Chris J. Condon (1923 – December 19, 2010), born Christo Dimitri Koudounis, was the inventor of 3D lens used by his company StereoVision, a cinematographer, and founder of Sierra Pacific Airlines.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 fleetof 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.
$12 Million
