Mario Testino (Peruvian, b. October 30, 1954) is a fashion photographer who was born in Lima, Peru. He is the first of six children born to an Italian father and Irish mother. In his younger years, he aspired to be a priest. Testino attended Universidad Del Pacifico in Lima, where he studied economics, and later went to London in 1976 to study photography. While studying photography in London, he lived in an abandoned apartment and worked as a waiter to pay for his photography classes. During this time, Testino dyed his hair pink to help him get noticed as a photographer. He also attended Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru and the University of San Diego.
In 1982, Testino made London his permanent home. His work has been featured all over the world in magazines such as Vanity Fair, Vogue, V, and Gucci. Some of his most famous celebrity subjects include Princess Diana and her sons. In 2010, Testino did a photo shoot that featured the son of Princess Diana, Prince William Windsor, and his fiancée, Catherine Middleton. In 2008, he did an elaborate photo spread in Vanity Fair magazine featuring supermodels Claudia Schiffer, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Stephanie Seymour, Christy Turlington, and Linda Evangelista. Testino''s work has helped to contribute to the success of popular fashion houses such as Versace, Gucci, Burberry, Calvin Klein, Estée Lauder, Dolce & Gabbana, and Michael Kors, among others. Portraitsby Mario Testino, was one of his most successful exhibits. It was featured in The National Portrait Gallery in London in 2002. This exhibition held a 10-year record for having the highest attendance of any exhibition featured at this gallery. Portraits was also featured in galleries and museums in Milan, Amsterdam, Edinburgh, Mexico City, and Tokyo during a four-year tour.
Testino has also photographed other famous subjects such as Lady Gaga, Janet Jackson, Madonna, Elizabeth Hurley, Kate Moss, Kim Basinger, Cameron Diaz, and Julia Roberts. He has received royal commissions that include the Prince of Wales, Prince William, Prince Harry, The Duchess of Cornwall, The Duchess of Cambridge, Diana Princess of Wales, Prince Nikolaos of Greece, and many others.