Wolfgang Bayer: BIOGRAPHY

Executive Producer / Co-Director / Director of Photography of “Earthling”
WOLFGANG BAYER is one of the world's foremost wildlife cinematographers. He has been producing, directing and filming wildlife conservation films for more than 35 years on every continent on Earth.

Wolfgang Bayer wearing a bullet-proof vest while making a film on Elephant poachers in Kenya.

Wolfgang's credits as producer, director and cinematographer include:
• More than a dozen one-hour programs in the WNET 13/PBS series NATURE

• Three one-hour programs in the PBS/WCBH Boston science series NOVA

• Eighteen half-hour installments for the Time / Life TV series: WiId, Wild World of Animals.

 • 100 half hour programs for the network TV series ANIMAL WORLD 

• An EMMY Nomination for Cinematography in the National Geographic special Last Stand in Eden.

• An EMMY for "Alaska, Story of a Dream," produced for Turner Broadcasting.

Trained as an electrical engineer in Austria, Bayer got his start there developing underwater filming techniques. In 1964, after coming to the United States , he produced his first  half-hour documentary about Wildlife in Yellowstone National Park which he sold to LA-based Bill Burrud Productions for $250.00. 
With that film he got his foot into the door of Hollywood and soon after joined Bill Burrud Production and rose from cameraman to Executive VP of the company in six years. It is there he met Candice his wife. Shortly afterwards, together with his new young bride, they struck out on their own, forming Wolfgang Bayer Productions. With un unlimited horizon to chose from and with wildlife that hasn't been seen on television, he crisscrossed the planet for nearly forty years in their quest to film rare and exotic creatures.  

In 1973, he and Candice relocated  to Jackson Hole, Wyoming and kept filming and traveling. In 1977 his assistant Tristan was born, and Wolfgang started teaching him at the tender age of six years the ropes of travel and filming. Malaika, a Swahili word for angel was born and filled out the family wildlife film team.

Since then, Wolfgang has kept filming until March 1998, when he died of cardiac arrest  but miraculously was brought back to life after seven minutes to finish his legacy. To Wolfgang, this incident was a little more than a temporary inconvenience and soon after, they sold their house and with his family alongside him, he headed off on a wild two year odyssey around the world. 

The film turned into a monumental undertaking and in the end was  over six years in production. It took all the energy and patience of all four of them to complete the 104 minute 35 mm feature film “Earthling”.

Now in his early seventies, Wolfgang’s motto is “you will have plenty of time to rest when you are dead.” He now resides both in Jackson Hole, Wyoming and Orcas Island, Washington or as far as he can cruise in his boat named “Kwa Heri” -- meaning good bye in Swahili.