Bob Lambert

Bob Lambert, a digital media technologist whose tenure as a senior executive at The Walt Disney Company spanned the years from 1985 to 2010, died last Friday at his home in Glendale, his family said yesterday. He was 55.

Lambert was key to Disney's strategy for moving from cel animation to CGI for feature films. While he was there, the company entered its collaboration with Pixar on the development of a production system that won an Oscar for Scientific and Technical Achievement. Before working at Disney, Lambert had development positions at Paramount Pictures and Western Technologies.

Firming up his status as industry visionary, Lambert was also a founder and chair of DCI, the six-studio group that set standards for the transition of movie theaters from film to digital exhibition.

Lambert was also chairman emeritus and chief strategic officer at the Entertainment Technology Center at USC (ETC@USC)."Bob was one of the most respected technology executives in the media and entertainment business," said ETC@USC CEO and Executive Director Kenneth S. Williams in a prepared statement. "Always generous with his time, his friendship and tremendous insight will be greatly missed."