Jesus Luz

Jesus Pinto da Luz, born on January 15, 1987, is a Brazilian model, DJ, and occasional actor. He is best known for his international modeling career, which gained widespread attention in 2008 and 2009 after he appeared alongside Madonna in Steven Klein's photo spread "Madonna: Blame it on Rio" for W magazine.

Luz was born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He is the son of Cristiane Regina da Silva, a hairdresser, and an administrator at a public hospital. His father named him after Jesus Christ, and his surname da Luz translates to "from light" in Portuguese. Following his parents' separation when he was five, he was raised by his mother in downtown Rio, attending the Colégio Pedro II. His mother saved money to send him to a private prep school and encouraged his modeling ambitions. Growing up around music through an uncle who played in a rock band, Luz worked odd jobs as a youth, including as a salesman at an Ipanema surf shop.

Luz signed his first modeling contract in 2005 with 40 Graus Models, working under Sergio Mattos for three years. After spending six months in New York in 2006 to learn English, he made his runway debut at Rio Fashion Week in 2007 while studying acting at the Casa das Artes de Laranjeiras. In 2008, he signed with Ford Models, becoming one of the highest-paid male models globally after Klein selected him for the W magazine shoot with Madonna. Throughout his career, he has walked for Dolce & Gabbana and Ellus, and appeared in campaigns for brands such as Givenchy, Intimissimi, Pepe Jeans, TNT, Mash, Ferricelli, Sallo Jeans, and TFLOW. His work has featured on covers and in editorials for L'Officiel Hommes, Interview, GQ, Vogue, Page Six Magazine, Vs., and Mensch magazine.

In 2010, Luz expanded into music as a DJ after attending the Dubspot DJ school in New York City to learn mixing techniques. Focusing on electronic genres such as trance, electro-house, progressive house, and tech-house, he secured high-profile performance gigs. That same year, he collaborated with the German vocal trance group Fragma on the single "What do you Want."

Luz has also taken on acting and television projects. He appeared in Madonna's 2009 music video "Celebration" and Inna's 2016 video "Calente." His acting credits include an uncredited cameo in the 2010 film Rio Sex Comedy, appearances in Brazilian telenovelas such as Aquele Beijo, Guerra dos Sexos, Se Eu Fosse Você, and Vai Que Cola, and a role in the 2020 Netflix zombie series Reality Z. In 2017, he performed in Passion of Christ at the New Jerusalem Theater. He also competed on reality television shows including Ballando con le Stelle, Saltibum, and Dancing Brasil.

In his personal life, Luz was in a relationship with Madonna from December 2008 until 2010. Designer Marc Jacobs assisted his U.S. work permit application with a letter of support. Luz has two younger half-brothers. He practices Kabbalah, having begun his studies in Rio de Janeiro, and has also studied Buddhism and yoga.