---
name: "Gerald Perry Finnerman"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/gerald-perry-finnerman"
roles: ["Cinematographer","Director"]
born: "17 December 1931"
died: "6 April 2011"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 3
average_fi1m_score: 82
updated: "2026-09-16T18:06:54.894639+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Gerald Perry Finnerman

Cinematographer and director. Born 17 December 1931 in Los Angeles, California, USA. Died 6 April 2011.

## Details

- **Work:** Cinematographer, Director
- **Born:** 17 December 1931, Los Angeles, California, USA
- **Died:** 6 April 2011
- **Active:** 1966–1985
- **Also known as:** Jerry Finnerman
- **Works often with:** Robert Butler, Al Francis, Barry Trivers, Bill Brame, Charles R. Rondeau, Chester Krumholz

## Biography

Gerald Perry Finnerman, also credited as Jerry Finnerman, was an American cinematographer. The son of cinematographer Perry Finnerman, he began his career as an apprentice to his father and as a camera operator for his godfather, Harry Stradling. He attended Hollywood High School and Loyola Marymount University.

Finnerman served as director of photography on the original *Star Trek* series from 1966 to 1968, and subsequently on *Mission: Impossible*. His later television credits include *Kojak* (1973) and *Moonlighting* (1985). He won a Primetime Emmy Award for the 1978 television film *Ziegfeld: The Man and His Women*, and received further Emmy nominations for his work on other series. In 1996 he became the first director of photography inducted into the Producers Guild of America Hall of Fame for his contribution to *Star Trek*.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, televisionacademy.com, imdb.com, memory-alpha.fandom.com.*

## On Fi1m (3)

- *Kojak* (1973), Fi1m 80, Cinematography — [page](https://film.one/tv/kojak.md)
- *Mission: Impossible* (1966), Fi1m 82, Cinematography — [page](https://film.one/tv/mission-impossible-1966.md)
- *Star Trek* (1966), Fi1m 83, Cinematography — [page](https://film.one/tv/star-trek-1966.md)

## Also credited on (not yet reviewed)

- *Moonlighting* (1985), Cinematography, Director

## Also known for

- *Cheyenne Autumn* (1964), Camera Operator
- *Fantasy Island* (1978), Director of Photography
- *Sssssss* (1973), Director of Photography
- *Night Gallery* (1970), Director
- *They Call Me Mister Tibbs!* (1970), Director of Photography
- *Nightmares* (1983), Director of Photography
- *Walk Don't Run* (1966), Camera Operator
- *Tales of the Unexpected* (1979), Director of Photography

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/gerald-perry-finnerman