Leon Gast

Leon Gast (* 1936 in Jersey City, USA) is an American film director, producer and photographer.

Life

Born and raised in New Jersey, Guest studied Dramatic Arts at Columbia University, but the study broke off close to completion to produce along with Lowell Thomas, the TV series High Adventure. This TV show, which introduced far-reaching unknown parts of the world, allowed him a lot of traveling. He recognized his talent for documentaries.

His most famous works are Hell's Angels Forever ( 1983) and When We Were Kings (1996). When We Were Kings documents the " Rumble in the Jungle", the world championship boxing match in the heavyweight division of Muhammad Ali against George Foreman in 1974 in Zaire. This guest filmed over 400 hours of material, ended up being broke. Until 20 years later, he found a backer and completed the work. In 1996 the film in theaters and won the Oscar for best documentary. In One Love (2003 ), in which participates, inter alia, Kobe Bryant, Guest describes the development of basketball from his beginnings in the 19th century to the most popular U.S. sport of today. Seven years later guest received for his documentary Smash His Camera (2010) on the paparazzo Ron Galella the Best Director Award at the Sundance Film Festival.

During the 60 's and 70's guest was also famous as a photographer for the magazines Vogue, Esquire and Harper 's Bazaar.

Other works

• Our Latin Thing - Nuestra cosa latina (1972 )
• Celia Cruz and the Fania Allstars in Africa ( 1974)
• The Grateful Dead Movie (1974 )
• B.B. King - Sweet 16 (1974 )
• One Love (2003)
• Smash His Camera (2010)