Hollywood, Susan published seven pictorial photographic books of her father’s work including Taschen’s Bernard of Hollywood’s Ultimate Pin-Up Book. In the Fall of 2011, Marilyn: Intimate Exposures was published to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Marilyn’s passing. In October of 2012, Ralph Lauren hosted a gala for the launch of the French edition of the book on the opening night of Parcours Saint-Germain. Most recently, the summer of 2021 brought an unveiling of Seward Johnson’s giant-size statue of Bernard’s Marilyn in White in the heart of Palm Springs, making it one of the most-visited attractions on the west coast.
Now, his grandson Joshua John Miller, an actor, author and filmmaker, has become President of Bernard of Hollywood. He is currently in the process of overseeing the development and publication of several books of his grandfather’s work, relaunching a lifestyle brand inspired by the life, work, and vision of his grandfather, and developing a film based on Bruno’s unpublished diaries about Marilyn Monroe.