The Television Academy said Chaloukian passed away on July 18 after working in sound design well into his 80s.
He first worked at Ryder Sound Service in 1954, becoming an award-winning re-recording mixer and eventually the company’s owner in 1976.
Chaloukian and his staff at Ryder Sound earned four Emmys, including the 1986 Emmy for best achievement in sound for the TV movie Cross of Fire.Â
They worked on sound for National Geographic specials, David Wolper Productions documentaries and classic TV shows like Lassie, Death Valley Days, Sea Hunt, Maverick, Route 66, Gunsmoke and Jacques Cousteau underwater diving specials.
On the movie front, Ryder handled recording, re-recording and mixing for Steve McQueen’s 1968 action thriller Bullitt, and Chaloukian personally oversaw sound design for The Graduate.
With his staff of audio engineers, he also created the sound design for Easy Rider. Ryder additionally worked on movies like Love Story, The Godfather, Chinatown, Saturday Night Fever and the first Star Trek franchise titles.
In 1986, Ryder won the Oscar for best achievement in sound for Platoon. Chaloukian also identified four gunshots in an audio recording of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination and unwittingly supplied President Richard Nixon with the equipment for his infamous Watergate recordings.
