Half a century of excellence
Gustav Mahler (1860–1911), the Austro-Bohemian composer, on his way from New York to Europe on board the SS Amerika in April 1911. Already gravely ill, he died in Vienna on May 18.
Actress Mary Pickford (1892–1979) and actor Douglas Fairbanks (1883–1939) take to the seas during their honeymoon in 1920. Fairbanks and Pickford, together with Charlie Chaplin and D. W. Griffith, had formed United Artists the previous year.
Fred Astaire (1899–1987) and sister Adele (1896–1981) dancing on deck aboard the SS Majestic in 1927.
King George V (1865–1936) at the helm of HMY Britannia. The British monarch, a keen yachtsman, reigned from 1910 to 1936.
Swedish-American actress Greta Garbo (1905–1990) on the set of 'The Single Standard' (1929).
Scientist and physicist Albert Einstein (1879–1955) enjoying a little rest and relaxation on his sail boat on Lake Wannsee in Berlin in 1929.
Carole Lombard (1908–1942) and Gary Cooper (1901–1961) look suitably glamorous on a 1930 boating holiday during a break from Hollywood. Lombard was tragically killed in a plane crash on January 16, 1942.
One of recent history's most notorious gangsters, Al "Scarface" Capone (1899–1947) called Chicago home, but he often took vacations down in Miami, Florida, where he'd organize offshore fishing expeditions.
Silent comedy film legend Buster Keaton (1895–1966) posing deadpan on deck during a 1934 voyage on the French ocean liner SS Île de France.
Johnny Weissmüller (1904–1984) and his wife, Mexican actress Lupe Vélez (1908–1944), take to the water in 1935. An Olympic gold medalist swimmer, Weissmüller found further fame playing Tarzan in films of the 1930s and '40s.
See also: Actors and actresses who can't escape their iconic roles.
Then senator John F. Kennedy (1917–1963) and fiancé Jacqueline Bouvier (1929–1994) go sailing while on vacation in June 1953 at the Kennedy compound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts.
British-born American comedian Bob Hope (1903–2003) enjoying a fishing trip in the 1940s. Hope's career spanned 80 years. Believe it or not though, he started out as a boxer in the late 1910s.
Errol Flynn (1909–1959) at the helm of his schooner Zaca in 1946. The Australian-born actor, who became a US citizen at the age of 33 during the Golden Age of Hollywood, was an accomplished sailor.
Belgian-born American actress Audrey Hepburn (1929–1993) clearly having fun on the back of a motorboat on Lake Geneva in Switzerland, during the early 1950s.
Hollywood tough guy actor Robert Mitchum (1917–1997) pictured in 1950 at the helm of a Hotel El Rancho Vegas cruiser on Lake Mead behind the Hoover Dam.
Actress Ava Gardner (1922–1990) enjoying a breezy, carefree outing in the Italian Riviera sunshine near San Remo.
A charming and smiling Grace Kelly (1929 –1982) and Prince Rainier (1923–2005) arriving in Monaco in 1956 aboard the prince's yacht.
Fresh from his success in the musical film 'The King and I' the previous year, Russian-American actor Yul Brynner (1920–1985) is seen relaxing on a boat at his home in Norwalk, Connecticut in 1957.
Johnny Hallyday (1943–2017), the French version of Elvis Presley, fools around on a boat with friends on the Mediterranean in 1960. During a career spanning 57 years, he released 79 albums and sold more than 110 million records worldwide.
The paparazzi catch up with Elizabeth Taylor (1932–2011)) and Richard Burton (1925–1984) at Ischia in Italy between filming scenes of 'Cleopatra' (1962). During filming, Burton met and fell in love with Elizabeth Taylor, who was then married to Eddie Fisher.
Actor Mickey Rooney (1920–2014) in his cabin onboard the SS United States en route to Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia in 1963, where he was to co-star in 'The Secret Invasion.'
The Rolling Stones—Charlie Watts, Keith Richards, Mick Jagger, Brian Jones (1942–1969), and Bill Wyman—relax aboard a yacht while cruising along New York Harbor in 1966. The British band were in America for the their fifth national tour, which began at the Manning Bowl in Boston.
Scottish actor Sean Connery at the helm of a motorboat during the 28th Film Festival in Venice in 1967. Connery's fifth outing as James Bond in 'You Only Live Twice' had been released the same year.
The Beatles relax on a boat off the coast of Miami, Florida, during a break in their 1964 tour of the United States. Taking it easy are John Lennon (1940–1980), George Harrison (1943–2001), Paul McCartney, and Ringo Starr.
Civil rights movement leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (1929–1968) waves from a ferry arriving at Fire Island, New York, in late 1967.
Born Norma Jeane Mortenson, future Hollywood screen legend Marilyn Monroe (1926–1962) is seen with oars out rowing with a couple of friends, around 1941.
Swedish film star Ingrid Bergman (1915–1982) smiles aboard the Mayflower as she enjoys a cruise near Dannholmen Island, off the coast of Sweden.
Clark Gable (1901–1960) polishing the deck on his yacht during some rare vacation time at the height of his fame in 1937. Pretty soon he'd be "gone with the wind."
Comic actor Charlie Chaplin (1889–1977) and family on a rather damp fishing holiday in Killarney, Ireland, in 1960. Chaplin's wife Oona O'Neill (1925–1991) is on the far right.
Celebrities at sea have always attracted the attention of the paparazzi. In fact, these days there's no such thing as a private ocean getaway for the rich and famous!
But there was an age when those in the spotlight could at least expect a modicum of decorum from the world's press, a certain respect granted by snappers to their subjects. In turn, personalities and VIPs were happy to pose for a picture or two, and the results were often classy, stylish, and visually appealing.
Click through the following gallery and set sail on this pictorial voyage of vintage photographs of celebrities at sea.
All aboard! Vintage photographs of celebrities at sea
The rich and famous on boats, yachts, and liners
CELEBRITY Boats
Celebrities at sea have always attracted the attention of the paparazzi. In fact, these days there's no such thing as a private ocean getaway for the rich and famous!
But there was an age when those in the spotlight could at least expect a modicum of decorum from the world's press, a certain respect granted by snappers to their subjects. In turn, personalities and VIPs were happy to pose for a picture or two, and the results were often classy, stylish, and visually appealing.
Click through the following gallery and set sail on this pictorial voyage of vintage photographs of celebrities at sea.