Chris Smith, Sports Photographer (1937–2026)

Chris Smith (27 December 1937–28 June 2026) was a British sports photographer whose work explored the drama of competition and the people behind it. His photographs of Muhammad Ali range from the 1964 meeting with The Beatles to training, ringside and street scenes.

From Hartlepool to Fleet Street

Born in Hartlepool, Smith began his photographic career at the Hartlepool Mail. After national service in the Grenadier Guards, he joined the Daily Herald in 1959. He was offered a contract at the Observer in 1968 and became chief sports photographer at the Sunday Times in 1976, remaining there for 24 years.

Award-winning sports photography

Smith’s subjects included athletics, horse racing, golf, football and boxing. He won Sports Photographer of the Year four times and individual Sports Picture of the Year twice, as well as a special award in the 1995 SSF World Sports Photo Contest.

His photographs are concerned with more than sporting achievement: preparation, disappointment, humour and the relationship between a competitor and the surrounding scene are recurring themes.

Books, exhibitions and legacy

His publications include Sport in Focus (1987) and The Greatest (GOST Books, 2024). The latter combines his Ali photographs and short texts with essays by Alon Zakaim and Paolo Hewitt. Read The Greatest: the book and its contributors.

His Ali work was exhibited in London in 2012, and the retrospective Gods of Sport was held in Newmarket in 2017.

For an independent account of his life and work, read the Guardian’s Chris Smith obituary, published in August 2026. The career dates and awards above follow that account.

Explore the photographs

Begin with Ali and The Beatles, browse the Muhammad Ali print collection, or discover the sports photography collection and David Hockney photographs. Individual print pages provide the route to an availability enquiry.