Brian Weske’s photographs were bought by Mark Fergusson some nine years ago when Brian was moved from his flat in London to sheltered accommodation. Brian was in poor health and and had long ceased his photographic career, having spent his latter years as personal assistant to the actor Michael Caine. The subjects recorded in these photographs (approximately 7,000, 35mm negatives) remained undiscovered until Mark met up with Martin Pearce three years ago, and Martin started to scan them digitally. The images that appeared chronicle a short period of four years when Brian was supplementing his acting career with photography. The images, which were taken between 1967 and 1971 are a wonderful archive of that period and mostly taken on the sets of British movies in which he or other members of his family appeared. His brother, Sean Barry-Weske attained fame later in the USA when his own photographs of the late Sharon Tate were syndicated in the US media, being the very last pictures taken of the tragically murdered actress. Brian’s mother was also an actress, and Brian himself appeared in a host of British films and TV series.

The photographs on this site represent a small percentage of his output during these years and range from candid shots of celebrities and actors to commercially  commissioned sessions for up and coming young actors and musicians.

Brian’s own story is yet to be told but  it is gradually emerging that he was a multi-talented actor, photographer and musician whose friendship with the young rising celebrities of the day allowed him to catch them off-guard and  render their images in the most candid manner.

As more of the details of his career emerge, he is revealed as a highly popular minor actor who never quite managed to progress to the higher ranks of British actors. All that is left of his varied career are these photographs, an unfinished book and glimpses of  of him in old videos of movies and TV programmes. His lifelong friend, Jess Conrad confirms that Brian was a very talented actor and photographer who never quite ‘made it’.

Brian’s pictures are a genuine ‘snapshot’ of Swinging London, although he did take some photos in the USA when he accompanied Elton John on an early tour of that country, the greater part of his work id based in the UK. He lived in Streatham in South London and the negatives were bought by Mark Fergusson when Brian moved into nearby sheltered accommodation. Brian was born on November 23, 1932 in Stockwell, South London in the same ward in which Roger Moore would be born some five years later, his death on October 15, 2001 was a few miles away in the same area where he spent all his working life. Brian’s involvement in the TV and Film industry seems to have ceased, when at 60 he retired from his job of twelve years as Michael Caine’s personal assistant and his last known credit was with Michael Caine in the ‘Muppet’s Christmas Show’ of 1992.

Brian’s first movie appearance was as ‘Limpy’ in the 1944 film ‘A Medal for the General’ when he was only twelve years of age and his last TV appearance was with Michael Caine in the 1988 TV movie, ‘Jack the Ripper’ in which he played a porter. During his TV career he made seven appearances in ‘Dixon of Dock Green’ and two in ‘Gideon’s Way’. His other TV credits include : ‘Danger Man’, ‘The Wednesday Play’, ‘The Human Jungle’, ‘The Saint’, ‘ITV Play of the Week’, ‘Armchair Theatre’, and ‘Emergency Ward Ten’, to name just a few.

Brian’s career as a photographer, on the other hand appears to have been very short, seeming to finish around 1970 with the industry move to colour film.

So this archive of celebrities covers mainly the late sixties and exclusively in black and white.

(1932 - 2001)

Link to Full Filmography at IMDb

Brian in one of his bigger roles in a TV drama called ;Long Knife’  1958