By Susan M. Ottalini
PANORAMA CITY, CA (November 13, 2008) – Bryan Thomas Foster, 58, a veteran freelance cameraman in the Los Angeles area, died November 4, 2008, at his home in Panorama City. He had been fighting colon, liver, thyroid and lung cancer for about a year and recently opted to stop chemotherapy, friends and coworkers said. His family and friends were with him and he died peacefully in his sleep.
His final goal, he told friends, was to live long enough to see Barack Obama win the presidential election. His son Jess whispered to him that Obama had won at 2 p.m. PST, jumping the decision by just a little. Foster graduated from John H. Francis Polytechnic High School and got an AA degree from Pierce College in Woodland Hills, CA. He trained to be an Army helicopter pilot, but a twist of fate put him in Saigon as an Army MP. Foster was a decorated veteran of the Vietnam War.
After Saigon, he went back to school and graduated from Cal State University, Northridge with a BA in Journalism. Foster got a job at Northridge Hospital, set up their audiovisual department, and taught many students how to produce good television. He also founded his own company, Foster International News and Documentaries.
In the late 70’s, Foster joined CBS Network News in London as a freelance photographer shooting with one of the first video cameras, the Ikegami Handylooky. He worked all over the Middle East in war zones in Beirut, Lebanon, Israel and the Golan Heights, and traveled to Africa covering the fight for independence by the people of Nairobi, Kenya in the early 1980's. Foster was a gutsy wartime cameraman who prided himself on getting the shot no matter what it took. One friend said, “In 1977 when I was in the Israeli military, my group knew of a crazy American cameraman, running around all the fighting with his crew. They were way too close for our likings. Years later I found out it was Bryan and we became close friends.”
Foster was an avid sportsman and enjoyed hunting, scuba diving, fishing, and betting on the horses. His luck was legendary. For example, when he needed a new roof on his house and didn’t have the money, he made a bet on a video horse race on television and won more than the cost of the roof. He also loved Las Vegas and Poker and was regularly comped and invited to attend tournaments.
His cooking was fabulous and he was known to invite all his friends over for barbeques and on holidays, always succeeding in testing new recipes on us all. Toward the end of his life, he was diligently working on producing a cooking show which was to be shot in his own home “studio” kitchen. He loved his Dewers Scotch “neat,” his house filled with friends, and his family, not necessarily in that order. His more than 5 minutes of fame got him a membership in Screen Actors Guild.
Foster’s lust for life and journalism spilled over into his later “more sedate” years covering local and network news stories in Southern California. He was a cameraman, who enjoyed the company of some of the best and brightest producers, correspondents and anchormen and women in the industry. He wasn’t afraid to go into riots, fires, earthquakes disaster areas and the occasional lions’ den, to get his video and story. He was nicknamed the ”Kamikaze Cameraman” by one editor in Los Angeles. Very often, it was his own ingenuity that found that wonderful and unique element, telling the story through another’s eyes, bringing very personal touches to the stories he shot.
He was always proud of his acting skills and he landed bit parts for himself and his soundman Alan Cohen in the movie “15 Minutes” playing the part of a TV camera crew. He would laugh because their 3-day assignment turned into a six-week assignment, with added speaking parts, too.
Trekking with his gear and soundman on a trip around the world to Christmas Island, Foster shot amazing images of the endangered birds called “Boobies” and the footage was sold to CBS’ Sunday Morning and was to be used for a documentary for the Museum of Natural History in Los Angeles.
Foster’s final trip to Las Vegas with friends only a few weeks ago, left them amazed at his stamina and love of life. He figured out how to get around on a power scooter.
He will be truly missed by all of us who were lucky enough to be included in his circle of friends. He is survived by his adult children, Mercedes, Jess and Max, a granddaughter Madeline, his sister Brook Warden, and brothers Bruce and Brent and extensive other family.
The family has requested that in lieu of flowers a donation be made to the LA VA Healthcare System Volunteer Service (+1.310.268.4350).
Dennis Klaja and Alan Cohen contributed to this story.
