McDowall, Roddy. Double Exposure: Take Four by Roddy McDowall.

William Morrow, 1993. First edition, first printing in hardcover, fine in very good protected dust jacket with minor rubbing on covers and moderate fading on spine. Portraits of 101 celebrities with comments by other celebrities, for example, Thornton Wilder by Elia Kazan; Geraldine Fitzgerald by Sidney Lumet; Gene Hackman by Arthur Penn; Burt Reynolds by Dinah Shore; Kevin Costner by James Earl Jones; Isaac Stern by Agnes de Mille; Suzanne Pleshette by Bob Newhart; Jean Simmons by DeborahKerr; Michael Caine by Roger Moore, et al.  See photos of covers with lists of subjects and commentators.  Photos in black and white or color. 256 pages. Large, heavy book. 256 pages. Issued at $65.  Roddy McDowell was an award winning actor, performing on stage, television and more than one hundred feature films, before becoming a photographer.  Consequently, he got to know many of his portrait subjects through his theatrical career.  The photo of McDowall on the back inner flap of the dust jacket is by Elizabeth Taylor, who is also one of the portrait subjects.  Summary:

Double Exposure: Take Four is the fourth and final volume in actor-turned-photographer Roddy McDowall’s Double Exposure series, first published in 1993. In this visual and conversational coffee-table book, McDowall presents 101 black-and-white photographic portraits of celebrities and leading figures in the arts — including actors, directors, musicians, and other cultural icons.

What sets this volume apart is not only McDowall’s camera work but also the commentaries that accompany many of the portraits. Each subject is often paired with a brief tribute, anecdote, or reflection written by a fellow artist or peer, giving readers both visual and personal insights into the lives and personalities of those photographed. For example, well-known figures like Mel Gibson and Brad Pitt are paired with commentaries by Richard Donner and Roy London, respectively, while Luchino Visconti’s portrait is introduced by Dirk Bogarde and Luciano Pavarotti’s by Beverly Sills — underscoring the book’s blend of cinematic and cultural voices.

The photographic style throughout is intimate and informal, distancing itself from glamorous publicity shots and instead aiming for more candid, character-revealing images. Across its 256 pages, the book functions as a visual gallery of notable personalities, celebrating their artistry and presence through both McDowall’s lens and the appreciative words of their contemporaries.

In short, Double Exposure: Take Four serves as a distinctive portrait anthology of twentieth-century cultural figures, blending artistry, celebrity, and personal insight in a format that reflects McDowall’s unique dual identity as both photographer and Hollywood insider.