Francesco Scavullo born 16 January 1921 (d. 2004)Francesco Scavullo was a prominent American fashion photographer best known for his work on the covers of Cosmopolitan Magazine and his celebrity portraits.
Born in Staten Island, Scavullo began to pursue his fascination with images of beauty by picking up his father's camera and taking snapshots, using his sisters as models. After graduating from high school in 1945, Scavullo began working for a studio that produced fashion catalogues. He soon moved on to Vogue. Scavullo spent three years as Horst P Horst's assistant, studying Horst's techniques. In 1948, he created a cover for Seventeen that won him a contract with the magazine. Scavullo's soon opened his own studio in Manhattan
Some of Scavullo's more controversial work included a Comospolitan centerfold of a nude Burt Reynolds, and photographs of a young Brooke Shields that some considered overly sexual. He also befriended a young teenager from Philadelphia, future supermodel Gia Carangi, whose career he was largely responsible for launching. Later, when Carangi's heroin addiction made it impossible for her to find work, Scavullo continued to employ her and support her until her eventual death from complications relating to AIDS.
Scavullo also created shots for various movie posters, album covers and Broadway shows, including one for A Star is Born (featuring Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson), as well as a portrait of Julie Andrews for Blake Edwards' Victor/Victoria.In 1981, Scavullo was commissioned by Mikhail Baryshnikov to photograph the dancers of the American Ballet Theatre which formed the basis of an exhibition that was later shown in a nationwide tour.
Scavullo's work has also been used in the covers of Seventeen, Harper's Bazaar, and Rolling Stone. He also published several books, from 1976's Scavullo on Beauty to 2000's Scavullo Nudes.
Scavullo died of heart failure at the age of 82, while on his way to a photo shoot with a then up-and-coming CNN news anchor, Anderson Cooper.
Francesco Scavullo