He Photographed Marilyn Monroe, Performed on Broadway and Still Has a Bucket List

Sitting across from 80-year-old Victor Helou, clothes perfectly pressed and matching, hair freshly combed, he sips on a steaming cup of tea while shuffling through a pile he calls his resume. There are photos, stats and a list of performances.

Names like Marilyn Monroe, Barbra Streisand and Johnny Carson are on one of the papers that charts the celebrities Helou has photographed over time.

Helou is proud of his accomplishments, both professionally and personally. He has siblings in the area, a slew of nieces and nephews and one seriously interesting story to tell: his own.

Victor R. Helou was born in Brooklyn, NY but by the first grade had moved with his family to Tampa, FL. Having grown up on the west coast of the Sunshine State, Helou appreciates his roots.

After high school, Helou joined the Air Force and from 1950 to 1954 was stationed in England. Once he returned to the states, Helou attended the University of Miami. It was at this point in his life that Victor discovered his passion.

“I thought maybe I would be an architect because my dad was a builder,” remembered Helou. “Although, I wasn’t very good at drawing.”

At the end of his freshmen year at the University of Miami, there was a casting call for a musical. “We started rehearsals and I saw six cute girls in short skirts dancing around,” Helou said. “Then I said, ‘oh my, I want to get into show business.’”

Helou’s attraction was not just about the girls, he loved acting and singing. He treasured the art of performance. So, in 1959 Helou relocated to New York to pursue a career in the entertainment industry.

To date, Victor Helou has eight broadway productions and seven movies under his belt; not to mention the countless commercials, print ads and voiceovers he’s completed.

When Helou was in college, a photography professor encouraged the students to not only capture moments with their lens, but also with pen and paper. “He said, ‘whenever you go on a job, make sure you take a notebook with you and write down the names of people that you shot and sometimes what they said,’” remembered Helou. “So, that’s what I did.”

In 1962, 31 people were chosen to perform a medley of broadway tunes for President John F. Kennedy’s birthday in New York and Helou snagged a spot. This would be the night Helou brushed elbows with Hollywood A-listers.

Helou’s collection of notes from the night he photographed Marilyn Monroe secured a spot in history. Helou’s book, entitled Happy Birthday Mr. President, is a complete recount of his experience and observation during the days leading up to and the night of the event at Madison Square Garden.

Helou shares his insight about the evening he spent at Madison Square Garden and grins at the memories. After dropping the names of all the stars he ran into that night, he said, “I was very fortunate to be there.”

With an agent at Benz Model & Talent in Tampa, if a job comes up.

Although he is always ready to dive into a role, Helou’s goal at the moment is to sell the rights to all of his work, from his book to the negatives of Marilyn Monroe he has safely tucked in a safety deposit box.

“I’m old enough now that I don’t need to keep working,” he said. “I’m ready to auction it all off, if anyone wants to make a bid.”

After that? “I want to travel around the world with my brother and his family,” said Helou. Italy and Jerusalem top Helou’s bucket list of places to visit.

Helou scans through his book one more time before he takes his last sip of tea. Then, he leaves; after all, he has an 81st birthday celebration to plan for the spring.