Jeff Widener

1956

Jeff Widener is an American photojournalist best known for his famous photograph of a lone man confronting a column of tanks during the 1989 Tiananmen Square Uprising. For this picture, he was nominated by the jury for the Pulitzer Prize. The "Tank Man" went around the world (except in China, where it is banned) and is now considered one of the most recognized photos in history.

Even as a child, Widener was obsessed with photography. At the age of 15, Widener worked the night shift at a fast-food hamburger chain so he could afford his first Nikon camera. Early on, Widener worked for various newspapers in the US and later became a foreign correspondent. Over the years, Widener covered important events in more than 100 countries, from the Gulf War to the ethnic fighting in northern Sri Lanka. In 1995, Widener was the first photojournalist to send digital images from the South Pole. In the course of his career, Widener received numerous awards and honours.