Description

David Steen recalls: “I first met Lee Marvin in San Francisco when he was starring in Point Blank, directed by John Boorman, based in and around the city and Alcatraz. He was drinking quite heavily and there were days when he would disappear and filming either had to stop or they would change location until they found him. I was doing a photographic essay on Alcatraz for a colour magazine – the empty prison with its rusty barbed wire, birds sitting where prisoners once sat, the weeds, the emptiness, the silence, the sea. John Boorman saw these photographs and used them for the title sequence of the movie.
Lee and I stayed at the St Francis Hotel in San Francisco, and returning home late from a night out one Friday we decided to end the evening with a nightcap in his room. Lee was fumbling around with his keys trying to open the door when suddenly it swung open and a tall figure wearing a black Crombie overcoat appeared. His dad, it turned out, had flown in from New York by arrangement to spend the weekend with his son. In a gruff voice he asked: ‘Where have you been, Lee?’ Lee turned to me and sheepishly said: ‘See you in the morning, Dave.’ Here was this tough actor being reprimanded by his dad.”

Location: Arizona
Year: 1985
Print Type: Digital C-Type
Printed by: Metro Imaging, London
Limited Editions: All prints are limited editions, no further prints are produced once sold
Bespoke: All prints are bespoke and printed to order, stamped and numbered
Presentation: Prints are supplied to clients flat in an acid-free box or rolled in a tube
Watermark: The STEEN watermark will not be present on an original print
Copyright: © David Steen / The David Steen Archive

Biography: Lee Marvin (February 19, 1924 – August 29, 1987) was an American film and television actor. Known for his distinctive voice and premature white hair, Marvin initially appeared in supporting roles, mostly villains, soldiers, and other hardboiled characters. A prominent television role was that of Detective Lieutenant Frank Ballinger in the NBC crime series M Squad (1957–1960)

One of Marvin’s most notable film projects was Cat Ballou (1965), a comedy Western in which he played dual roles. For portraying both gunfighter Kid Shelleen and criminal Tim Strawn, he won the Academy Award for Best Actor, along with a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award, an NBR Award, and the Silver Bear for Best Actor