Brooke Shields photographed by Mike Ruiz
In Mike Ruiz's candy-colored world, stars are both beautifully captured and nearly unrecognizable creating a magical moment for the ages.
When it comes to Mike Ruiz, what you see isn't necessarily what you get. Ruiz, a close friend of mine for almost two decades, is unquestionably one of the best celebrity photographers in the world.
The first time I ever laid eyes on him he was walking towards my Park Avenue office in New York City. I noticed a tall, ridiculously handsome man (who was even more ridiculously muscled) fill out his T-shirt and my office doorframe. For a moment -- just a moment -- the photographer I had heard so much about didn't speak and slowly glanced around the room assessing the landscape before saying, "You must be Richard!" in the sweetest, friendliest, most disarming voice possible. Given the wrapper this package came in, this kind and pleasant specimen was not at all what I was expecting. No macho bravura BS from this tower of muscle. I realized in an instant that Mike Ruiz is genuinely nice -- as in really, really nice -- and is genuinely talented -- as in really, really talented. We've been friends and frequent collaborators since that very first day.
The roster of powerhouse celebrities Ruiz has photographed is in and of itself impressive -- Prince, Katy Perry, Kelly Clarkson, Nicki Minaj, Raquel Welch, Ricky Martin, Debbie Harry, Adam Lambert, Kathy Griffin, Dolly Parton, every Kardashian and on and on -- but it's how he handles those assignments is what makes Ruiz such an in-demand master at the very top of his game. Widely known for his stunning hyper-realized, color-saturated, fantastical portraits of the planet's most recognizable people, Ruiz transcends the all-too-predictable celebrity portrait and wills it into something else entirely: something delicious, something unexpected, something subversive -- and the finished product transports the viewer to a different world, a more beautiful, severe, unblemished world, that makes all of us want to pack up all of our belongings and head straight there.
Ruiz, who's also a celebrated music video/feature film director for the likes of celebritydom's biggest divas--Vanessa Williams, Kristine W, Kelly Rowland, Jody Watley, RuPaul--has been a fixture on a number of reality competition shows including America's Next Top Model and The A-List, has launched an award-winning brand (signature book, interactive iPad app) called Pretty Masculine and boasts some of the biggest corporate names on the globe as clients including the likes of L'Oreal, Donald J. Pliner, Garnier and many, many more.
Later this year, Ruiz -- the dedicated purveyor of perpetual celebrity gorgeousness -- himself enters the "Look Who's 50" club. And for someone who looks as great as he does, who's as talented and celebrated as he is and who's just as nice if not more so than the day I met him, the next half century is starting out beautifully for this amazing visual phenom, this celebrity photographer, this man called Mike Ruiz that I'm so very happy to be able to say is my friend.
Give me the "elevator pitch" for Mike Ruiz (30 seconds or less to describe yourself).
Not unlike everyone else, I'm experiencing the joys and aches of life. As I continue traveling my path, I gain greater insight into who I am and how I relate to others and how they relate to me.
Defining moment from your childhood.
The moment I had an epiphany and realized that I had the power to prevent people from "walking all over me." This somehow coincides with the first time I saw Olivia Newton-John as Sandy in the movie Grease. [Laughs]
What's been your happiest day?
Today. And, when asked again in the future, that would be my answer for every subsequent day.
And your saddest?
When my mother passed away.
Tell me about your favorite celebrity moments.
For such a broad variety of reasons that it would take too long to mention (but many of them are for the simple fact that they were the icons I looked up to in my formative years). That being said, I would have to include in the list of my favorite celebrity photo shoots Prince, Debbie Harry, Rod Stewart, Betty White, Brooke Shields, Sir Ian McKellen, Patricia Clarkson, Morgan Fairchild, Raquel Welch. Richard, I told you I couldn't stop! [Laughs]
What makes a Mike Ruiz portrait different is...
My imagery is a reflection of the entirety of me. My art evokes a sense of hopefulness, which emanates from my underlying sense of optimism.
What challenges that lie ahead excite you?
You know what, Richard, I haven't the faintest idea, which excites me in and of itself.
What's your mindset around joining the 'Look Who's 50' club?
Wait, it's still six months until I turn 50 for me! [Laughs] I can't truly say without being presumptuous whether I'm now a veteran at this thing called life, nor can I say that I'm necessarily scared by the proposition of aging. If my life experiences so far are any indication of what's to come, I eagerly await with child-like wonder to see how the rest of my life unfolds.
