- Chronology
- 1918 Born April 8 in New York City
- 1936 Joined the Photo League
- 1939 Solo exhibition, The New School; worked on Native Land with Paul Strand
- 1940 Staff photographer, PM newspaper
- 1941 U.S. Navy, Chief Photographer’s Mate, Combat Photo Unit #8, (4 years)
- 1945 Resumed work as staff photographer on PM
- 1947 Freelance work for magazines: Ladies Home Journal, McCall’s, Collier’s, Fortune, This Week, and others
- 1951 Made 35mm motion picture short, The Farm They Won
- 1952 Co-produced, co-directed, co-writer and photographed Little Fugitive, award-winning feature film
- 1952 Married Ruth Orkin
- 1955 Co-produced, co-directed, co-writer and photographed Lovers and Lollipops, award-winning feature film
- 1958 Produced, directed and photographed Weddings and Babies, award- winning feature film
- 1959 Son Andy Born
- 1960 Did CBS television story on Brasilia
- 1961 Corporate film for Chase Manhattan Bank
- 1961 Daughter Mary born, Directed television commercials, including award-winning Oreo commercial
- 1962 The Dog Lover, a film starring Jack Guilford
- 1968 I Need a Ride to California, 35mm feature film; “Peace Is,” short film
- 1994 Video feature A Little Bit Pregnant
- 1998 Video feature Camellia
- 2005 Dies March 5
- Awards:
- United States Navy Photographic Institute Citation for Exceptionally Meritorious Photography, Awarded Navy Day, October 27, 1945
- For Outstanding Achievement While Serving As A U.S. Navy Combat Photographer and as a member of combat photo unit number eight. For an exceptionally fine series of still photographs of the invasions in Southern France and on the Normandy Beaches, where his indifference to danger and his keen awareness of what scenes were most vital in the action around him, resulted in a contribution of great value to the visual records of the war. His photograph showing enemy dead on the Normandy beach, taken on D-day and in the face of grave danger, is one of the great pictures of the war and reflects the highest credit upon Engel and the U.S. Navy photographic service.
- Signed by Edward Steichen, Captain USNR/Director, Navy Photographic Institute
- Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting, Crystal Apple Award, 1988
- Lifetime Achievement Award, Photographic Administrators, 1998
- Pioneer of Independent Cinema Award, 2002
