PHOENIX — He makes it look so simple - and yet, there is nothing simple about Bob Mackie's iconic designs!
If you're one of Hollywood's leading ladies from the past half century, chances are you have sparkled, shimmered, and bedazzled your way down a red carpet, all thanks to one man.
For decades, the legendary designer has dazzled Hollywood, from the big screen to the small screen and the stage. You've probably seen a "Bob Mackie" on some kind of A-list star, but there's part of his life that wasn't seen for a long time, at least not in the public eye.
Mackie is sitting down with ABC15's Nick Ciletti during Pride Month to talk about his life, career, and how living his truth openly as a gay man wasn't always easy.
If you're one of Hollywood's leading ladies from the past half century, chances are you have sparkled and shimmered and bedazzled your way down a red carpet, all thanks to one man.
Nick Ciletti: Did you ever think you'd have the career you'd have?
Bob Mackie: No, I didn't think of anything. Just that I loved it.
It is a love affair that has lasted Mackie's entire life.
"I was always fascinated by movies, Technicolor movies. Movies that were musical, that had people dancing and dressing up in costume."
For Mackie, those silver-screen fantasies would eventually turn into real life; one of his favorite movies was Meet Me in St. Louis starring Judy Garland, who we would eventually get to meet and work with!
"She even sang that song," explains Mackie, with a tremendous smile on his face.
But it wasn't just Judy Garland; the long list of stars includes Carol Burnett, Diana Ross, Elton John - and even one of Hollywood's favorite blonde bombshells, Marilyn Monroe. While Mackie was working for designer Jean Louis, he sketched the iconic "Happy Birthday, Mr. President," dress.
But perhaps the most enduring and endearing relationship has been with Cher.
"It was like a relationship made in heaven...never was she embarrassed or intimidated by anything. She absolutely felt right at home."
In many of Mackie's designs, it's tough to hide much of anything - but there was something he had been concealing in his personal life for many years: that he was living as a gay man.
"It was very hard," explains Mackie. "You weren't supposed to do any of those things or think that way. I knew I was a strange child...I remember that one Christmas when one of my uncles gave me a catcher's mitt and I didn't know what the hell to do with it!"
Ciletti: How did you finally get to a place where you felt comfortable being yourself and being open?
Mackie: I wasn't always that comfortable. I was trying very hard to please the world, and the family, and the whatever - like everybody was at the time - and no one admitted to anything.
Ciletti: What do you want your legacy to be?
Mackie: I don't know! I don't think about that. I just don't think about it... I hope I keep working as long as it will work and I can do it forever because that's what I love doing.
There is much more to Mackie's incredible life story - and you can check it out in his documentary, Bob Mackie: Naked Illusion, streaming right now on Amazon Prime Video.
