March 2026

In Memoriam — James Pergola, ASC (1932-2026)

James Pergola, ASC, who helped immortalize Los Angeles as the nexus of sun and fun as the longtime director of photography of Baywatch, died in Naples, Fla., on Feb. 23, 2026, at the age of 93. He shot 145 episodes of the series from its inception in 1989 until 1998. He was also a producer on the show for seven seasons. When Pergola was born, on Nov. 1, 1932, he already had family in the trade — his father, James V. Pergola, had started working in the camera department at Famous Players Film Co. at age 18 and was by then employed by Fox Movietone News, chronicling some of the biggest events of the day. In 1937, when young Jim was 4, his father died while on assignment for Pathé News; he was flying from New York to Los Angeles, and a...more