Gene Polito | |
---|---|
Born | Eugene Emmanuel Polito September 13, 1918 |
Died | November 28, 2010 | (aged 92)
Occupation | Cinematographer |
Parent(s) |
Sol Polito Frances Polito |
Eugene Emmanuel Polito (September 13, 1918 – November 28, 2010) was an American cinematographer, [1] mechanical engineer and academic. His numerous film and television credits included Futureworld, Up in Smoke and Lost in Space. [1]
Polito was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1918, the son of cinematographer Sol Polito and his wife, Frances Polito. [2] Polito was just eight months old when his family moved to Los Angeles in 1919 so his father, Sol Polito, could continue working at Warner Brothers Studios. [2]
Polito graduated from Loyola High School in Los Angeles. [2] He attended Loyola University (now Loyola Marymount University), before earning his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Southern California. [2] Polito was employed as an engineer for aerospace manufacturer, Douglas Aircraft Company, during World War II. [2]
Polito began his career as a cinematographer towards the end of World War II. [2] His career ultimately spanned more than forty years and included hundreds of film and television productions. [2] A member of the American Society of Cinematographers, Polito is credited with the invention of the "Polito Bracket," which film studio photographers now use as a mounting accessory for Reflectors and Bead Board. [2] Polito became a professor at the USC School of Cinematic Arts when he was 62 years old. [2]
Polito died at his home in Irvine, California, on November 28, 2010, aged 92, following a three-year battle with esophageal cancer. [2] He was survived by his wife, Lucy, to whom he had been married for 66 years, as well as nine children, a brother and nine great-grandchildren. [2]