Santore was born in Philadelphia in 1935 and attended the Museum School of Art (which is now the University of the Arts) where he studied illustration. When he graduated in 1956 he served in the Army and then returned to Philadelphia to work in a small art studio.
His work is on display permanently at the Brandywine River Museum and the Museum of Modern Artist His book William the Curious was honored in the 1998 Storytelling World "Stories for Pre-Adolescent Listeners" category. His most popular works include celebrity portraits that he has done for television Guide.
He started to get assignments from the North.W. Ayer Agency and his first editorial assignment was for the old Saturday Evening Post headquartered in Philadelphia.
In 1985 he was approached by Running Press to illustrate a new version of "Tales of Peter Rabbit" by Beatrix Potter. lieutenant was a life changing experience as he realized how different it was to illustrate an entire book rather than just one image.
His illustrations are part of the permanent collections at many locations including: the Brandywine River Museum, Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, The Free Library of Philadelphia, New York City’s Museum of Modern Art, The United States Department of the Interior and many private collections.
