---
name: "James Pergola"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/james-pergola"
fi1m_id: "james-pergola"
imdb_id: "nm0005827"
tmdb_id: 56130
wikidata_id: "Q130233516"
roles: ["Cinematographer"]
born: "1 November 1932"
died: "23 February 2026"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
average_over: 1
updated: "2026-10-04T16:54:13.318784+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."
---

# James Pergola

## Identity

James Pergola

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/james-pergola
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** james-pergola
- **IMDb ID:** nm0005827
- **TMDB ID:** 56130
- **Wikidata ID:** Q130233516
- **Same entity:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q130233516, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005827/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/56130

Cinematographer. Born 1 November 1932 in New York City. Died 23 February 2026.

## Details

- **Work:** Cinematographer
- **Born:** 1 November 1932, New York City
- **Died:** 23 February 2026
- **Elsewhere:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q130233516, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005827/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/56130

## 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.

*Sources: hollywoodreporter.com, imdb.com, en.wikipedia.org.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *Hardly Working* (1980), Fi1m 45, Director of Photography, Cinematography — [page](https://film.one/film/hardly-working.md)

## Complete filmography (36)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Baywatch: White Thunder at Glacier Bay* (1998), Producer, Director of Photography
- *Assault on Devil's Island* (1997), Director of Photography
- *Steel Chariots* (1997), Director of Photography
- *Baywatch Nights* (1995), series, Director of Photography
- *Baywatch: Forbidden Paradise* (1995), Producer, Director of Photography
- *Thunder in Paradise 2* (1994), Producer, Director of Photography
- *Thunder in Paradise* (1993), Producer, Director of Photography
- *Mission of the Shark: The Saga of the U.S.S. Indianapolis* (1991), Director of Photography
- *UFO Cafe* (1990), Director of Photography
- *How to Murder a Millionaire* (1990), Director of Photography
- *Baywatch* (1989), series, Director of Photography, Producer
- *Major League* (1989), Second Unit Director of Photography
- *Police Academy 5: Assignment Miami Beach* (1988), Director of Photography
- *Miracle of the Heart: A Boys Town Story* (1986), Director of Photography
- *The Toughest Man in the World* (1984), Director of Photography
- *The Gambler: The Adventure Continues* (1983), Director of Photography
- *The Gambler: The Adventure Continues* (1983), series, Director of Photography
- *Smokey and the Bandit Part 3* (1983), Director of Photography
- *Love Child* (1982), Director of Photography
- *Rascals and Robbers: The Secret Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn* (1982), Director of Photography
- *The Funhouse* (1981), Camera Operator
- *The Intruder Within* (1981), Director of Photography
- *Angel City* (1980), Director of Photography
- *The Hunter* (1980), Camera Operator
- *Caddyshack* (1980), Additional Photography
- *Hardly Working* (1980), Director of Photography — Fi1m 45, [page](https://film.one/film/hardly-working.md)
- *OHMS* (1980), Director of Photography
- *Island Claws* (1980), Director of Photography
- *Hot Stuff* (1979), Director of Photography
- *The Crash of Flight 401* (1978), Additional Photography
- *The Wilds of Ten Thousand Islands* (1978), Cinematography
- *Thunder and Lightning* (1977), Director of Photography
- *The African Queen* (1977), Director of Photography
- *Lord Shango* (1975), Camera Operator
- *Dillinger* (1973), Camera Operator
- *Hello Down There* (1969), Camera Operator

---
© 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/james-pergola