Daniel R. Purinton (born 9 April 1962; age 62) is an electrician, gaffer and lamp operator within the camera and electrical department who worked between 1991 and 1994 for Paramount Pictures as Rigging Gaffer and Lot Best Boy on the fifth through seventh seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation, the first and second seasons of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Star Trek Generations.
While employed at Paramount Pictures between 1991 and 1994, Purinton also worked on Wings (1991-1994, starring Steven Weber), Brooklyn Bridge (1991-1993), Cheers (starring Kirstie Alley, Kelsey Grammer, and Bebe Neuwirth), Bob (1992-1993), Viper (1994), The Arsenio Hall Show (1991-1994), and Frasier (1993-1994, starring Kelsey Grammer) as well as feature films including The Addams Family (1991, starring Christopher Lloyd and Carel Struycken), Wayne's World (1992), Leap of Faith (1992), Addams Family Values (1993), Wayne's World 2 (1993), Sliver (1993), Coneheads (1993), Indecent Proposal (1993), The Firm (1993), Beverly Hills Cop III (1994), Drop Zone (1994), Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994), Forrest Gump (1994), and Clear and Present Danger (1994, with Harris Yulin and Raymond Cruz).
Between 1994 and 1997, Purinton worked as independent rigging technician on NYPD Blue (starring Gordon Clapp), Sisters (starring Ashley Judd and Elizabeth Hoffman), Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (starring Teri Hatcher and K Callan), Hangin with Mr. Cooper, Picket Fences (starring Ray Walston, Kelly Connell, and Roy Brocksmith), Party of Five, Murphy Brown, and ER and Disclosure (1994), True Lies (1994), Heat (1995), Showgirls (1995), Batman Forever (1995, with René Auberjonois and Ed Begley, Jr.), Independence Day (1996), Eraser (1996, with Vanessa Williams), Space Jam (1996), Starship Troopers (1997, with Dina Meyer and Clancy Brown), and Conspiracy Theory (1997, with Patrick Stewart).
Further credits as lamp operator, gaffer, and rigger include Minority Report (2002, with Patrick Kilpatrick and Neal McDonough), Team America: World Police (2004), Meet the Fockers (2004), Cursed (2005), The Black Dahlia (2006, with Mike Starr and Patrick Fischler), Spider-Man 3 (2007, with Kirsten Dunst and James Cromwell), Transformers (2007, written by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman), National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007, with Bruce Greenwood and Alicia Coppola), Changeling (2008, written by J. Michael Straczynski), Frost/Nixon (2008, starring Frank Langella), Shades of Ray (2008, with Brian George, Cristine Rose, and Cody Klop), and Hannah Montana: The Movie (2008).
More recently, he worked as gaffer and best boy on the comedy talk show The Burn with Jeff Ross in 2013.