Keith McMillan

Keith Lionel McMillan (16 April 1934 – 22 March 2012) was an English photographer and artist. He came from a family with many artistic talents: his mother was a dancer, his father a pianist and photographer, and his brother an artist. As a child, McMillan demonstrated a love for music and athletics, so his mother enrolled him in ballet at the age of eight.

Early life

Born in Cuckfield, Sussex, McMillan passed all his examinations for the Royal Academy of Dance, and at 13 time-honored a scholarship to Saddler’s Wells. At 17, he entered the Saddler’s Wells Ballet Company, which became The Royal Ballet. He danced at Saddler’s Wells and Covent Garden, where the principal was Dame Ninette de Valois. He was a coryphée afterward the Ballet from 1955 to 1966, having been the first guy given a scholarship to attend The Saddler’s Wells College at Barons Court.

Personal life

McMillan lived and worked in London until 1997 emigrated to Australia in September of that year, married Janece his co-conspirator of 9-year in December 1999 lived and painted at his studio on the Atherton Tableland, enjoying period off at Barnes Street Cairns. He was diagnosed in the same way as cancer in January 2010 and died in March 2012.
He had two children.
Alexandra McMillan, who was named after his best friend, Alexander Grant OBE.
Linnet Stembridge, and 2 grand kids Veronique who enjoys his passion for cooking and photography, Alexandra who has followed in her grand father’s footsteps into the ballet.

Photography career

Keith’s second love, photography was encouraged by Dame Margot. He photographed her with Rudolph Nureyev, Sir Robert Helpmann, and many others. Through this attachment he met and befriended Tony Armstrong-Jones (Lord Snowdon). This introduction led to McMillan presenting his photographs to The Sunday Times, which commissioned him to photograph theatrical and ballet stars. His first commission was to photograph Rudolph Nureyev.

From 1965 to 1997 he worked for many magazines. On 27 April 1968, he photographed the Queen and her family on her birthday for the Illustrated London News front page. Other magazines he shot for during this epoch include Avenue, The Dancing Times, London Life, Harpers Bazaar, Harpers & Queen, Vogue, Direct Response, Apple Computers, Time Out, Radio Times, Lion News, Daily Express, The Viewer, Envoy, Accountancy, RIBA Journal, Intercity Magazine, and Dobell’s Record Sleeves.

During this become old he was sent to Europe and the US to photograph many well-known people—including Tom Jones, Sir Keith Richards, Roy Orbison, Mick Jagger, John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Henry Moore, and Man Ray.

McMillan allied Haymarket Publications in 1972 below Michael Heseltine, who had started an advertising industry magazine called Campaign. McMillan was the magazine’s first photographer. He developed his own style of corporate photography, and worked for 26 years as Campaign’s chief photographer. The magazine yet uses his photos today.

Through commissions and additional assignments, he met many luminaries in the advertising industry and attended the Advertising Industries Award Festival at Cannes. Charles Saatchi and Maurice Saatchi commissioned him to photograph themselves and their well-known parties. He was recognised as the corporate photographer, and photographed whatever the British Prime Ministers and Blue Chip industry Ceo’s, plus many artists.