Peter Read Miller, a prolific sports photographer whose work appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated more than 100 times, died of natural causes in his Manhattan Beach home on Jan. 11. He was 78. The award-winning photography master, who grew up in Pasadena, was far from retired, still busy shooting games, according to his longtime partner Kallie Ross.
Accolades from colleagues — of his photo prowess as well as his generosity in mentoring younger photographers — crowded online posts.
“Peter was that rare breed of photographer who was able to excel at shooting action and portraits including lighting and set building,” said Steve Fine, former director of photography at Sports Illustrated who helped Read Miller cover dozens of Olympics, Super Bowls and World Series. “He shot football almost exclusively vertically, because in his words ‘What’s the point of getting out of bed in the morning unless you’re shooting for the cover?’”
Acclaimed sports photographer Peter Read Miller shot portraits of numerous professional athletes and sporting events for the pages of Sports Illustrated. Read Miller, who graduated from Pasadena High School in 1965, died on Jan. 11. He was 78. (Photo courtesy of Kallie Ross) Acclaimed sports photographer Peter Read Miller shot portraits of numerous professional athletes and sporting events for the pages of Sports Illustrated. Read Miller, who graduated from Pasadena High School in 1965, died on Jan. 11. He was 78. (Photo courtesy of Kallie Ross) Acclaimed sports photographer Peter Read Miller shot portraits of numerous professional athletes and sporting events for the pages of Sports Illustrated. Read Miller, who graduated from Pasadena High School in 1965, died on Jan. 11. He was 78. (Photo courtesy of Kallie Ross) Acclaimed sports photographer Peter Read Miller shot portraits of numerous professional athletes and sporting events for the pages of Sports Illustrated. Read Miller, who graduated from Pasadena High School in 1965, died on Jan. 11. He was 78. (Photo courtesy of Kallie Ross) A portrait of basketball great LeBron James by sports photographer Peter Read Miller for the pages of Sports Illustrated. Read Miller, whose work graced the sports magazine’s covers more than 100 times, died on Jan. 11. He was 78. (Photo courtesy of Kallie Ross) Sports photographer Peter Read Miller’s photos made the cover of Sports Illustrated more than 100 times. His acclaimed career included iconic shots of the Olympics, Super Bowls, NBA Finals and World Series games. Read Miller, who was born and raised in Pasadena, died on Jan. 11. He was 78. (Photo courtesy of Kallie Ross) Show Caption1 of 6Acclaimed sports photographer Peter Read Miller shot portraits of numerous professional athletes and sporting events for the pages of Sports Illustrated. Read Miller, who graduated from Pasadena High School in 1965, died on Jan. 11. He was 78. (Photo courtesy of Kallie Ross) ExpandBorn in Chicago to Lew Miller and Donna Culliton Miller, Read Miller attended Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire before the family moved to California. He belonged to the Class of 1965 at Pasadena High School and took classes at the University of Southern California, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 1969. Read Miller was immediately hired by Sports Illustrated and fast tracked to the top of the magazine’s masthead, according to fellow photographer Robert Beck.
“He was that good,” Beck wrote in an online tribute. “He was one of the best of the best for over 35 years…churning out over 100 Sports Illustrated covers while hitting every major championship (more than 40 Super Bowls alone with nine Olympics and 14 NBA finals shown in for good measure) and excelling in his portrait work. If you ever turned a page of Sports Illustrated, you knew his work.”
“Peter influences a whole generation of sports shooters,” Beck added.
Keith Birmingham, a staff photographer for the Southern California News Group, said he grew up looking through the pages of Sports Illustrated and counts himself lucky to be among those who saw Read Miller’s byline, then were able to watch him on the sidelines, and later shoot next to him and call him a friend.
“Peter was not just a legendary photographer,” Birmingham said. “He was truly a wonderful human. He would take the time to not only introduce himself, but to talk to you like you’re one of the guys.”
Read Miller’s nearly 60-year career includes a portfolio that includes publication in Time, Life, People, Money, Playboy, Newsweek and The New York Times. His advertising clients have included Nike, Adidas, Visa, Coca-Cola, Footlocker, Panasonic, the National Football League, and Canon, for whom Read Miller was a spokesperson.
The company called him a “Canon legend” and said in a statement that “we mourn his loss with his family and the global photographic community, and honor a legacy that will endure.”
Through photographing professional athletes and major American sports events such as the Stanley Cup, Kentucky Derby, NCAA basketball and World Cups, Read Miller said, “photography is a combination of technical knowledge and artistic vision. Never stop learning and refining your craft.”
He published “On Sports Photography” in 2013, conducted numerous workshops and lectured at colleges and universities as well as professional photographic organizations nationwide.
Read Miller won the 2006 Dave Boss Award for Excellence, Photographer of the Year from the Pro Football Hall of Fame and earned the 2012 award for sports photography from the Society of Professional Journalists.
The life he built with Ross in the South Bay led to Read Miller serving on the board of directors of the LA Harbor International Film Festival since its founding in 2003. His photos of the Vincent Thomas Bridge in San Pedro have become key images of that landmark.
“He loved walking on the Strand in Manhattan Beach and on the pier and taking pictures there and making Christmas card photos from those photos,” Ross said. “His favorite haunts in Manhattan Beach were Nick’s and Ercoles Bar & Grill.”
Catching Broadway musicals at the Pantages in L.A. was another favorite, as were dinners at Musso & Frank in Hollywood and El Cholo Mexican Restaurant, and hanging out at South Bay spots Grunions and Northend to watch football.
Read Miller loved rock and roll and was a band roadie for CrabbyAppleton in the 1970s.
But most of all, friends said, the love of his life was Ross, who said what she admired most about Read Miller was “his passion and professionalism for his work, and that he loved me.”
“He had a passion for his dogs, cats, birds and even water turtles,” Ross said. “He loved Istanbul and he endeared himself to my family and me to his family and his dear friends.”
Read Miller was a descendant of George Read, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.
Read Miller is survived by Ross, sister Bunny Miller Watts, brother-in-law Brian and numerous cousins.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Wild Animal Sanctuary in Keensburg, Colorado; the SPCA; “Cat Alley” or any charitable organization of choice. A celebration of life is planned for a yet-to-be determined date.
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