Wilson Markle

{{Infobox engineer |image = |caption = |name = Wilson Markle |birth_date = {{Birth date|1938|9|2}} |birth_place = Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |death_date = {{Death date and age|2020|7|25|1938|9|2}} |death_place = King, Ontario, Canada |education = |spouse = |parents = |children = |discipline = |institutions = Colorization Inc. |practice_name = |significant_projects = |significant_design = |significant_advance = Film colorization |significant_awards = }}

'''Wilson Markle''' (September 2, 1938 – July 25, 2020) was a Canadian engineer who invented the film colorization process in 1970.<ref name="chicagotribune">[https://www.chicagotribune.com/1986/08/29/coloring-old-movies-foes-see-red-backers-see-green/ Coloring Old Movies: Foes See Red, Backers See Green] - ''Chicago Tribune'', 29 August 1986</ref> His first company, Image Transform, colored pictures from the Apollo space program to make a full-color television presentation for NASA.<ref name="chicagotribune"/>

His method used computers to assign predetermined colors to shades of gray in each scene.

In 1983, he founded Colorization Inc., which was co-owned by Hal Roach Studios and International HRS Industries.<ref>[http://www.museum.tv/eotvsection.php?entrycode=colorization COLORIZATION] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130507140446/http://www.museum.tv/eotvsection.php?entrycode=colorization |date=2013-05-07 }} - The Museum of Broadcast Communications</ref> The word "colorization" later became a generic name.

== Patents ==

An application for the first patent on the process was made by Colorization Inc. on 11 July 1983, listing Wilson Markle and Christopher Mitchell as inventors. It was issued on 1 December 1987 (US Patent 4710805).<ref>[http://www.wikipatents.com/US-Patent-4710805/method-of-and-apparatus-for-modifying-luminance-levels-of-a-black-and US Patent 4710805 - Method of, and apparatus for, modifying luminance levels of a black and white video signal] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120407072240/http://www.wikipatents.com/US-Patent-4710805/method-of-and-apparatus-for-modifying-luminance-levels-of-a-black-and |date=2012-04-07 }} - WikiPatents, Inc.</ref>

== References == {{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Markle, Wilson}} Category:1938 births Category:2020 deaths Category:Canadian engineers Category:People from Vancouver