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Endpoint: J. Barry O'Rourke

created on: 14/02/2024
by: Lo55o (12521)

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James Barry O'Rourke (born August 6, 1933, Providence, Rhode Island, USA - died April 17, 2018, Brookfield, Connecticut, USA (aged 84)) was a photographer, cameraman and artist.
He was a Staff Photographer at Playboy Magazine (US) from 1963 to 1967 and later would work for magazines such as Look Magazine, Time and Newsweek.
He was one of the founding partners of The Stock Market, one of the first stock photography agencies, founded in 1981. He and three partners sold it in 1999 to Corbis, Inc., a privately held company owned by Bill Gates.

He graduated from Bourne High School in 1951, and enlisted in the U.S. Navy. After basic training he qualified for the highly regarded Navy School of Photography in Pensacola, FL.
While serving in the Navy Barry met the love of his life, Carol June Plumb, in Hollywood, CA.
He earned a bachelor's degree at the Art Center College of Design, in Los Angeles, USA.
Upon graduation in 1959 he opened his first studio in Hollywood.
He would often film the missile launches from San Nicolas Island, 60 miles off the coast.
In 1963 he moved his family to Chicago to work for Playboy. Barry covered the opening of numerous Playboy Clubs from Boston to Los Angeles, London and Jamaica; photographed 17 covers for the magazine, and was elevated to the position of Chief Staff Photographer.
His brother Gene O'Rourke was an agent for Pete Turner and Leroy Neiman.
J. Barry O'Rourke resided in Gaylordsville, Connecticut, United States and in 1967 they opened a studio in New York City.

His former assistant, Steve Tague, recalls "we could be photographing Donald Trump one day, girls in underwear for Playtex the next and then pack up and head for Jamaica to shoot for a magazine that night".
He photographed a wide range of well known celebrities, including Frank Sinatra, Richard Burton, Barbara Walters, Dustin Hoffman, The Beach Boys, The BeeGees, Johnny Unitas, Reggie Jackson, Arthur Ashe, Pele, Peggy Fleming, Martha Stewart, Hugh Hefner and artist Leroy Neiman.

Barry was elected President of the APA in 1990, a national trade organization for photographers, and fought hard to maintain copyright protection for them. He was also honored as a Master Photographer by Image Hong Kong, where his photos were featured as part of a year long exhibit.

In 1986 Barry and Carol moved to Kent. After a few years they relocated to Gaylordsville, where they resided for 30 years.

He is the author of "Hot Shots" (1992, Amphoto) and "How to Photograph Women Beautifully" (Amphoto Books, 2002).

James Barry O’Rourke passed away on April 17th, 2018 in hospice care at the Village at Brookfield Common, surrounded by his family. The cause of death was complications due to Alzheimer’s disease.