Carl Boenisch

Carl Boenisch

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.

  • Title: Carl Boenisch
  • Popularity: 0.001
  • Known For: Acting
  • Birthday: 1941-04-03
  • Place of Birth: New Castle, Pennsylvania
  • Homepage:
  • Also Known As:
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Carl Boenisch Movies

  • 1969
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    The Sky Divers

    The Sky Divers

    1 1969 HD

    A behind-the-scenes, promotional short about the making of the feature film The Gypsy Moths (1969), which extensively features free fall skydiving.

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  • 2015
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    Sunshine Superman

    Sunshine Superman

    6.6 2015 HD

    Documentary portrait of Carl Boenish, the father of the BASE jumping movement, whose early passion for skydiving led him to ever more spectacular...

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  • 1969
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    The Gypsy Moths

    The Gypsy Moths

    6 1969 HD

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