Lester Novros on AllMovie

A pioneer of Imax/Omnimax filmmaking and special effects, and a teacher to such students as George Lucas, Lester Novros applied his expertise in graphic design to help create and inspire some of the most memorable films of the last century. Born in Passaic, N.J., Novros began his career in graphic design at the National Academy of Design in New York City before eventually being hired as an animator by Disney in 1936. After leaving Disney and founding Graphic Films in 1941, Novros produced films for World Fair expositions, helped establish the Showsphere Corporation, and eventually caught the eye of filmmaker Stanley Kubrick, who enlisted Novros' expertise in special effects and visual design for 2001: A Space Odyssey. Novros' teaching career at the University of Southern California taught students the relationship between the film medium and the use of visual design in creating a powerful image. At the age of 91, Lester Novros died in Sherman Oaks, C.A., after an extended illness.