It seems like Gary always had a camera in his hand. Growing up in the Canarsie section of Brooklyn, he was taking pictures of his neighborhood, family and friends. He made a few 8mm films using his father's Bell & Howell 3 lens turret camera. Noir films of the 1940's and 1950's held a fascination to the young teenager; Sunset Boulevard, Raw Deal, and They Drive By Night were particular favorites, making an indelible impression with their use of light and shadows. One early morning exiting the Bay 50th Street subway station in Coney Island by his John Dewey H.S, he was amazed to see a film crew already hard at work. They were shooting The French Connection. Immediately fascinated by the huge 35mm Panavision PSR camera, he observed for three days, in between classes. The famous Friedkin chase scene under the Subway "EL", and the the atmosphere of making a film, was all the impetus he needed to decide then and there that he wanted to be a Cinematographer. Moving to Los Angeles, he finished his college education at UCLA and Cal State Northridge majoring in film studies. He enrolled in a writing class with the inimitable Nat Perrin. Mr. Perrin had many industry professionals come to class to speak. During one particular class, Joe Ruttenberg, ASC was discussing his lighting, and camera techniques. Nat asked Gary to give Joe a ride home, knowing that they would continue the dialogue. They struck up a friendship that lasted until Joe's passing in 1983. One piece of advice he gave, was to get "your hands on a camera any way you can". Gary applied for a job at Panavision, and immediately was placed in the electronics department, building and maintaining gear. There he learned everything he could about the Panaflex system. Through word of mouth via a camera assistant, he was able to secure a job in the Lorimar loading room at MGM studios. Eventually getting out on production as a second assistant, he worked his way up to 1st. assistant, and operator. All the way watching, and learning from the Cinematographers he was working with. Tony Askins, ASC and James Burrows moved him up to Director of Photography on Will & Grace in 2005. Having photographed hundreds of Television episodes, and dozens of Pilots, Gary is well known for his cinematic style, and is highly sought after for his care with high profile talent, and attention to detail. He was invited into the prestigious American Society of Cinematographers , (ASC) in 2016
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Biography from IMDb.
- Cinematographer
- 13 on MovieCove · 18 credits in all
Known for
What are Gary Baum's films like?
Across their 9 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Society.
Themes
Moods and endings
- Happy3
- Bittersweet3
- Ambiguous2
- Cyclical1
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Gary Baum's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 7 of their 13 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Gary Baum's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
18 credits, 13 with a MovieCove page.
Newlyweds(2026)
Mid-Century Modern(2025)
Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all shows
Happy's Place(2024)
Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all shows
Frasier(2023)
Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all filmsWelcome to Georgia (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)
Call Your Mother(2021)
Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all shows
B Positive(2020)
Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
Will & Grace (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)
The Carmichael Show(2015)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all shows
100 Questions(2010)
Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all shows
The Class(2006)
Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all shows
Will & Grace(1998)
Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all shows
Graveyard Shift(1990)
Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films
MacGyver (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)
AbFab (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Happiness Isn't Everything (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 12 titles, 10 of them dated from 1985 to 2025.
Highest rated
Live in Front of a Studio Audience: 'The Facts of Life' and 'Diff'rent Strokes' (2021)
Most popular right now
Happy's Place (2024)
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
Awards
4 Primetime Emmys from 15 major nominations, 2010–2024.
- Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Cinematography for a Multi-Camera Series (Half-Hour)
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Cinematography for a Multi-Camera Series (Half-Hour)
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Cinematography for a Series (Half-Hour)
- Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Cinematography for a Multi-Camera Series
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Cinematography for a Multi-Camera Series
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Cinematography for a Multi-Camera Series
- Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Cinematography for a Multi-Camera Series
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Cinematography for a Multi-Camera Series
- Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Cinematography for a Multi-Camera Series
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Cinematography for a Multi-Camera Series
Show 4 earlier yearsShow fewer
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Cinematography for a Multi-Camera Series
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Cinematography for a Multi-Camera Series
- Primetime Emmy, nominated ×2 · Outstanding Cinematography for a Multi-Camera Series
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Cinematography for a Half-Hour Series
Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.
Who does Gary Baum work with?
People who share at least 2 of Gary Baum's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; James Burrows shares the most, 4.
Directors
- James BurrowsShared titles: Mid-Century Modern (2025), Live in Front of a Studio Audience: 'The Facts of Life' and 'Diff'rent Strokes' (2021), Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear's 'All in the Family' and 'The Jeffersons' (2019), The Class (2006)See all 4 shared titles with James Burrows
- Pamela FrymanShared titles: Newlyweds (2026), Happy's Place (2024), Call Your Mother (2021)See all 3 shared titles with Pamela Fryman
- Andy FisherShared titles: Live in Front of a Studio Audience: 'The Facts of Life' and 'Diff'rent Strokes' (2021), Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear's 'All in the Family' and 'The Jeffersons' (2019)See all 2 shared titles with Andy Fisher
Writers
- Hunter CovingtonShared titles: The Carmichael Show (2015), 100 Questions (2010)See all 2 shared titles with Hunter Covington
Actors
- Amber Stevens WestShared titles: Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear's 'All in the Family' and 'The Jeffersons' (2019), The Carmichael Show (2015)See all 2 shared titles with Amber Stevens West
Composers and editors
- Peter ChakosShared titles: Mid-Century Modern (2025), The Class (2006)See all 2 shared titles with Peter Chakos
- Aaron DrakeShared titles: Live in Front of a Studio Audience: 'The Facts of Life' and 'Diff'rent Strokes' (2021), Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear's 'All in the Family' and 'The Jeffersons' (2019)See all 2 shared titles with Aaron Drake
Producers
- Alex HerschlagShared titles: Mid-Century Modern (2025), 100 Questions (2010)See all 2 shared titles with Alex Herschlag
- Bruce AldenShared titles: Mid-Century Modern (2025), Call Your Mother (2021)See all 2 shared titles with Bruce Alden
- Steve SandovalShared titles: Mid-Century Modern (2025), Call Your Mother (2021)See all 2 shared titles with Steve Sandoval
- Franco BarioShared titles: Happy's Place (2024), 100 Questions (2010)See all 2 shared titles with Franco Bario
Mixed roles
- Gail LernerShared titles: Newlyweds (2026), Call Your Mother (2021)See all 2 shared titles with Gail Lerner
