Gerald Finnerman
American cinematographer (1931–2011)
Gerald Perry Finnerman (December 17, 1931 – April 6, 2011) was an American cinematographer who worked on TV series such as Moonlighting and the original Star Trek. He served as vice president of the American Society of Cinematographers, and won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Cinematography in Entertainment Programming for a Special.
Biography
Gerald Finnerman was born on December 17, 1931, in Los Angeles, California. He attended Hollywood High School, and afterwards went to Loyola Marymount University, where he majored in abnormal psychology. Finnerman was a combat photographer before joining his father, Perry Finnerman, at Warner Bros., where Perry was contracted as a camera operator (and, later, a cinematographer). After Perry's death at the age of 56, Finnerman began to work with Harry Stradling at Warner. Stradling promoted Finnerman from focus puller to camera operator, and in 1964 the two left Warner to become freelancers.
They worked together for Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios and Columbia Pictures on films such as Walk, Don't Run, starring Cary Grant, and the Jack Lemmon movie How to Murder Your Wife. Finnerman was Stradling's camera operator when he won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography for My Fair Lady. Stradling recommended him as a cinematographer to Desilu Productions for their new science fiction series, Star Trek, after Harry Stradling Jr.
The public source identifies “Gerald Finnerman” as american cinematographer (1931–2011). This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Gerald, Finnerman and American.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Gerald Finnerman”, the useful work is to connect “american cinematographer (1931–2011)” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 22, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q5549124. VIAF identifies the subject as 102585857. The Library of Congress control number is n85322456. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1931, 2011 and 1964.
A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Gerald Finnerman”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Gerald Finnerman primary sources, Gerald Finnerman archive and Gerald research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Gerald Finnerman”?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Gerald Finnerman” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.