Joe Epperson, the three-time Emmy-nominated camera operator who had long stints on All in the Family, The Jeffersons, Full House and The Tonight Show, has died. He was 80.
Epperson died Saturday of cardiac arrest at Southwest General Health Center in Middleburg Heights, Ohio, his wife of 58 years, Patty Epperson, told The Hollywood Reporter. He had been in and out of the hospital and rehab since April 29 when his appendix burst.
Known for his skill with hand-held cameras, Epperson in 1981 shot from the Roxy in West Hollywood The Pee-wee Herman Show, which ran on HBO and put Paul Reubens and his hilarious alter ego on the map.
He also trained his lens on Frank Sinatra, Liza Minnelli and Sammy Davis Jr. over three nights at the Fox Theatre in Detroit for a 1989 Showtime special and worked on the James Keach-directed Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me, the 2014 documentary that followed the music legend on his final tour as he struggled with Alzheimer’s.
He was a charter member of the Society of Camera Operators — it was founded in 1979 — a member of its board of directors and the recipient of its lifetime achievement honor in 1995.
Epperson manned a camera on CBS’ All in the Family from 1975-79 and its spinoff The Jeffersons from 1976-82 and worked on ABC’s Full House during its entire eight-season run from 1987-95.
He also spent more than 15 years as an operator for The Tonight Show, starting in 1992 when Jay Leno succeeded Johnny Carson.
Joseph Epperson was born on Feb. 9, 1945, in Camden, New Jersey, and raised in Berea, Ohio. His father, Joseph Sr., was a chief engineer for E.W. Scripps out of WEWS in Cleveland, the first TV station in Ohio. (His dad worked on the 1948 World Series between the Cleveland Indians and Boston Braves and the 1954 NFL title game between the Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions.)
Epperson graduated from Berea High School and Ohio University and had jobs at WEWS and WUAB-TV around a 1966-69 tour with the U.S. Army. In 1971, he accepted a job with Television Production Co. in Pittsburgh, then moved in 1975 to Los Angeles, where he would spend several years at KTTV.
Epperson went on to work on TV specials/concerts featuring the likes of Paul Simon, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Big Bird — for a PBS special in China — Richard Pryor, Linda Lavin, the Doobie Brothers, Hall & Oates, George Carlin, Dixie Chicks, The Go-Go’s, Black Sabbath, The Rolling Stones and Elton John.
He received his Primetime Emmy noms for his work on concert specials from Rod Stewart, Sheena Easton and Cher that aired in 1982, 1983 and 2000, respectively.
His résumé included such other shows as Fernwood Tonight, America 2-Night, Bosom Buddies, Family Ties, Webster, Amen, Married … With Children, Big Brother, American Idol and The X Factor. He shot lots of Oscar red carpets and Rose Parades.
Epperson moved back to Berea in 2000 and spent five years as the treasurer of the Berea Historical Society.
He and his wife, high school sweethearts, first met in 1959, started dating in 1961 and were married in October 1966. Survivors also include their daughters, Amanda and Rebecca, and their grandchildren, Jaquelyn, Kirsten, Isabella and Joseph.
In Hollywood, Epperson also served as a technical director, stage manager, assistant director and lighting director.
“Joe gets the big picture,” cinematographer Steven Poster said in 1995. “He doesn’t characterize himself as either a lighting director or camera operator. He describes himself as part of the crew with a responsibility to the audience. Every director wants people like Joe on their crew, because this is all about teamwork and collaboration.”