Buzz
Can you think of a renowned individual alive today who has never been captured on film, not even once? It's a difficult question. In an era dominated by paparazzi and the omnipresence of smartphones, such an occurrence seems nearly impossible.
It might come as a surprise, but many famous individuals, even as late as the 20th century, either rarely or never appeared in front of the camera. Without a new personal film or a long-lost broadcast emerging, each of these 10 personalities only made a handful of appearances in surviving footage.
10. George Orwell
George Orwell is most famous for his dystopian novels 1984 and Animal Farm. Many expressions from 1984, like 'thought police' and 'Big Brother,' have become part of everyday vernacular. His name itself has even evolved into an adjective, 'Orwellian,' describing harsh and oppressive methods used to maintain political control.
Although Orwell gave radio talks and lectures, there are no known recordings of his voice. Until recently, it was assumed no films of him existed either. However, we now know at least one film exists, though no voice recordings have been found.
In 2012, British Pathe uncovered the only known footage of Orwell in their archives. A young 18-year-old George Orwell, still using his birth name, Eric Arthur Blair, is seen walking across a field at Eton with a group of other students.
This brief, silent clip doesn’t reveal much about Orwell. However, it offers a fascinating glimpse into his early life, which would go on to shape his adult political views and experiences.
9. Anne Frank
On July 22, 1941, a couple got married in Amsterdam. Someone filmed the couple leaving for their wedding, along with the onlookers in the windows above. Among the onlookers was Anne Frank, a young girl living next door. She appears for just a few seconds, but this is the only known film of her ever discovered.
A year after the German invasion of the Netherlands, Anne Frank and her family sought refuge in hiding. They spent several years in a concealed annex with other Jewish families, desperately trying to evade detection and the looming threat of deportation.
In 1944, the Frank family was discovered by the Nazis and sent to concentration camps. Tragically, Anne did not survive the war. However, her diary, which she had kept during her time in hiding, was later found, preserved, and published posthumously, ensuring her legacy lived on.
The married couple who owned the film footage did not recognize the girl in the window until years after Anne Frank's death. Initially, they gave a short clip of the film to Anne's father, Otto Frank, the sole survivor of the secret annex. Eventually, the couple provided the film to the Anne Frank Museum, which later uploaded it to YouTube.
8. Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Pierre-Auguste Renoir was a renowned French Impressionist, creating more than 1,000 paintings across various styles. He was also the father of Jean Renoir, a legendary filmmaker known for masterpieces like Grand Illusion and The Rules of the Game. In the later years of Pierre-Auguste's life, he was filmed on two occasions—once by Sacha Guitry and another time by an unknown filmmaker, potentially his son.
Despite suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, the elderly Renoir continued to paint. In both films documenting his life, he is often shown seated, with assistants nearby, ready to assist with everyday tasks like picking up a paintbrush or lighting a cigarette.
Although his physical movements were restricted, Renoir remained deeply focused on his artwork, engaging in lively discussions. Sadly, neither of the films reveals the specific painting he was working on at the time.
Sacha Guitry captured Renoir in his film, Ceux de Chez Nous (“Those of Our Land”), a piece aimed at inspiring French patriotism during World War I. The second film, made by an unknown filmmaker, was later donated to Harvard by Pierre-Auguste's grandson. Its contents were only rediscovered 44 years later after an inventory led to the film’s rediscovery and restoration.
These are the only known films documenting Pierre-Auguste Renoir. They offer a unique insight into his artistic process during his later years, a time when his physical mobility was compromised. Nevertheless, Renoir continued painting up until the very end of his life.
7. Ros Serey Sothea
Ros Serey Sothea was a gifted Cambodian singer-songwriter known for her versatile style. Throughout her brief life, she performed a wide array of music, including romantic ballads, wedding songs, rock and roll, and psychedelic tunes. In addition to her musical career, Ros also appeared in several Cambodian films, though sadly, these films were destroyed.
Following the 1970 coup led by General Lon Nol, many of Cambodia’s most renowned musicians, including Ros, were forced to join the military. The only surviving footage of her dates from this period, capturing her in military gear, speaking with a reporter, and later jumping out of an airplane as a paratrooper.
The situation in Cambodia grew increasingly dire. After the collapse of the Lon Nol regime, the Khmer Rouge, a radical communist group, took control of the country.
Under the Khmer Rouge regime, any form of artistic expression was considered subversive. Artists, intellectuals, and musicians faced torture, starvation, forced labor, or execution. Like many others, Ros likely perished during this time of terror, though her grave has never been found.
