Gore Vidal: a life in pictures

Gore Vidal, photographed as a young man by Carl Van Vechten in 1948 Photograph: Carl Van Vechten/Corbis

1950: Vidal playing the role of New York socialite with movie star Ella Raines. The two are pictured in conversation at the Stork Club in New York Photograph: AP

1960: Vidal ran for Congress in the The 29th Congressional District in upstate New York. He's pictured on the campaign trail with presidential hopeful John F Kennedy. Though Vidal lost, he garnered more votes than any Democrat in the district for the previous 50 years Photograph: AP

1961: Vidal testifies before the Federal Communications Commission hearing in New York, giving his views on what's wrong with television programming Photograph: Anthony Camerano/AP

1964: A portrait by Observer photographer Jane Bown used to illustrate a diary piece about the author's trip to London to publicise his ninth novel, Julian, about the Roman Emperor. The piece describes Vidal as 'cool, immaculate, with mature Ivy League good looks ... a 39-year-old bachelor, step-brother of Jacqueline Kennedy, politician, playwright, filmwriter, traveller and gourmet' Photograph: Jane Bown

Late 1960s: Conservative US commentator William F Buckley, Jr interviews Vidal on the television show Firing Line Photograph: Bettmann/Corbis

1971: Federico Fellini chats with Vidal on the set of his film Roma. Vidal played himself in the movie Photograph: AP

1981: Vidal at his desk in his home in Los Angeles Photograph: Tony Korody/Sygma/Corbis

1981: the ever-political Vidal out in support of a Writers Guild strike, in front of the Twentieth Century Fox headquarters Photograph: Mega Productions/Rex Features

1982: Vidal holds up his candidacy papers after filing for nomination for the US Senate race in California Photograph: Bettmann/Corbis

1985: Norman Mailer and Vidal set aside their legendary feud to speak out against the Reagan administration and the arms race. The pair said at the time that they decided to speak together because of a shared belief that the US was being run by a wealthy few who put their own concerns before the common good Photograph: Bettmann/Corbis

2001: Vidal at the Edinburgh International Book Festival Photograph: Murdo Macleod

2003: At home in the Villa la Rondinaia, in Ravello on the Amalfi coast Photograph: Eamonn McCabe

2004: A dedicated portrait of Jacqueline Kennedy, Vidal's step-sister, and a portrait of Greta Garbo in the living room of Vidal's villa Photograph: Franco Origlia/Getty Images

2008: Speaking at the the Guardian Hay Festival on his last visit to the UK Photograph: Martin Godwin for the Guardian