Willy Rizzo
| Willy Rizzo | |
|---|---|
Willy Rizzo, 2010
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| Born |
22 October 1928 Naples, Italy |
| Died | 25 February 2013 (aged 84) Paris, France |
| Occupation | Photographer, furniture designer |
| Years active | 1940s–2013 |
| Spouse(s) | Dominique Rizzo Elsa Martinelli (1968–2013) |
Willy Rizzo (22 October 1928 – 25 February 2013) was an Italian photographer and designer.
Rizzo was born in Naples, Italy. After he moved to France with his mother in the 1930s, his passion for photography began very early. From the age of twelve, in the Italian college at Sédillot Street, Paris, he began shooting portraits of his schoolmates with the Agfa Box given to him by his mother. Following World War II and the occupation of France, Rizzo was hired by Point de Vue and travelled to Tunisia to photograph the aftermath of the conflict in North Africa. Capturing the burned out husks of tanks set against low sunsets aroused the attention of Life, who bought his report.
Following this period, Willy Rizzo was recruited by France Dimanche, a publication that covered the private life of celebrities, an arena Rizzo would come to know very well. Willy was sent to Cannes with unlimited funds to cover the first Film Festival. Due to his skill, charm and flair, he managed to capture images of princes, princesses, playboys and starlets in a manner unlike any other
Attracted by the allure of the United States and the then still mythical world of the Californian celebrity, Rizzo travelled to New York to work with the Black Star Agency in the developing America of the post-war years. During this time, he succeeded in capturing and reporting on Hollywood legends, such as Gregory Peck and Gary Cooper.
In late 1948, Willy began an illustrious twenty-year career with Paris Match that would have him photograph some of the greatest names of the golden age of photojournalism. Married later to actress Elsa Martinelli, Rizzo enjoyed unparalleled access to the stars; Brigitte Bardot, Sophia Loren, Marilyn Monroe, Vivien Leigh, Audrey Hepburn, Jane Fonda, Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, Salvador Dalí and Pablo Picasso all found themselves in front of Rizzo’s lens. Willy photographed Marilyn Monroe in February 1962. He was one of the last photographers to take pictures of her. Assignments with Paris Match would also take him to the Nuremberg Trials and the French Indochina war.
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