Despite the destruction of her films, many of Ros’s music recordings survived. Her songs continue to resonate with audiences in Cambodia and around the world, available for streaming on platforms like YouTube and Spotify.
6. Raymond Chandler
Raymond Chandler is best known for his iconic detective novels such as The Big Sleep and The Long Goodbye. Beyond writing books, he also contributed to the screenwriting world, working on films like The Blue Dahlia and Strangers on a Train, either alone or with co-writers.
Philip Marlowe, Chandler’s most famous creation, became the ultimate hard-boiled private detective, a character whose influence can be traced in everything from Calvin and Hobbes to Dennis Potter’s surrealistic television shows. Ironically, despite the deep association of his novels with Los Angeles, Chandler came to loathe the city.
Chandler's life was marked by a long battle with alcoholism. Early in his career, he lived on meager earnings from short stories and occasional handouts. It wasn’t until he was 51 that he sold his first novel, The Big Sleep. His career took off when he transitioned to Hollywood, although he never found satisfaction in writing screenplays.
Chandler was notoriously private, rarely granting interviews and avoiding television appearances. It was widely believed that he had never been filmed, apart from some home footage. However, in 2009, this was disproven when a few keen-eyed bloggers and film enthusiasts discovered his cameo in Double Indemnity, a film he co-wrote with Billy Wilder.
Chandler appears briefly in a single shot, sitting in a chair while reading a book. This marks his only known appearance in any of the films he worked on, as well as his second known appearance on film.
5. Mark Twain
Mark Twain was a prolific writer throughout his life, publishing a diverse range of works including fiction, nonfiction, travel writings, tall tales, and even early science fiction. He is most famous for two novels, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which depict life along the Mississippi River.
Many of Twain's works continue to be widely read and appreciated today. His influence stretches beyond literature, from his early advocacy for animal welfare to his insightful commentaries on religion. Even those who haven’t read his books are familiar with the image of Twain: the man in a white suit, with wild salt-and-pepper hair and a slightly cantankerous expression.
Though he lived about two decades after the invention of cinema, there is only one known film of Mark Twain. In 1909, Thomas Edison visited Twain’s estate and filmed a silent clip of Twain walking outside his home and sharing tea with his daughters. This brief film, showing Twain in his iconic white suit, may have contributed to solidifying the public's enduring image of him.
Annie Oakley was a renowned sharpshooter who became a star of traveling “Wild West” shows, showcasing her remarkable accuracy with a gun. She often performed alongside her husband, Frank Butler, and their dog, George. During her career, she formed a friendship with Sitting Bull, the Lakota chief, who, while a prisoner of war, gave her the iconic nickname, “Little Sure Shot.”
Annie Oakley displayed her exceptional shooting skills at a young age. As a teenager, her remarkable precision in marksmanship allowed her to earn enough money to pay off her mother’s mortgage by selling the game she hunted.
Throughout her career, Oakley wowed audiences in America and Europe with her sharpshooting stunts. She even had the honor of performing for Queen Victoria at her Golden Jubilee. Offstage, she led a more reserved life. While she was known to the world as Annie Oakley, she was simply Mrs. Frank Butler when at home.
In 1894, Annie Oakley and her husband Frank starred in a film produced by Edison’s Black Maria studio. This early film studio produced short films featuring dancers, athletes, vaudeville performers, and magicians, capturing the spirit of the time.
Annie Oakley’s legacy extended beyond live performances. In 1894, she and her husband took part in one of the first film productions at Edison’s Black Maria studio, a pioneering site in the world of early cinema, where some of the first motion pictures of entertainers and performers were made.
Films produced at the Black Maria studio were viewed on kinetoscopes, a device that allowed users to watch short films through a viewfinder. In Oakley’s film from the Black Maria studio, she is seen shooting targets on a distant wall before skillfully shooting glass balls that her husband tosses into the air.
A preserved film of Annie Oakley exists in the form of a 1917 Personalities newsreel archived by F.I.L.M. Archives, Inc. This silent film shows Oakley performing a trick where she shoots an object (possibly an apple) off a dog’s head, and then affectionately pets the dog as it licks her face.
Dylan Thomas was a renowned Welsh poet, most celebrated for his works, including “Fern Hill” and “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night.” Despite his brief life, Thomas’ poetry explored a wide array of themes, from the beauty of nature to the inevitability of death and memories of his youth. He continued writing from his childhood until his untimely death at 39.
