Al Jazeera marks the death of the teleprompter inventor Hubert Schlafly on air
- 12 years ago
Hubert Schlafly, the inventor of a revolutionary piece of television equipment, has died.
Schlafly invented the teleprompter, or autocue as its sometimes known, in the 1950s.
He was an engineer for Twentieth Century Fox and approached by a soap opera actor who was struggling to remember his lines.
What he came up with was a monitor facing the person appearing on screen, rolling script at reading speed.
The device has become a staple of modern broadcasting - rescuing decades' of actors, politicians, and newscasters from embarrassment on live TV.
Schlafly was 91 years old.
Schlafly invented the teleprompter, or autocue as its sometimes known, in the 1950s.
He was an engineer for Twentieth Century Fox and approached by a soap opera actor who was struggling to remember his lines.
What he came up with was a monitor facing the person appearing on screen, rolling script at reading speed.
The device has become a staple of modern broadcasting - rescuing decades' of actors, politicians, and newscasters from embarrassment on live TV.
Schlafly was 91 years old.