Star photographer Pat York brings Hollywood to Rochester, Minnesota.

ROCHESTER — In her apartment at the Mayo Clinic’s Charter House, Pat York sits in front of one of her favorite photographs, a 1960s shot of John Phillip Law on a beach outside Rome. York was there for a photo shoot for Vogue magazine when she noticed they had company — a group of wide-eyed women, dazzled by the shirtless movie star.

“We went back to the car and I heard everyone running after him. When I looked, all these nuns were running along the beach with him,” York said. “So I ran in front of them with my camera.”

Through her lens, York captured a moment that would be remembered for a lifetime.

The portrait of Phillip Law is one of many that established York as one of the leading celebrity photographers of her time. Her work spans decades and has produced lasting images of some of the world’s most famous artists, from Andy Warhol to Barbra Streisand to John Travolta.

And then there’s her favorite subject: her husband, Michael York, the British-born actor known for his roles in “The Three Musketeers,” “Flight to the 23rd Century” and the three “Austin Powers” films. The two moved to Rochester in 2022 to be closer to the Mayo Clinic, which the Yorks credit with saving Michael’s life after he was diagnosed with amyloidosis a decade earlier.

The Yorks have made it a goal to stay active after moving to southeastern Minnesota. Pat continues to write and Michael continues to lend his voice to various film projects, including a guest appearance on “The Simpsons.”

“Michael thinks I work too hard all the time,” Pat said, laughing. “I just think it’s necessary. It’s my life and this is how my life has been.”

This body of work by Pat, whose photographs have been shown in galleries from Hong Kong to Prague, includes her latest exhibition, a collection of 26 of her most notable works on view now through November at the Rochester Art Center.

Many of the photos featured were taken on film sets, such as the famous image of Jane Fonda cooking in a bikini in her dressing room on the set of Barbarella in 1966. Others were taken on assignments, in private homes and at parties. Together, they reflect a lifelong friendship with some of Hollywood’s biggest stars.

Born in Jamaica to English diplomats, Pat began her career as a writer for the fashion section of Vogue. She later became travel editor at Glamour and was sent on assignments all over the world, including to the Soviet Union and Iran in 1963.

She never actually intended to start taking photographs, but early in her career, something clicked during a visit to Japan, where she toured a Nikon factory with famous photographer David Bailey.

Her first photography assignment was to photograph Robert and Ted Kennedy, marking the beginning of a career that would stretch to the ends of the earth and expose her to subjects ranging from Ronald Reagan to Timothy Leary (who introduced her to LSD in what she would call a once-in-a-life “life-enriching experience”).

The exhibition at the Art Center features the “greatest achievements” of York’s career as a photographer of famous and eccentric people. They include a portrait of Steve Martin, a close friend whom Pat describes as “extremely generous and unfailingly punctual”; a shot of Liza Minnelli on the set of “Cabaret,” where she starred alongside York’s husband, Michael; and a rare photograph of Warhol smiling at the camera.

“This is the Andy I knew. You see him one way or another, but he was a wonderful friend,” York said.

What you won’t see in the Rochester exhibition is work from York’s other chapter of her career. When she got tired of just photographing celebrities, she photographed her subjects nude and by corpses. (To her surprise, almost everyone she asked to be photographed nude said yes, including her plumber.)

“I think Pat is so successful because she seems so non-threatening,” said Michael. “Her equipment is minimal and she works deliberately quickly and efficiently. She manages to relax her subjects and it’s interesting that so many of them have become her valued friends, from the naked plumber to the charming President Reagan.”

The Yorks met in 1967 when Pat was hired to photograph a hot new actor who had just landed roles in two films premiering in New York. The two were instantly attracted to each other and were married six months later.

“It’s one of the most beautiful things when you really love someone and share your life with them,” Pat said. “It’s fantastic because you don’t really need anything else.”

In their 56 years of marriage, they were rarely apart for long. Their work often crossed paths as Michael pursued his film career, which earned him a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Pat remained true to her photography, sometimes finding her latest subjects on the sets of Michael’s films.

“When I was 8, my mom had someone in the house who did astrology, and she asked to look at my hand,” Pat said. “And she said, ‘You have the most travel-happy hand I’ve ever seen.’ And then she said, ‘Everyone you meet, everyone who comes into your orbit, will do nothing but travel.’ As soon as I met Michael, he got films in India. And we’ve been traveling together ever since.”

Starting in 2012, these trips also included Rochester. After Michael became ill, Pat contacted Dr. Robert Kyle, a Mayo Clinic physician and international expert in hematology. Kyle encouraged the Yorks to travel to Minnesota, where Michael was eventually diagnosed with amyloidosis, a rare disease characterized by the formation of abnormal amyloid deposits in the organs. Michael received his first stem cell transplant at the Mayo Clinic in 2012.

By 2019, Michael’s condition had worsened and the couple decided it was time to move closer to Mayo. In 2022, they sold their Hollywood Hills home, and with it much of their art collection, and moved to Rochester, where they live in a senior living community connected to Mayo’s downtown campus.

They have never regretted the decision.

“The people here are particularly nice,” said Pat. “And of course I’m incredibly happy that Michael is here. They probably saved his life.”

Now that they’re settled in Minnesota, Pat is collecting quotes for a book (her fifth) about laughter and sifting through her papers looking for anything worth archiving, including personal letters from playwright Tennessee Williams. The Yorks also travel along the nearby Mississippi River, visiting its museums and attractions. And although the pace is different than life in Hollywood, Pat says Minnesota has its perks.

“We’re so lucky to be here. I mean, look at this,” she said, pointing to the gorgeous view from her apartment. “People think I’m crazy, but I’ve never seen a more beautiful sky than this. It’s like a work of art.”