Owen Marsh was born and raised in the Hollywood film industry, born to a cinematographer father and silent film stage violinist mother. Beginning with several small acting roles as a child, he transitioned to spend seven years (1952–59) in the film labs before finding his calling in production as an assistant cameraman. After another seven-year stint (1963–70) in the Special Visual Effects department at MGM, he found his way back behind the camera for the final 20 years of his career, eventually retiring in 1990 with multiple credits as a director of photography to his name. He was a charter member of the Society of Operating Cameramen and served as the organization's first co-president.