June Newton facts for kids

June Newton (born June Browne) was an amazing Australian artist. She was a model, an actress, and a photographer. As an actress, she was known as June Brunell. She even won an award for being the best actress in 1956! Later, starting in 1970, she became a photographer. For her photography, she used the special name Alice Springs. Her photos were featured in many famous magazines. These included Vanity Fair, Interview, Elle, and Vogue. She was married to the well-known fashion photographer Helmut Newton.

Her Life Story

Early Life and Acting

June Browne was born in Melbourne, Australia, on June 3, 1923. Her parents were Alice Maude Browne and Thomas Francis Browne. Her father was a performer in vaudeville shows. When June was five years old, her parents got divorced.

June first met Helmut Newton in 1947. This was at his photography studio in Melbourne. At that time, June was an actress. She used the name Brunell so people wouldn't confuse her with another actress named June Brown. She had seen an advertisement for modeling work at Helmut's studio. June and Helmut got married the next year.

While she was still acting as June Brunell, she won an award in 1956. It was called the Erik Kuttner Award for Best Actress. This award was given for great acting in theater in Melbourne. Even though she was doing well in Australia, Helmut got a job offer. He was asked to work for British Vogue for a year. So, June and Helmut moved to London in 1957. There, June found acting jobs with the BBC. Helmut did not enjoy his time in London, so they left England.

In the years that followed, Helmut found work with magazines like Jardin des Modes and Australian Vogue. By 1960, June and Helmut settled in Paris, France. Helmut's career as a photographer really grew there.

Becoming a Photographer

June started her own photography work in 1970. This happened when she had to fill in for her husband. Helmut was supposed to photograph a model for a Gitanes cigarettes advertisement. But he got sick with the flu. He couldn't reach the model to cancel their meeting. So, Helmut quickly taught June how to use a camera. She photographed the model later that same day.

In an interview from 1987, June explained why she used a different name. Helmut thought "one Newton in the family was enough." He also thought it would be better if her photography didn't succeed. June chose the name Alice Springs. She picked it by closing her eyes and sticking a pin into a map of Australia. The pin landed on the town of Alice Springs. Alice Springs did become very successful! By 1974, one of her photos was on the cover of Elle magazine.

Throughout her career, Alice Springs' photos appeared in many magazines. These included Vogue, Elle, Marie Claire, Vanity Fair, Interview, and Stern. She first worked as a fashion photographer. Later, she became known for taking portraits of people. She photographed many famous people. Some of them were William S. Burroughs, Anthony Burgess, Catherine Deneuve, Graham Greene, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Mapplethorpe, Christopher Reeve, Diana Vreeland, Yves Saint Laurent, Brigitte Nielsen, and Nicole Kidman.

While working as a photographer, June also helped her husband. She was his art director. This meant she helped choose and organize Helmut's photos. She also appeared in some of his pictures.

Helmut by June Film

The Newtons lived in Paris for 27 years. Then they moved to Monte Carlo. They also spent three months each winter in Los Angeles. Their lives were shown in a 1995 TV film called Helmut by June. A French TV channel helped make this film. June filmed most of the movie herself in the 1990s. She used a video camera she had bought for Helmut as a Christmas gift. June's video footage was edited into a one-hour film. It was shown in France. A film director named Brett Ratner saw this footage. He wanted to show it to people in the U.S. He filmed two more minutes of June talking about Helmut. He added this as an introduction to the film. Ratner's version first showed on Cinemax on April 30, 2007.

Helmut Newton Foundation

On January 23, 2004, Helmut Newton had a car accident. He died shortly after. The Helmut Newton Foundation opened in Berlin, Germany, in June of that same year.

The Helmut Newton Foundation is always located in the Museum of Photography in Berlin. This building is next to the train station where Helmut left Berlin in 1938. He left to escape the Nazis. The Newtons had been planning to open this foundation before Helmut's death. The foundation's opening showed June and Helmut's portraits from their 1999 book. The book was called Us and Them. It showed pictures that June and Helmut had taken of each other. It also had photos they both took of certain famous people.

Personal Life and Passing

June Newton was a Roman Catholic. She passed away at 97 years old. She died in a hospital in Monte Carlo, Monaco, on April 9, 2021.

Films She Appeared In

• Helmut Newton: Frames from the Edge (1989), where she played herself
• Helmut by June (1995), where she played herself

See also

In Spanish: June Newton para niños