Your tombstone will say...
"Guess." No, really -- that's what it will say. [Laughs]
Is this the best moment in your life?
Yes. As I was alluding to earlier, this is but the apogee of many best moments in my life. Being part of the photography industry, I'm lucky to have a bird's-eye view of what is influencing and motivating what I call the newest generation. Young people today are expressing ideals of inclusion, individualism and freedom. I ardently believe that these qualities will win over derision, fear and ignorance. I'm just happy to be alive to see this. Actually, I'm just happy to be alive, period. [Laughs]
See more of Mike Ruiz' photography at completesenior.com
Betty White
AP
Doesn't it seem like Betty White has been around since David torpedoed Goliath with a slingshot? Our favorite golden girl is only 94 though. Even though Miss Betty White began her career in the 1940s on radio, and later appeared on late night talk shows and game shows (including "Password") in the 50s and 60s, she wasn't really a household name until, at the age of 51, she began playing "The Happy Homemaker" Sue Ann Nivens on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" (1973-1977).
Morgan Freeman
Getty
Who doesn't love Morgan Freeman? This Academy Award winner paid his dues and then some. Freeman worked for several years as an actor, but really came into his own playing chauffeur Hoke Colburn in "Driving Miss Daily" at the age of 52 (although he was 50 when he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in the film "Street Smart").
Sharon Osbourne
Getty
Heavy metal vocalist Ozzy Osbourne has been famous for over 40 years as lead singer of the English band Black Sabbath. His wife, Sharon, however, did not become a household name until their family reality show "The Osbournes" premiered on MTV in 2002. Just barely 50, Sharon became a media darling, which opened up many doors. She went on to become a judge on "America's Got Talent" and has been co-host of the CBS daytime show "The Talk" since it debuted in October 2010.
Regis Philbin
Getty
Regis Philbin was comedian Joey Bishop's sidekick on the ABC television show "The Joey Bishop Show" from 1967 to 1969 and hosted his own local talk show -- "A.M. Los Angeles" -- from 1975 to 1983. But his name wasn't exactly on the tip of our collective tongues until he became a daytime staple with Kathie Lee Gifford in 1988 on "Live with Regis and Kathie Lee" when he was 57. His vibrant, caustic, yet fun-loving personality pushed him over the top sometime after the show began to gain in popularity with daytime viewers.
Abe Vigoda
Getty
Born in 1921, Abe Vigoda captured the role of Salvatore Tessio in the film "The Godfather" in 1972 at the age of 51. His next big role came in 1975 when he signed on to play Sgt. Phil Fish on the television series "Barney Miller." And that's when Vigoda -- who passed away in 2016 -- really became a household name.
Tom Bergeron
Getty
Sure, Tom Bergeron became the host of "Hollywood Squares" in 1998 and of "America's Funniest Home Videos" in 2001, but he didn't really become widely known until joining the wildly popular "Dancing With the Stars." The amiable host was 50 when the show premiered in 2005. After more than 20 seasons as host, it appears he's a keeper.
Mike Wallace
Getty
Maybe Mike Wallace was well-known in some hard-core news circles, and perhaps he was on a first-name basis with a few news junkies many moons ago, but it wasn't until he laid his groundwork as a superb gotcha reporter on "60 Minutes" which he did from 1968 (after he turned 50) until 2008 -- that his star really began to shine. This well-respected news journalist sadly passed away on April 7, 2012 at the age of 93.
Samuel L. Jackson
Gabe Ginsberg via Getty Images
Born in 1948, Samuel L. Jackson appeared in more than 100 films before the age of 40. However, it was only after he landed the role of a hitman in "Pulp Fiction" in 1994 that his star really began to shine. For this performance, Jackson received a Best Supporting Actor nomination.
Andy Rooney
Getty
Andy Rooney is another personality that seems to have been around since the beginning of time, and we're all glad to have been the recipients of his off-the-wall satirical takes on human nature. In 1978, at the age of 59, Rooney began his "A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney" segment on the CBS news show "60 Minutes," continuing through 2011. He made us laugh, he made us cry, he made us think. It doesn't get better than that. Rooney died on November 4, 2011 at the age of 92 only a few weeks after his last appearance on the show.
Joy Behar
Getty
Joy Behar was 54 when she was cast as one of the original members of "The View," which made its debut in August 1997. A few years before that, you could catch Behar doing hilarious stand-up comedy on television. But she only became a household name sometime after "The View" became a must-see, daytime television talk show.
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