Ken Regan was born and grew up in the Bronx. He studied journalism at Columbia and attended New York University’s Film School. His photography career began in the sports arena where he covered the World Series, Super Bowls, the Olympics, heavyweight championship fights, Hockey, Basketball, Tennis, Auto Racing and other professional sports for Time, Sports Illustrated, Life, and Newsweek. Among the athletes that Ken spent time photographing are names like Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, Hank Aaron and Wilt Chamberlain, Joe Namath and Mario Andretti.
In the 70s, Ken founded Camera 5, his own photo agency which represented 15 photographers. Ken has covered riots and demonstrations in the United States and wars in Vietnam and later in the Persian Gulf and Bosnia. Photo essays about gold mining in Brazil, the Columbo family’s involvement in the Mafia, poverty in Harlem, Vietnam Veterans, and a scientist on the Amazon are among his favorite assignments. He has traveled extensively throughout Africa photographing the famine in Ethiopia, the social conditions in South Africa, the extraordinary elegance and grace of the people, and the beauty of the endless landscapes in a continent that captured his soul. Ken has done a great deal of work in the realm of Politics working on assignment covering political conventions and campaigns for magazines like Newsweek and Time. He worked extensively with the Kennedy family, photographing everything from Campaigns, to annual Family gatherings. Through the years, Ken built a strong bond with the Kennedy’s. He holds one of the largest collections of Kennedy images in the United States.
Ken has also toured with some of the most renowned musicians in Rock-‘n-Roll history. In 1975, he did back to back tours with Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones. He covered the Band’s Last Waltz, and George Harrison’s benefit for Bangladesh amongst many other Rock festivals and events. He worked closely with renowned concert promoter Bill Graham and was the main photographer for his biggest events such as Amnesty International, Live Aid and others.
By the late Eighties, Ken had over 200 magazine covers to his credit, as well as numerous awards from the Missouri School of Journalism and World Press Photo to the New York Newspaper Guild. In the past decade, Ken has worked for the film industry shooting stills and special projects. He has worked with Jonathan Demme on “Married to the Mob,” “The Silence of the Lambs,” “Philadelphia,” “Beloved” and “The Truth About Charlie,” Clint Eastwood on “The Bridges of Madison County” and “Space Cowboys,” Alan Pakula on “The Pelican Brief” and “The Devil’s Own,” Norman Jewison on “Other People’s Money” and “The Hurricane,” Michael Apted on “Gorillas in the Mist” and “Nell,” Michael Ritchie on “The Scout” and Jon Avnet on “Up Close & Personal.” He has also worked with Christopher Reeve in his directorial debut of “In the Gloaming” Rodrigo Garcia on “Things You Can Tell Just By Looking At Her,” and with Robert Redford on “The Horse Whisperer.” Ken has worked with Milcho Machievski on the film ”Dust” and with Billy Crystal on the HBO picture “61*.” Most recently, Ken worked with Mike Nichols on the film adaptation of the Pulitzer prize winning play “Angels in America” by Tony Kushner.
Consumed with a passion for images, Ken continues his tireless pursuit of hard news, sports, and human interest stories for Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, Newsweek, Paris Match, Time, Esquire, Entertainment Weekly, People, U.S. News and World Report, Good Housekeeping, and the Ladies Home Journal.
