He Photographed the Stars

The photographer William Claxton, who took wondrous photographs of celebrities and jazz performers, died Sunday at 80. The obituaries made the rounds, but his personal website is the best place to appreciate his work. There’s an iconic 1954 shot of Frank Sinatra; a young Dennis Hopper, looking pensive; and John Cassavetes, sprawled out on the floor as if searching for a contact lens. Claxton’s most famous work was the series of photos he took of Chet Baker, the jazz trumpeter, whom he described thusly: “a tough demeanor and a good physique but an angelic face with pale white skin and, the craziest thing, one tooth missing.”