Acclaimed unit stills photographer David Appleby passes away

Celebrated film stills photographer David Appleby has sadly died age 77 at home in Somerset, announced his wife, Juliana Malucelli.

David John Appleby was born in Wandsworth, London in 1947.  The young Appleby developed an early passion for cinema and photography and left school aged 15 and with the support of his parents, went to assist a photographer in London as well as enrolling in evening classes for photography. First gaining work in the world of commercials, it was here that he met directors, Sir Alan Parker, Sir Ridley Scott, Tony Scott, and Adrian Lyne.   

Alan Parker asked Appleby to be the stills photographer on his first major feature film, Bugsy Malone, marking the start of a lifelong collaboration with Parker, which included such iconic films as, Midnight Express, Mississippi Burning, The Commitments, Evita and The Life of David Gale.  

He shot stills for Ridley Scott’s debut feature, The Duellists, as well as 1492: Conquest of Paradise, Kingdom of Heaven and Robin Hood. 

With his quiet, low-profile, stealth approach on a film set, these trademark characteristics established David Appleby as one of the go-to unit stills photographers for the rest of his long career which spanned everything from Hollywood blockbusters to critically acclaimed indie movies on locations across the globe.   

Other highlights in his long and distinguished career include Handmade Films Monty Python favourites Life of Brian and The Meaning of Life, as well as Pink Floyd:  The Wall, Trail of the Pink Panther, Curse of the Pink Panther, Son of the Pink Panther, Brazil for Terry Gilliam, Roland Joffe’s The Killing Fields, The Mission and City of Joy, Total Recall, Memphis Belle, Kenneth Branagh’s Frankenstein, Jean-Jacques Annaud’s Seven Years in Tibet, Brassed Off, Hilary and Jackie, Entrapment, The End of the Affair, Proof of Life, Chocolat, Possession, Sylvia, V For Vendetta, War Horse, Belle and Goodbye Christopher Robin. In recent years, he worked on Rocketman for director Dexter Fletcher (who he first met as a child actor in Bugsy Malone), Tolkien, The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard, Invasion, Beyond Paradise and The Road Trip. 

David Appleby never tired of the buzz that being on a film set brought him. Talented, creative and respected by directors, producers, actors and his peers, David Appleby’s extensive body of work is a wonderful legacy for generations of film lovers to enjoy. An honest, generous, down-to-earth man with a wonderful sense of humour, he garnered respect and admiration from all who worked with him. Film stills was his passion but aside from being an incredible photographer, he was also an incredible person.     

He is survived by his wife, brother, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.