Age, Biography and Wiki
Jerry Lawson was an American engineer and inventor who is best known for his work on the Fairchild Channel F, the first cartridge-based video game console. He was born on December 1, 1940 in Brooklyn, New York.
Lawson attended the City College of New York, where he studied electrical engineering. After graduating in 1962, he began working for Fairchild Semiconductor, where he worked on the development of the Fairchild Channel F. The console was released in 1976 and was the first cartridge-based video game console.
Lawson was also involved in the development of the Atari 2600, the first successful home video game console. He was also involved in the development of the Atari 5200, the first console to use a microprocessor.
In addition to his work in the video game industry, Lawson was also involved in the development of the first single-chip microprocessor. He was also involved in the development of the first single-chip microcomputer.
Lawson was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2010. He passed away on April 9, 2011 at the age of 70.
| Popular As |
Gerald Anderson Lawson |
| Occupation |
miscellaneous |
| Age |
71 years old |
| Zodiac Sign |
Sagittarius |
| Born |
1 December 1940 |
| Birthday |
1 December |
| Birthplace |
Brooklyn, New York, U.S |
| Date of death |
April 9, 2011 |
| Died Place |
Santa Clara, California, U.S. |
| Nationality |
United States |
We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 1 December.
He is a member of famous Miscellaneous with the age 71 years old group.
Jerry Lawson Height, Weight & Measurements
At 71 years old, Jerry Lawson height not available right now. We will update Jerry Lawson's Height, weight, Body Measurements, Eye Color, Hair Color, Shoe & Dress size soon as possible.
| Physical Status |
| Height |
Not Available |
| Weight |
Not Available |
| Body Measurements |
Not Available |
| Eye Color |
Not Available |
| Hair Color |
Not Available |
Who Is Jerry Lawson's Wife?
His wife is Catherine (m. 1965)
| Family |
| Parents |
Not Available |
| Wife |
Catherine (m. 1965) |
| Sibling |
Not Available |
| Children |
Marc Lawson, Karen Lawson |
Jerry Lawson Net Worth
His net worth has been growing significantly in 2022-2023. So, how much is Jerry Lawson worth at the age of 71 years old? Jerry Lawson’s income source is mostly from being a successful Miscellaneous. He is from United States. We have estimated
Jerry Lawson's net worth
, money, salary, income, and assets.
| Net Worth in 2023 |
$1 Million - $5 Million |
| Salary in 2023 |
Under Review |
| Net Worth in 2022 |
Pending |
| Salary in 2022 |
Under Review |
| House |
Not Available |
| Cars |
Not Available |
| Source of Income |
Miscellaneous |
Jerry Lawson Social Network
Timeline
He was also featured in the first episode of the Netflix limited-series documentary High Score, released August 19, 2020, with his story told by his children Karen and Anderson.
In March 2011, Lawson was honored as an industry pioneer for his work on the game cartridge concept by the International Game Developers Association (IGDA). Lawson was honored with the ID@Xbox Gaming Heroes award at the 21st Independent Games Festival on March 20, 2019 for leading the development of the first cartridge-based game console.
Around 2003, Lawson started having complications from diabetes, losing the use of one leg and sight from one eye. On April 9, 2011, about one month after being honored by the IGDA, he died of complications from diabetes. At the time of his death, he resided in Santa Clara, California, and was survived by his wife, two children, and his brother.
In 1980, Lawson left Fairchild and founded Videosoft, a video game development company that made software for the Atari 2600 in the early 1980s, as the 2600 had displaced the Channel F as the top system in the market. Videosoft closed about five years later, and Lawson started to take on consulting work. At one point, he had been working with Stevie Wonder to produce a "Wonder Clock" that would wake a child with the sound of a parent's voice, though it never made it to production. Lawson later worked with the Stanford mentor program and was preparing to write a book on his career.
In 1970, he joined Fairchild Semiconductor in San Francisco as an applications engineering consultant within their sales division. While there, he created the early arcade game Demolition Derby in his garage. Completed in early 1975 using Fairchild's new F8 microprocessors, Demolition Derby was among the earliest microprocessor-driven games. In the mid-1970s, Lawson was made Chief Hardware Engineer and director of engineering and marketing for Fairchild's video game division. There, he led the development of the Fairchild Channel F console, released in 1976 and specifically designed to use swappable game cartridges based on technology licensed from Alpex. At the time, most game systems had the game programming built into the game hardware, which could not be removed. Lawson and his team refined and improved technology developed at Alpex that allowed games stored as software on removable ROM cartridges that could be inserted and removed from a console unit repeatedly, and without electrically shocking the user. This would allow users to buy into a library of games, and provided a new revenue stream for the console manufacturers through sales of these games. The Channel F console featured a wide variety of controls, including a unique 8-way joystick designed by Lawson and a "pause" button, which was a first for a home video game console. The Channel F was not a commercially successful product, but the cartridge approach was popularized with the Atari 2600 released in 1977.
Jerry Lawson was born on December 1, 1940 in New York City, New York, USA.
