Len Steckler
Len Steckler (May 6, 1928 – August 11, 2016) was an American photographer, illustrator, and filmmaker. Steckler was known for the artistry behind many famous ad campaigns, including Pepsi Cola's "Refreshes Without Filling" illustrations in the 1950s, Noxzema's "Take it off — Take it all off" television commercials in the early 1970s, and an ad featuring Joe Namath in Hanes pantyhose. In 2010, he received widespread attention for the release of a previously unknown series of photographs, entitled Marilyn Monroe: The Visit, which offered a candid glimpse of a 1961 encounter between Monroe and famed poet Carl Sandburg.
Len Steckler
- Name
- Len Steckler
- Born
- 6 May 1928
- Birthplace
- Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
- Died
- 11 August 2016
- Place of death
- Los Angeles, California, U.S.
- Education
- Art Student's League
- Occupation
- * Photographer
- Spouse
- Enid Steckler
- Nationality
- United States
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Documentary summary
Len Steckler (May 6, 1928 – August 11, 2016) was an American photographer, illustrator, and filmmaker. Steckler was known for the artistry behind many famous ad campaigns, including Pepsi Cola's "Refreshes Without Filling" illustrations in the 1950s, Noxzema's "Take it off — Take it all off" television commercials in the early 1970s, and an ad featuring Joe Namath in Hanes pantyhose. In 2010, he received widespread attention for the release of a previously unknown series of photographs, entitled Marilyn Monroe: The Visit, which offered a candid glimpse of a 1961 encounter between Monroe and famed poet Carl Sandburg.
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Len Steckler (1930–2016) was a cinematographer, film director and painter, among other activities, of American nationality. The cinematographer was born in Brooklyn and died in Los Angeles.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 27 September 2026
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wikidata · Q6521971 · wikipedia · Len Steckler
In this article
Biography
Biography
Steckler began his artistic career with painting. The youngest member of New York's Society of Illustrators, he painted illustrations for short and serialized stories that appeared in leading magazines of the day.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Len Steckler • Born — 6 May 1928 • Birthplace — Brooklyn, New York, U.S. • Died — 11 August 2016 • Place of death — Los Angeles, California, U.S. • Education — Art Student's League • Occupation — * Photographer • illustrator • filmmaker • Spouse — Enid Steckler • Children — Jeremy Morgan
Celebrities
Celebrities
Among Steckler's subjects were some of the most famous personalities in the world, including: • Marilyn Monroe • Carl Sandburg • John Wayne • Joe Namath • Andrés Segovia • Joanne Woodward • Julie Newmar
Models
Models
Often working with hi-end models of the time, Steckler became known for his shots of beautiful women. A much abbreviated list: • Suzy Parker • Tippi Hedren • Cheryl Tiegs • Jennifer O'Neill • Erin Gray
Television Commercials
Television Commercials
For the next phase of his career, Steckler turned to directing television commercials. He made an impact on the medium with innovations such as solarization, extreme slow-motion and the use of subliminal imagery. Perhaps his most well known TV ad came in 1974, when he put NFL quarterback Joe Namath in pantyhose for a Hanes Beauty Mist commercial. Steckler won many awards for his commercial work, including numerous Clio awards, the Silver Lion (Leone d'Argento) of the Venice Film Festival (1970) and from such institutions as the Art Directors Club, the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA), and The Chicago 4 Awards. A number of his commercials have been included in the collection of the Museum of Television and Radio. Some of his prominent clients have included: • United Airlines • Yves Saint Laurent • Johnson & Johnson • Miller Brewing Company • AT&T • Parfums Givenchy • Noxell Corporation (Noxzema, Cover Girl) • Woolite • Colgate-Palmolive • Progresso • Ivory Soap • Hanes • Celanese Corporation • Wamsutta • Serta
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1930
Len Steckler born at Brooklyn.
2016
Len Steckler died at Los Angeles.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Brooklyn.
Birth place
Los Angeles.
Death place
Film
In 1974, Steckler directed and filmed the live-action sequences for the Emmy award-winning television special, Free to Be... You and Me. Upon moving to Los Angeles in 1976, Steckler began directing and producing movies for television, including “Mad Bull” (1977), “Rodeo Girl” (1980), “The Demon Murders” (1983), and “Mercy or Murder” (1987),. Steckler is a collected and exhibited artist and photographer. In 2005, Steckler lost his left eye to cancer. In late 2009, Steckler's son came upon a set of long-forgotten photographs that Len Steckler had taken of Marilyn Monroe meeting with Carl Sandburg eight months before her death. The series of photographs, entitled "The Visit" was made available to the public in limited quantities. As a result of this discovery, and of their subsequent release to the public, Len Steckler appeared on the “Today Show” (February, 2010) and was interviewed by Meredith Vieira about that day in December 1961.
Primary material
Documents and archives
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q6521971: Len Steckler
General reference · Wikidata
reference work
- “Len Steckler”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Rubylane.com. Pepsi advert.
- 2.The Paley Center for Media's collection, Len Steckler Ad Reels: MR #3
- 3.BBC News. Unseen Marilyn Monroe photos up for sale. 2010-02-06.
- 4.Briska, Ellen. "Life As Art," Northwest Airlines' World Traveler magazine, October 1992, p.46.
- 5.Ladies' Home Journal, June 1956 issue.
- 6.Briska, p.46.
- 7.Vintageplayboymags.co.uk. Playboy Magazine April 1969 vol.16, no.4.
- 8.Coverbrowser.com. Saturday Evening Post Covers #2200-2249.
- 9.Mamasarollingstone.com. Marilyn Monroe: Fashion Icon — Mama's A Rolling Stone Magazine. 2010-02-08.
- 10.Paley Center, MR #3
- 11."Working with the Model," Popular Photography's Woman 1968, p.27.
- 12.Paley Center, Len Steckler: Beauty Ads {8 Spots}
- 13.Briska, p.46
- 14.The Paley Center for Media's collection
- 15.Paley Center, Beauty Ads
- 16.IMDB page
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
authority record
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
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