George Harrison Marks, a renowned English glamour photographer and film director, was born on August 6, 1926, in Tottenham, Middlesex, to a Jewish family. At the tender age of 17, he married his first wife, Diana Bugsgang, and began his career as a stand-up comedian in variety halls, performing alongside his partner Stuart in the duo Harrison and Stuart during the late 1940s and early 1950s.
As his passion for photography grew, Marks left the act in 1951 to focus on developing his photographic career, capturing the essence of music-hall performers and showgirls. His career took a significant turn when he met Pamela Green, a talented model and actress, while she was performing in the 1952 revue Paris to Piccadilly. Their romantic relationship and professional partnership spanned over a decade, with Green becoming one of Marks' most iconic models.
The 1960s saw Marks embarking on a new romantic venture with June Palmer, another one of his models, and he eventually married Vivienne Warren in 1964. During this period, Marks was also working on his film, The Naked World of Harrison Marks, which premiered in 1967. It was during the film's production that he met Toni Burnett, an actress and model who would later become the mother of his daughter, Josie Harrison Marks, born in the same year.
Marks' business partnership with Pamela Green came to an end in 1967, and he faced financial difficulties, eventually becoming bankrupt in 1970. The same year, he was tried at the Old Bailey for dealing in pornography by post. Marks and Burnett married in September 1973, but their union was short-lived, as they split up around 1978.
In 1979, Marks began a relationship with Louise Sinclair, a teenage glamour model, marking the beginning of a new chapter in his life. Throughout his life, Marks remained a prominent figure in the world of glamour photography and film, leaving behind a legacy that continues to inspire and captivate audiences to this day.
