Log in / create account
What's your thing?
 
Search

Endpoint: Bill And Mel Figge



created on: 2/09/2024
by: Lo55o (12973)
 
 

Group properties

General info :
Bill and Melba Figge was a couple who started shooting weddings and went on to have their superb photography featured in the pages of Playboy magazine.
William "Bill" Figge (March 25, 1919, Iowa, U.S. – May 1976, Glendale, California, U.S. (aged 57)) married Melba Lacayo (July 24, 1922, Managua, Nicaragua - January 21, 2015, Corona Del Mar, Newport Beach, California, U.S. (aged 92)) and together they photographed a total of 28 Playmates from 1965 to 1976.
They ran a photography studio in Glendale, California.
Both Bill and Melba achieved Master of Photography from the Professional Photographers of America


Bill Figge was a combat photographer in World War II. After the war, he failed to find work as a cinematographer, so he stayed with photography and specialised in portraiture, shooting weddings and contributing to Playboy magazine. Notably, he discovered many Playmates at weddings. Bill Figge shot 48 gatefolds and 3 covers.

Melba Lacayo Figge was born on July 24th, 1922 in Managua, Nicaragua to Leopoldo and Amelia Lacayo. The Lacayos moved to the United States when Melba was a toddler of 18 months and Leopoldo was appointed Vice Consul to the U.S from Nicaragua under Calvin Coolidge. Melba attended Hollywood High School from 1937 to 1941 and had already established herself as a classic beauty and was known for her fabulous sense of humor. In 1941to 1945 Melba attended USC, met the love of her life, William Figge and they married in 1946 after Bill was discharged from the army (having earned a Bronze Star for bravery). Bill and Melba set up housekeeping in Culver City to be near the movie industry (Bill had a degree in Cinematography from USC). The Figges started their family in 1947 with the birth of son, Greg; Stephan came along in 1948. They moved to Glendale and purchased their first home there in 1950. Daughter Leslie was born in 1954 and son Eric in 1957. The Figge family operated out of their home until 1963 when they opened their first studio in Glendale. After the freeway claimed that building, they launched a new, bigger studio in Glendale near the Burbank border and did business there until Bill's untimely death in 1976. That year, the Figges opened a second studio in Newport Beach and operated both studios until 1980 when they moved the business full time to Newport.

Bill and Melba had three sons, (Greg, Stephan and Eric,) and one daughter (Leslie). Greg and Leslie run the studio that their parents began, Figge Studios. Eric, the only child to have formal education in photography, photographs architecture professionally.
Relations :
Members [m. 1945 - 1976 (his death)] : Melba Lacayo
This endpoint is new to the database, please check he (it) is not in with a similar endpoint name association (and use the ENA function if necessary).
Members : William Figge (Photographer)
This endpoint is approved in the database from previous submissions.
Source :
Copied Wikipedia parts under license :
ENA's

Magazines

(1 items)

Person

(1 items)

Item number : 65166

Submitted by : Lo55o (12973)
on : 02/09/2024
Refined by : bob (9588)
Last updated on: 02/09/2024