About Me
Photo credit: Sara Acharya Photography
Chris Palmer is an author, speaker, wildlife filmmaker, conservationist, educator, professor, grandfather, and end-of-life activist. He devoted most of his professional life to conservation, and now focuses his energy on one of life’s most profound frontiers: aging, death, and dying.
Bloomsbury published his tenth book, Achieving a Good Death: A Practical Guide to the End of Life, in October 2024. Chris is a trained hospice volunteer and the founder and director of an ongoing aging, death, and dying group for the Bethesda Metro Area Village.
He currently serves as vice chair of the board of Montgomery Hospice & Prince George’s Hospice, vice president of the board of the Funeral Consumers Alliance of Maryland & Environs, and as a member of the Advisory Council for the Maryland Office of Cemetery Oversight. He also serves on the boards of Final Exit Network and the Bethesda Metro Area Village. He has served as president of the Green Burial Association of Maryland, vice president of the Hemlock Society of San Diego, and a board member of the Funeral Consumers Alliance.
In 2021, Chris and his wife, Gail Shearer, created and funded the Finishing Strong Award with the Washington Area Village Exchange (WAVE) to encourage villages to hold deeper, more frequent conversations about end-of-life issues. WAVE is the largest regional village organization in the nation.
Chris is a sought-after speaker who regularly presents pro bono workshops and lectures on aging, death, and dying.
In parallel with his work in end-of-life education, Chris serves as president of the MacGillivray Freeman Films Educational Foundation, which produces and funds IMAX films focused on science and conservation. MacGillivray Freeman Films is the world’s largest and most successful producer of IMAX films.
Over a 35-year filmmaking career, Chris spearheaded the production of more than 300 hours of original programming for prime-time television and the IMAX industry, earning numerous honors, including two Emmy Awards and an Academy Award nomination. He has worked with Robert Redford, Paul Newman, Jane Fonda, Ted Turner, and many other leading figures. His IMAX films include Whales, Wolves, Dolphins, Bears, Coral Reef Adventure, and Grand Canyon Adventure.
Along the way, Chris swam with dolphins and whales, came face-to-face with sharks and Kodiak bears, camped with wolf packs, and waded hip-deep through the Everglades.
His books also include Finding Meaning and Success: Living a Fulfilled and Productive Life (Bloomsbury, 2021)—proceeds from all of Chris’s books fund scholarships for students at American University.
Beginning in 2004, Chris served on American University’s full-time faculty as Distinguished Film Producer in Residence until his retirement in 2018. While at AU, he founded and directed the Center for Environmental Filmmaking at the School of Communication and created and taught the popular course Design Your Life for Success.
Chris and his wife, Gail, have lived in Bethesda, Maryland, for over 50 years, where they raised three daughters and now delight in nine grandchildren. Earlier in life, Chris was a stand-up comic for five years. He holds advanced degrees from University College London and Harvard University. His life has included jumping out of helicopters, working on an Israeli kibbutz, and winning a high-school boxing championship.
Today, Chris is learning to juggle, draw, dance, play tennis, and play the piano. He practices handstands for exercise, keeps a daily gratitude journal, and has written a 26-page personal mission statement.