Stars Unmasked: Rare Shots by Paris Match Celebrity Photographer (33 photos)

Ever since he was a boy, Jean-Claude Deutsch dreamed of becoming a photojournalist for Paris Match. As a teenager, he happened to cross paths with the media mogul behind the publication. But before Deutsch could even finish expressing his desire to work for the magazine, he was met with a flat "no."

For years, he relentlessly pursued Paris Match until the editors finally relented. Without expecting much, they gave him an assignment to cover the wedding of Brigitte Bardot and millionaire photographer Gunter Sachs, who had secretly tied the knot in Las Vegas. Deutsch staked out the newlywed stars in France after Bardot and Sachs arrived in Deauville for part of their honeymoon.





"I was working like a paparazzo," Deutsch recalls. "It was my very first assignment, and quite a story. While I was hiding, trying to snap a few shots, Bardot caught me. Surprisingly, she wasn't angry—we started chatting and actually became friends. Brigitte let me stay and do a short feature. Paris Match was thrilled to get the exclusive photos, and my career took off overnight."

Deutsch's photographs stood out from his peers' work for their candid, intimate quality. He avoided stiff, posed shots, preferring instead to submerge himself in the world of his famous subjects and capture their everyday lives.



"I lived alongside these people and captured their reality. That's why in my photos, you see icons relaxing with their dogs, shaving in the bathroom, or on vacation. I always wanted my subjects to live in the moment and be completely natural in front of my camera."

A young Sharon Tate agreed to pose for Deutsch even while wearing a cast—just ten months before her tragic murder in 1969 at the hands of the Manson Family. Looking at the photos, it was impossible to imagine this would be one of her final shoots. Through Deutsch's lens, Tate smiles carefree, posing at a flower market, at a café table, in a hotel room, and along the banks of the Seine.

"Celebrities were much more relaxed and easier to work with back then compared to today," admits Deutsch, who spent over four decades shooting for Paris Match. Stars had a sense of self-irony and weren't afraid to look silly on camera. That was certainly the case during a 1977 shoot with Arnold Schwarzenegger in Cannes, where the burgeoning actor was promoting his documentary *Pumping Iron*. Schwarzenegger happily clowned around, trying on women's hats, scooping up actresses in his arms, and flexing his biceps.





Jean-Claude Deutsch takes pride in an archive packed with rare photos of notoriously elusive figures—including the King of Morocco, the Sultan of Oman, and Princess Diana. Actress Ursula Andress allowed Deutsch to shoot her stepping out of the water in a wet, translucent T-shirt on Copacabana Beach. Singer Dalida posed for him in her bathroom and over breakfast in bed. Charlotte Rampling posed with her beloved dog, Roulette. Yves Saint Laurent opened his Moroccan villa to him. Deutsch even traveled with Julio Iglesias on his private jet, capturing the singer grabbing a quick fast-food bite.

Today, the retired celebrity photographer's vast archive is managed by his son, who shares his father's iconic portraits on a dedicated website and social media channels. Deutsch's works continue to be featured in exhibitions and sold at auctions worldwide.



Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg, Paris, October 1969



Jane Birkin and her five-month-old daughter, Charlotte Gainsbourg, at home in Paris, 1971



Princess Diana, Cannes, 1987.



Sharon Tate, Paris photoshoot, 1968.



Sharon Tate, Paris photoshoot, 1968



Actress Romy Schneider on the set of *Qui?*, 1970.



Michael Jackson with his chimpanzee Bubbles



Sharon Tate in a hotel room, Paris photoshoot, 1968.



Sylvester Stallone on set.



Sharon Tate, Paris, 1968



Alain Delon with his wife Nathalie Delon at the Paris premiere of René Clément's *Is Paris Burning?*, 1966.



Isabelle Adjani, Palais-Royal, Paris, 1973



Ursula Andress, Rio de Janeiro, 1979



Gérard Depardieu at his home in Bougival



Mick Jagger.



Ursula Andress, Rio de Janeiro, 1979.



Mick and Bianca Jagger.



Marie-France Pisier





Margaux Hemingway



Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg



David Bowie and Catherine Deneuve



Yves Saint Laurent lying in bed beside his dog Moujik II in a New York hotel room, 1983.





Arnold Schwarzenegger, Cannes, 1977



Gérard Depardieu and John Travolta at Depardieu's estate, 1981.



John Travolta, 1981.



Fanny Ardant



Sophie Marceau, 1981.



Sophie Marceau, 1989.