Ray Dolby: Inventor of Dolby Noise Reduction Dies at 80

Ray Dolby was an American engineer and inventor. Born on January 18, 1933, in Portland, Oregon, he earned a PhD in physics at Cambridge.

He founded Dolby Laboratories in 1965 and developed Dolby noise reduction, which cleaned up tape hiss, and later Dolby Surround and Dolby Digital sound for movies. He won an Oscar for Scientific and Engineering achievement and an Emmy.

He was awarded the National Medal of Technology in 1997. Dolby died of Alzheimer's disease in San Francisco on September 12, 2013, at age 80.

Achievements: National Medal of Technology (1997), Oscar and Emmy.

Birth: January 18, 1933 - Portland, Oregon.

Profession: Engineer and inventor.

Interesting Facts: Dolby Theatre in Hollywood is named for his company.