Austria's Unknown Hollywood Legend Otto Nemenz Has Passed Away
Born in 1941 in Judenburg, Styria, as the son of an Austrian and a Greek, Otto Nemenz grew up between Vienna and Istanbul. "Like a wild radish," he once said in an interview. In Hollywood, he became the man with the best cameras in the 1980s. For over four decades, he developed groundbreaking cameras and lenses.
Otto Nemenz: From Mödling to the Hollywood Hills
After attending HTL Mödling, where he studied precision mechanics and optics, Nemenz briefly worked at ORF. However, when he was advised to join a political party to advance his career, he refused and emigrated to Los Angeles at the age of 23. "That was one of the reasons why I came to America. I didn't want to be politically active," said the Austro-American in an interview.
Upon arriving in Hollywood, he worked as a camera technician at Panavision, which equipped the 1966 Formula 1 film "Grand Prix" by director John Frankenheimer, Nemenz's first film, which sparked a lifelong passion for film and camera technology. Together with the pioneer of camera mounts, John M. Stephens, Nemenz specialized in building special lenses for high-speed shots with race cars, airplanes, ski races, and speedboats.
With "Terminator 2" into the Hollywood Olympus
After working for years first as a camera technician and assistant, and finally as a cameraman, he began equipping films, series, and music videos with his equipment in 1979. In 1979, at the age of 38, he founded Otto Nemenz International, Inc., a company specializing in the rental and maintenance of film and digital cameras, lenses, and accessories. With only two employees, including Alex Wengert (who later became the managing director) and his second wife Monika, a former helicopter pilot from Vorarlberg, Nemenz built a giant company that equipped films like "No Country for Old Men", "A Beautiful Mind", and "Fast & Furious 8".
"Terminator 2" not only catapulted his compatriot Arnold Schwarzenegger into the Hollywood Olympus. The blockbuster propelled Nemenz with his rental company into the orbit of the big players in 1991. A special zoom lens was used for the film, an optomechanical construction for which he was awarded by the American Society of Cinematographers for outstanding achievements in motion pictures. The award was presented to him by Tom Hanks. "I also have an Austrian award," Nemenz once said. In 2005, he received the Golden Decoration of Honor for Services to the Republic of Austria. "I was surprised. My name isn't Schwarzenegger."
Even at over 80 years old, Nemenz remained active in his company. He spent his time alternating between his house in Pacific Palisades and his residence in Hawaii, where he eventually passed away peacefully. "Otto was always a man with visions," his team honors him on the Otto Nemenz International website. "Otto Nemenz was not only an icon of the film industry but also a dedicated and passionate man who served as a mentor and above all as a good friend to many who met him".
(APA/Red.)
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