Chris Condon

Life and career

He was born in North Chicago, Illinois. During World War II, he received a four Bronze Battle Stars while working on the combat air crew and cinemetographer on B-24 and A-26 in the Pacific. Upon his death in 2010, he was buried at Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside, California.

After the war he worked at Douglas Aircraft as a trainee before starting his own business in 1947 Century Precision Optics Company of North Hollywood, California where he developed the Tele-Athenar telephoto lens which were used by Walt Disney photographers in the True Life Adventures series.

In 1953, he received his first patent for a 3D projection system. The system replaced the previous method of using two cameras. His invention was inspired by House of Wax.

He taught at Columbia College Hollywood from 1958 to 1960.

He co-wrote the American Cinematographer Manual for the American Society of Cinematographers with Joseph Mascelli in 1963.

In 1969, he and his partner Allan Silliphant received a patent for the world's 1st Single-Camera 3-D Motion Picture Lens and they formed the company Magnavision which was changed to StereoVision Entertainment. After the success of soft X, eventually R rated 3D movie The Stewardesses he and Silliphant founded Sierra Pacific Airlines. which continued to operate under several newer owners a fleet of Convair prop-jets and later, Boeing 737 jets, under the current owners.

In 1972, he received a patent for a special widescreen 3-D camera lens for modern 35mm and 70mm reflex motion picture cameras.

During the 1970s, his lenses were used in Andy Warhol's Frankenstein, Dynasty, Fantastic Invasion of Planet Earth.

Credits