Herb Ritts(1952-2002)
- Director
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Art Department
Herb Ritts was born in Los Angeles in 1952 and majored in economics at
New York's Bard College. Shortly after college, in the mid-1970s, Ritts
taught himself photography, snapping pictures of friends. One of his
subjects was a friend's boyfriend, a then-unknown Richard Gere. His shots of
the future star led Ritts into the world of celebrity photography with
full force. He photographed everyone from Jack Nicholson to Michelle Pfeiffer to
Mick Jagger, gaining unprecedented access to many of his subjects,
including a paralysed Christopher Reeve and a post-brain surgery Elizabeth Taylor.
Ritts' work often appeared in magazines like Vogue, Elle, Harper's
Bazaar, Vanity Fair and Rolling Stone. His photos graced album covers,
including Madonna's True Blue (1986), and appeared in advertisements
for companies like Donna Karan, Calvin Klein, the Gap and Giorgio
Armani. He has published books of his work, and his photography has
also been displayed in galleries and museums. Some of Ritts' well-known
music videos include Madonna's "Cherish," Chris Isaak's breakthrough
"Wicked Game," Janet Jackson's "Love Will Never Do (Without You)." Most
recently he has filmed NSYNC's "Gone," Jennifer Lopez's "Ain't It Funny,"
Britney Spears' "Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know" and Shakira's "Underneath
Your Clothes."
New York's Bard College. Shortly after college, in the mid-1970s, Ritts
taught himself photography, snapping pictures of friends. One of his
subjects was a friend's boyfriend, a then-unknown Richard Gere. His shots of
the future star led Ritts into the world of celebrity photography with
full force. He photographed everyone from Jack Nicholson to Michelle Pfeiffer to
Mick Jagger, gaining unprecedented access to many of his subjects,
including a paralysed Christopher Reeve and a post-brain surgery Elizabeth Taylor.
Ritts' work often appeared in magazines like Vogue, Elle, Harper's
Bazaar, Vanity Fair and Rolling Stone. His photos graced album covers,
including Madonna's True Blue (1986), and appeared in advertisements
for companies like Donna Karan, Calvin Klein, the Gap and Giorgio
Armani. He has published books of his work, and his photography has
also been displayed in galleries and museums. Some of Ritts' well-known
music videos include Madonna's "Cherish," Chris Isaak's breakthrough
"Wicked Game," Janet Jackson's "Love Will Never Do (Without You)." Most
recently he has filmed NSYNC's "Gone," Jennifer Lopez's "Ain't It Funny,"
Britney Spears' "Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know" and Shakira's "Underneath
Your Clothes."