Peter Gimbel

Peter R. Gimbel (February 14, 1927 – July 12, 1987) was a distinguished American filmmaker and underwater photojournalist known for his groundbreaking work in marine exploration. Born in New York City to Bernard Gimbel, he was raised in the shadow of the Gimbels department store empire. After serving in the U.S. Army's occupation forces in Japan from 1946 to 1947, Gimbel graduated from Yale University in 1951, where he earned degrees in English and economics.

Initially, he embarked on a decade-long career in investment banking. However, the untimely death of his twin brother at the age of 29 prompted him to pivot towards adventure and exploration. Gimbel made headlines when he parachuted into the Peruvian Andes with fellow explorers G. Brooks Baekeland and Peter Lake in search of the fabled lost Inca city of Vilcabamba.

A significant milestone in his career was becoming the first person to dive the wreck of the SS Andrea Doria. His compelling photographs from the site were featured in Life Magazine in August 1956. Gimbel produced two documentaries, *The Mystery of the Andrea Doria* and *Andrea Doria: The Final Chapter*, and famously opened the ship's safe on live television in 1984.

In 1971, he directed and produced *Blue Water, White Death*, which was the first film to capture the Great White Shark on camera. This film included notable figures such as Ron and Valerie Taylor, and its climactic shark attack sequence inspired Peter Benchley's iconic novel, *Jaws*.