Joe Thompson, 73; Filmmaker Worked With Cousteau

Joe Thompson, 73, an underwater filmmaker who helped Jacques Cousteau enlighten the world about what lies beneath the ocean, died Dec. 30 in Columbus, Pa.

The cause of death was complications from diabetes and heart disease.

Born Joseph Anglada Thompson, he grew up in Philadelphia, interested in performing magic and in scuba diving.

As a staff sergeant in the Air Force, he became a proficient diver and instructor in Abingdon, Pa.

Thompson moved to San Diego in 1964 to become chief pilot of Westinghouse’s Deepstar 2000 and 4000 submersibles for diving projects off the San Diego coast.

Cousteau, who died in 1997, learned of Thompson through his work for Westinghouse, and soon became his employer and mentor.

Thompson worked with Cousteau for 14 years, shooting much of the footage used on the TV series “The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau.”

Later, Thompson went on to make independent movies. He won national Emmys for the CBS-TV special “Gossamer Albatross: Flight of Imagination” about Bryan Allen’s flight in a pedal-powered aircraft across the English Channel; and regional Emmys for filming DuPont’s sun-powered aircraft Solar Challenger.

He also shot underwater films for SeaWorld, including specials on subjects ranging from penguin eggs to sharks.