New Year’s Honour for DMU graduate
A graduate from De Montfort University (DMU) who has photographed some of the world’s biggest celebrities has been honoured with an MBE. Andy Gotts – who completed his MA at DMU in 2007 – received the honour in recognition of his services to photography and charity.
The award ensured that 2011 ended on a high for the 40-year-old from Norfolk, who received an honorary doctorate from DMU last July.
“This award came completely out of the blue,” he said. “To start the year with an honorary doctorate from De Montfort University and end it with an MBE was quite phenomenal.”
Andy’s career as a celebrity photographer took off when Stephen Fry agreed to sit for him while Andy was still a student in Norfolk.
Encouraged by this, Andy then sent out more than 300 letters to some of the world’s biggest stars, asking if he could take their photograph.
A year later, he received his first response – from actor Joss Ackland. Things snowballed from there, with a positive response from Kenneth Branagh, swiftly followed by acceptances from Kevin Kline, Dustin Hoffman, Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Julia Roberts.
The resulting photographs featured in Andy’s coffee table book, Degrees, which helped raise funds for diabetes research.
Since then, Andy’s photographs have appeared in magazines and advertising campaigns, while a selection of his work is held by the National Portrait Gallery in London.
He was also commissioned to photograph Al Pacino, Robert De Niro and Clint Eastwood for Elton John’s AIDS Foundation and is now working on a major project to photograph every living actor who has ever won a BAFTA.
“I am delighted that Andy has received this award,” said Nigel Gregory, Head of Development and Alumni Relations at DMU.
“As a graduate of De Montfort University he has been extremely supportive of the university for many years and this is a fitting tribute to his commitment to education and his hard work as a professional photographer.”
For more information about Andy Gotts’ photography, visit his website.
