Neil Leifer

Beginning in 1960, Leifer's photographs quickly gained prominence, regularly appearing in major national publications such as the Saturday Evening Post, Look, LIFE, Newsweek, and most notably, Sports Illustrated and Time. His work has graced the covers of more than 200 issues of Sports Illustrated, Time, and People, solidifying his legacy as one of the most influential photographers of his generation.

In recognition of his exceptional contributions to sports photography, Leifer was honored with the prestigious Lucie Award for Achievement in Sports Photography in 2006. Two years later, he received the Britton Hadden Lifetime Achievement Award for his outstanding impact on Time Inc. journalism. In 2014, Leifer achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first photographer to be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame, joining legendary boxers Felix Trinidad and Oscar De La Hoya.

Leifer has authored 17 books, including nine collections of his iconic sports photographs. His memoir, Relentless, was published by the University of Texas Press in May 2016, offering an in-depth look at his extraordinary career. In December 2020, TASCHEN released LEIFER/BOXING: 60 Years of Fights and Fighters, a comprehensive collection of his photographs documenting six decades of the "sweet science" of boxing.

Throughout his career, Leifer has traveled the globe on assignments, capturing some of the most significant moments in sports history. He has photographed 16 Olympic Games (seven Winter and nine Summer), four FIFA World Cups, 15 Kentucky Derbies, numerous World Series games, the first 12 Super Bowls, and every major heavyweight title fight since Ingemar Johansson defeated Floyd Patterson in 1959. His 1965 photograph of Muhammad Ali standing triumphantly over a knocked-out Sonny Liston is widely regarded as one of the greatest sports photographs of all time.

Today, Neil Leifer is a full-time filmmaker, producer, and director. His 2018 documentary, Neary’s - The Dream at the End of the Rainbow, premiered at the Bishop Sheen Center in New York City. The event was hosted by Timothy Cardinal Dolan, the Archbishop of New York, who also appeared in the film alongside notable figures such as Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Lloyd Blankfein, Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith, Kathie Lee Gifford, and author Mary Higgins Clark.