Photo: Siebbi / CC BY 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Anton Corbijn is one of my favorite kinds of artists, the person whose work you've absolutely seen even if you don't know the name. His photography defined the visual identity of Depeche Mode and U2 for three decades, and that grainy, moody aesthetic is instantly his. What I admire most is how he refused to stay in one lane, moving from iconic music photography into directing films like the Joy Division biopic. Born in the Netherlands in 1955, he treats images with a seriousness that feels almost spiritual. When a single creative voice shapes how we picture entire bands, that's real cultural influence, and he's earned it.
Overview
Anton Johannes Gerrit Corbijn van Willenswaard (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɑntɔ ɲoːˈɦɑnəs ˈxɛrɪt kɔrˈbɛiɱ vɑɱ ˌʋɪlənsˈʋaːrt]; born 20 May 1955) is a Dutch photographer, film director, and music video director. He is the creative director behind the visual output of Depeche Mode and U2, having handled the principal promotion and sleeve photography for both bands over three decades.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Anton Corbijn
- Name (Japanese)
- アントン・コービン
- Reading
- あんとん・こーびん
- Born
- May 20, 1955 (age 71)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Taurus / Goat
- Origin
- Strijen, South Holland, Netherlands
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- film director / photographer / screenwriter / music video director / postage stamp designer
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- 2011 Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds award
- 2004 Grote Paul
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Film director — see all → · Photographer — see all → · More people from Netherlands →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.