Henry Cornelius Lucas (1920 - 2012)

Born 12 Sep 1920 in Highbury, Middlesex, England, United Kingdom

Ancestors

Husband of Belinda Lee — married 1954 (to 1959) in Marylebone, London, England, United Kingdom

Died 8 Nov 2012 at age 92 in Royal Borough of Kensington, London, England, United Kingdom

Biography

Cornel Lucas is Notable.

Cornel Lucas was a British photographer who, as a film still photographer, was a pioneer of film portraiture in the 1940s and 1950s. He was the first photographer to win a BAFTA award in 1998 for services to the British film industry, and two books of his work have been published - Heads and Tales and Shooting Stars.

Lucas was born in Islington in 1920 ^[1] to John Lucas and Mary Ann Jones , and baptised Henry Cornelius on 3 October at St Thomas' Church. At the time of his birth, the family was living at 13 Sheen Grove - not far from King's Cross railway station - and his father's occupation was given as "Bill poster" in the baptismal record ^[2].

His interest in photography began when his mother gave him a Kodak Box Brownie camera for his 11th birthday, and his talent became apparent as portraits of his six sisters were developed in the family bathroom which doubled as a darkroom.

At the outbreak of war in 1939, Lucas (age 19) was still living in the family home at 13 Sheen Grove, Islington, with his parents and three of his siblings. He was a cine technician at the time, but soon enlisted in the Royal Air Force where he went to the RAF School of Photography in Farnborough, Hampshire (now the Defence School of Photography) and was involved in many classified aerial reconnaissance projects.

After the war he went to work at Denham Film Studios where he established himself as an expert portrait photographer to the movie stars of the era, impressing the notoriously demanding actress Marlene Dietrich with his attention to detail.

This was followed by a period in charge of the photographic studios set up by The Rank Organisation, then some years as a successful freelance photographer, until his well-honed technical skills began to be eclipsed by the era of digital photography.

Lucas's marriage to actress Belinda Lee took place in London in 1954 ^[3], and lasted until 1959 when they divorced. He subsequently married actress Susan Travers and they had four children together, including the actress Charlotte Lucas.

His work has been exhibited internationally, with permanent collections at the National Portrait Gallery (London), The Photographers' Gallery (London), and the National Science and Media Museum (Bradford, West Yorkshire).

Cornel Lucas died at the age of 92 on 8 November 2012 in London, England ^{[4] [5] [6]}.

Some of his wonderfully atmospheric portraits and further information about his work can be found on the official Cornel Lucas website.

Sources

1. ↑ England & Wales Births Index 1920, December quarter, Islington district, volume 1b page 447 (Henry C Lucas, mother's maiden name Jones). From FreeBMD website - https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/information.pl?cite=PpmM%2FFA7VPdpM3HadjI%2Fjw&scan=1 (accessed 02 Jan 2024).
2. ↑ Baptism London Metropolitan Archives; "London, England, UK" ; London Church of England Parish Registers; Reference Number: P83/Tms1. (Henry Cornelius, age 0, child of John Thomas Lucas, bill poster, and Mary Ann Elizabeth Lucas, of 12 Sheen Grove). From Ancestry UK website (accessed 02 Jan 2024).
3. ↑ Marriage Registration: "England and Wales Marriage Registration Index, 1837-2005"
   citing 1954, quarter 2, vol. 5D, p. 632, Marylebone, London, England, General Register Office, Southport, England
   FamilySearch Record: QVDJ-MHX1 (accessed 1 January 2024)
   Lucas marriage to Belinda Lee registered Apr-May-Jun 1954 in Marylebone.
4. ↑ Death: "England Death Records, 1998-2015"
   FamilySearch Record: CB5K-S8PZ (accessed 1 January 2024)
   Cornel Lucas death 8 Nov 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom.
5. ↑ LUCAS, CORNEL 1920 GRO Reference: DOR Q4/2012 in Kensington And Chelsea (239-1A) Entry Number 507593636
6. ↑ . Burial: "Find A Grave Index"
   citing record ID 100952682, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com
   FamilySearch Record: QVL6-58XV (accessed 1 January 2024)
   Find A Grave: Memorial #100952682
   Cornel Lucas burial (died on 8 Nov 2012). Born on 12 Sep 1920.

• Memorial: Find a Grave (has image)
  Find A Grave: Memorial #100952682 (accessed 1 January 2024)
  Memorial page for Cornel Lucas (12 Sep 1920-8 Nov 2012); Maintained by Lincoln S Stern (contributor 47080176).

See also:

• Wikipedia contributors, "Cornel Lucas," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cornel_Lucas&oldid=755488595 (accessed February 19, 2017).
• Lucas, Cornel. Heads and Tales: The Film Portraits of Cornel Lucas. Luton. England: Lennard Publishing, 1989.
• Puttnam, David; Cardiff, Jack; Lucas, Cornel; Carter, Marc. Shooting Stars: Camera Portraits by Cornel Lucas. England: The English Group, 2005.