Carl Boenisch

Biography

Carl Ronald Boenish (April 3, 1941 – July 7, 1984), considered the father of modern BASE jumping, was an American freefall cinematographer, who in 1978 filmed the first jumps from El Capitan using ram-air parachutes. These jumps were repeated, not as a publicity exercise or as a movie stunt, but as part of the development of a recurring recreational activity. This approach defined modern BASE jumping. These were the jumps that popularized BASE jumping more widely among parachutists, likely because Boenish filmed them and presented the footage exceptionally well. Boenish also published BASE Magazine to promote safety in this new sport. Boenish's cinematography work included the 1969 John Frankenheimer parachuting film classic The Gypsy Moths, starring Burt Lancaster and Gene Hackman, and a National Geographic Explorer segment on jumps from El Capitan. His life and death is the subject of the 2015 documentary film, Sunshine Superman.

Most Famous Work

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6

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The Gypsy Moths

(1969) Aerial Camera

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Acting

Year	Character	Movie/Tv
2015	Himself	Sunshine Superman 2015-05-22 Movie
1969	Self	The Sky Divers 1969-01-01 Movie
Year	Character	Movie/Tv

Camera

Year	Role	Movie/Tv
1969	Aerial Camera	The Gypsy Moths 1969-08-29 Movie
Year	Role	Movie/Tv