Young Celebrity Girl Portrait

Early recorded instances of celebrity include the winners at the Olympic games in ancient Greece. Winners of the games promoted their fame by commissioning hymns praising their exploits. In ancient Rome portraits of powerful men appeared stamped on coins. Works of art bearing their likenesses further enhanced their fame. The renown of certain actors, such as Quintus Roscius Gallus, endured until the 19th century. Gladiators could also gain considerable fame as news of their victories spread by word of mouth.
In the 12th century, news of the murder of Thomas Becket, archbishop of Canterbury, spread across Europe. Relics and images of Becket became commonplace. His portrait was found from Iceland to Palestine. Manuscripts, wall paintings and stained glass were decorated with scenes of the saint's life. His reputation has endured: T. S. Eliot wrote about his death in Murder in the Cathedral in 1935 and a popular film about him appeared in 1964.
In the 16th and early 17th centuries, repeated performances of Shakespeare's plays contributed to his fame. Writers gained recognition as literacy levels improved and reading became a form of entertainment. Many consider Lord Byron the archetype of "rock star status"; having drawn extensively from his personal life in his poetry, and much of his works' early successes were based on the perceived similarity between author and poem, frequently touching on sex, alcohol, drugs, isolation and exoticism. On the success of his first long poem, Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, Byron stated "I went to bed one night and simply woke up famous."
In the Victorian era, authors such as Charles Dickens built up their popularity by publishing their work in newspapers and magazines. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the explosion of mass reproduced images made it possible for people of lower spheres of culture such as the popular entertainment industry, to become huge celebrities.