Talk:Stefan Lorant

Early life
Stefan (Istvan) Lorant was a pioneering Hungarian-American editor and author (born in Budapest, Hungary on February 22, 1901 - died in Rochester, Minnesota on November 14, 1997. After schooling in Hungary, he left in 1919, to make his mark in films. He would make a name for himself at many photographic and literary endeavors before long. His first film, "The Life of Mozart", gave him credibility as a cameraman. He made 14 films in Vienna and Berlin, some of which he wrote, directed, and photographed. He claimed to have given Marlene Dietrich her first film-test, and though he rejected her for the part, they remained lifelong friends.

Picture editing pioneer
Lorant tried more writing plus still photography, and soon was editing the "Munchner Illustrierte Presse," one of Germany's finest picture magazines. Opposed to Hitler, Lorant was imprisoned right after Hitler came to power. Released after six months, he made his way to England, where he wrote "I Was Hitler's Prisoner," a memoir that sold out many printings. He edited the "Weekly Illustrated", a popular British picture magazine, then founded "Lilliput" (made famous by his clever picture juxtapositions, as in Neville Chamberlain —vis-a-vis— the llama), and founded with publisher Sir Edward Hulton, the first great British picture magazine, "Picture Post," on October 1, 1938.

Move to America
Lorant soon published a "Picture Post Special" about the United States. Failing to win British citizenship, he decided in July 1940 to go to America, and moved to Lenox, Massachusetts, where he lived the remainder of his life. —Sir Tom Hopkinson was his succeessor at "Picture Post".—

Some of his books
During his 50-plus years in America, Lorant edited and authored many illustrated books -- including "The New World", the first pictures of America; picture biographies of President Lincoln and other presidents; a history of all the U.S. Presidencies until then, "The Glorious Burden"; a weighty history of Pittsburgh (in many editions, which the notable "Life" photographer W.E. Smith contributed famously to); and a history of Germany from Bismarck to Hitler called "Sieg Heil". Long a friend of the talented and powerful, Lorant championed Sir Winston Churchill before and during World War II, and was a friend of the Kennedys and Marilyn Monroe. He gave advice to "Life" founder Henry Luce around the time of that magazine's startup in 1936, and he edited the works of many leading photographers while in Europe, including Felix Man, Kurt Hutton, Alfred Eisenstaedt, Bert Hardy, and, Robert Capa.

Family life
Lorant married Laurie Jean Robertson in 1963; they divorced in 1978. He fathered two sons: Mark, who died at age 19 in an auto accident, and Christopher.

Death
Stefan Lorant died in Rochester, Minnesota on November 14, 1997.