Biography
James Pergola was an American cinematographer and producer. He began his career in the 1950s as an assistant cameraman at Fox Movietone in New York after serving in the United States Marine Corps, later working as a camera operator on films including Dillinger (1973) and Lenny (1974). His first feature as director of photography was Thunder and Lightning (1977).
Pergola served as director of photography on Hardly Working (1980), Hot Stuff (1979), Nobody's Perfekt (1981), Love Child (1982), Smokey and the Bandit Part 3 (1983), Police Academy 5: Assignment Miami Beach (1988) and additional photography on Caddyshack (1980). He was director of photography on 145 episodes of the television series Baywatch (1989–1998) and also a producer on the show for seven seasons. He retired in 1998.
Born James Charles Pergola in New York City on 1 November 1932, he died on 23 February 2026 in Naples, Florida.
