Charles Austin

AUSTIN
Charles L. (Chuck), age 91, died peacefully at the Actors Fund Home in Englewood, NJ on January 7, 2013. A 55 year resident of Park Ridge, NJ, he was widely respected for his work in the fields of still photography, TV and motion pictures. Chuck was a first generation American, born and raised in the Bronx where he met his wife to be, Yvette Stern during high school. Chuck was always interested in photography and even his earliest work showed he had the eye of an artist.
A WWII veteran, Chuck married Yvette in 1943, just prior to going overseas. Part of the 25th Bomb Group of the 8th Air Force, his unit flew the DeHavilland Mosquito, a twin-engine aircraft, built entirely of plywood with no armor, guns, or bombs…just cameras. These 400 mph planes used speed as their only defense. After the war, Chuck attended the Ozenfant School of Fine Arts, and after graduating entered the growing fields of photo-journalism and advertising illustration. In 1952, he began his career in film making.
Chuck worked on many popular TV series that aired in the '50s and '60s including: Naked City, The Defenders, Banacek, Shaft, and numerous NBC White Paper Documentaries. His work often received critical acclaim and he won an EMMY for his cinematography in a documentary named The Great Swap. Chuck was also elected president of New York cinematographer's Local # 644 of the IATSE for three terms. His career in movie making included the New York based work in such memorable films as: The Way We Were, The Manchurian Candidate, Seven Days in May, The Sweet Smell of Success, Plaza Suite, Hitchcock's The Trouble with Harry, and Wings over America with Paul McCartney. Chuck was a member of the American Society of Cinematographers or ASC, an active member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and a Governor of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
Chuck was a man who called it as he saw it, made his own road, and was always willing to wait for the perfect shot. His love of the photography was passed on to everyone he encountered. He was a gifted story teller and loved to speak of his experiences filming while strapped to the top of a moving car, hanging out of a helicopter, or marching through the jungle filming an army patrol in Viet Nam.
He is survived by his childhood sweetheart and devoted wife of 69 years, Yvette, who also resides at the Actors Fund Home, his sons Robert of Upper Saddle River, Rick of Andover, and his three grandchildren, Robert, Miles, and Alexandra.
Arrangements will be private. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that a donation be made in Chuck's memory to: The Actors Fund Home, 155 W Hudson Ave, Englewood, NJ 07631.