Hugo van Lawick

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Baron Hugo van Lawick (10 April 1937 - 2 June 2002) was a wildlife photographer and a Dutch aristocrat.

He helped popularize the study of Primate research with his still photographs and films. He brought to the screen the life cycle of several wild animals of the Serengeti, such as wild dogs, lions, and Chimpanzees.

[edit] Biography

In his twenties this Dutch baron went to Africa (in 1959) for his greatest passion, making films about the African wildlife. He spent over thirty years of his life in Tanzania. It was in Gombe that he met Jane Goodall, a young woman researching chimpanzees. He teamed up with her, not only to make films about the chimps she was researching, but he also married her. Together with her he lived in tents in Tanzania for many years, later together with their son "Grub". Because of Hugo's film "People of the Forest" the world now knows about Fifi. He started to film this chimpanzee in 1961. He filmed her, her children and even her grandchildren. Three generations of chimpanzees in this magnificent film. Hugo has made countless wildlife documentaries for television but he is one of the very few filmmakers that have succeeded to make several films for cinema on 35mm film. Other films for cinema by him are "The Leopard son" and "Serengeti Symphony".

Besides making films himself Hugo has been very important in the lives and careers of many wildlife film makers. His tented camp Ndutu in the Serengeti in Tanzania became one of the breeding grounds for young wildlife film makers. Many have worked for him and learned the job from his experienced guiding. In 1998 Hugo was forced to "retire" due to health issues and he had to leave the tented camp in Ndutu.

Hugo van Lawick won 8 Emmy awards for his films and was appointed Officer in the Order of the Golden Ark (the world's top award for conservation) in 1992, by Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands (founder of the WWF).

He died at the age of 65 in Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. He was buried by family, friends, staff and officials at the place his tent had stood for over 30 years in his much beloved camp near Ndutu lake in the Serengeti.