Ronald Edward Galella born January 10 1931 is an American photographer known as a pioneer paparazzo Dubbed Paparazzo Extraordinaire by Newsweek and the Godfather of the US paparazzi culture by Time magazine and Vanity Fair he is regarded by Harpers Bazaar as arguably the most controversial paparazzo of all time He immortalized many celebrities out of the public eye and gained notice for his feuds with some of them including Jacqueline Onassis and Marlon Brando Despite the numerous controversies and claims of stalking Galellas work has been praised and exhibited in art galleries worldwide and he was cited by Andy Warhol as his favorite photographer During his career Galella has taken more than three million photographs of public figures