Dylan Thomas, during his life, became as famous for his bohemian lifestyle as he was for his poetry. Struggling financially from his writing, he relied on the generosity of friends, borrowing and begging to make ends meet. During World War II, he famously quipped that he would prefer to “live on guile and beer” rather than work in a munitions factory.
Dylan Thomas was not just known for his poetry but also his unconventional lifestyle. He survived on the bare minimum, often relying on the kindness of friends for support. In a famous statement during World War II, he said he’d rather “live on guile and beer” than take up a job in a munitions factory, highlighting his rebellious spirit.
Though Dylan Thomas worked as a writer and broadcaster for the BBC, he is still most remembered as a hard-drinking, passionate poet. It is said that his final words were: “I’ve drunk 18 whiskies, I think that’s the record.”
There are conflicting accounts surrounding his death, and whether those were truly his last words. However, it is widely believed that both alcohol and morphine contributed to his passing.
A century after his birth, Dylan Thomas was spotted in the background of the 1951 film Pandora and the Flying Dutchman, which starred Ava Gardner and James Mason. Dylan Thomas expert Jeff Towns recognized him based on his distinctive attire and appearance, comparing him to a photograph of Thomas taken on set with the film’s director.
In one scene, Thomas can be seen running with a crowd next to a race car. To locate him, watch the bald man getting out of the car. Pause the video at 1:07:27. There are three extras in the background to the left of his head; ignore them as they simply mark the right point in the film.
Instead, focus on the right of the bald man’s head. In the distance, the first extra on the beach to the right of his head—quite small—is Dylan Thomas. His appearance lasts just a few seconds, but this brief footage thrilled Thomas fans and scholars, who had long been seeking visual evidence of the poet.
Claude Monet was a renowned French Impressionist painter, celebrated for his nature-themed works. Many of these paintings were plein air paintings, created outdoors based on direct observation. At times, Monet painted the same scene multiple times to capture the subtle transformations in light and weather throughout the day.
Monet is also well-known for the stunning garden he cultivated at his home in Giverny, which still exists today. Like his fellow Impressionist, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Monet’s influence on the movement and on future generations of artists was profound and lasting.
The only surviving film footage of Claude Monet is from Sacha Guitry’s silent film Ceux de Chez Nous (“Those of Our Land”). This film was created to inspire French patriotism during World War I and includes profiles of notable French figures such as actress Sarah Bernhardt, novelist Octave Mirbeau, and sculptor Auguste Rodin.
In the Ceux de Chez Nous segment about Monet, the film opens with a scene of Monet and Guitry conversing while standing in front of Monet’s iconic Giverny garden. The camera then pans across the garden, showcasing the famous Japanese bridge and offering a long shot of Monet himself as he paints.
The Monet segment of Ceux de Chez Nous begins with a shot of the artist in dialogue with Guitry, positioned in front of Monet’s legendary garden at Giverny. The camera moves across the garden, capturing the renowned Japanese bridge and providing a sweeping view of Monet painting in the tranquil setting.
The film then transitions to a medium close-up of Monet as he paints in his garden. While the actual painting is not shown, we get a clear view of what he is focused on: a pond adorned with lily pads and a weeping willow tree on the opposite bank.
William Faulkner is a towering figure in American literature, his works forever tied to the American South, where he lived for much of his life. His novels often take place in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi, populated by interconnected characters, families, and complex narratives.
Faulkner’s most iconic novel, The Sound and the Fury, chronicles the downfall of an old Southern family, the Compsons, through the fragmented perspectives of several family members.
When William Faulkner received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1949, this reclusive author found himself thrust into the spotlight of a media frenzy unlike anything he had ever encountered before.
Faulkner’s Nobel Prize win in 1949 catapulted the famously private author into the midst of an intense publicity campaign, marking a stark contrast to the quiet life he had previously led.
Faulkner declined the opportunity to travel to Sweden to accept the Nobel Prize, writing that “I feel that what remains after the 30 years of work is not worth carrying from Mississippi to Sweden.” He chose instead to continue his quiet life in Oxford, Mississippi, as he had for many years.
In 1952, Faulkner appeared in a documentary—actually a series of reenactments from his life—for the television program Omnibus. Faulkner carefully memorized his lines and recreated moments from his recent past, including speaking at his daughter’s high school graduation, chatting with old friends and farmhands, driving a tractor on his estate, and handling some of the aftermath of winning the Nobel Prize.
While some of Faulkner’s friends and colleagues falter in their performances, Faulkner himself is surprisingly skilled as an actor. The film offers a rare and intimate look at the life of a typically reserved and private author.
