Celebrity

Who Was Chad Boyce? The Life and Legacy of The 100’s Canadian Camera Assistant

Published

2 days ago

November 8, 2026

Chad Boyce was a Canadian assistant cameraman from Vancouver, British Columbia, who worked behind the lens on television and film sets, including the CW science fiction series The 100. He died on 17 April 2018 while still working on the show, and the production honoured him with an on-screen tribute that sent thousands of viewers searching for his name. Most of what the public knows about him comes from that tribute, a handful of industry credits and a few tribute articles, so this guide separates confirmed facts from rumour and explains who he was, what he did and why people still remember him.

Chad Boyce at a Glance

Detail	Information
Full name	Chad Phillip Boyce (some sites write Chad Philip Boyce)
Known as	Chad Boyce
Profession	Assistant cameraman (second assistant camera)
Nationality	Canadian
Place of birth	Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Date of birth	23 September 1978 (most sources agree; one site gives 1971)
Star sign	Libra
Date of death	17 April 2018
Age at death	39 (some sources say 40)
Place of death	Vancouver, according to several tribute sites
Father	Larry Boyce
Mother	Died when he was young; her name is not public
Relationship status	Single, according to Briefly
Union	International Cinematographers Guild (ICG) Local 669
Debut credit	Punch (2002), as a camera trainee
Best-known project	The 100 (The CW, 2014 to 2020)
Other listed credits	Riverdale, Wynonna Earp, Underwater Podcast
Interests	Travel and photography
Memorial service	26 May 2018, Polish Hall, Vancouver
Tribute	“In Loving Memory of Chad Boyce” shown at the end of a The 100 episode
Cause of death	Not officially made public

Who Was Chad Boyce?

Chad Boyce worked in the camera and electrical department, the group that operates, maintains and supports the cameras on a production. He never appeared on screen, and he never played a character in The 100. Some websites wrongly list him as an actor, but the available records describe a crew member.

Boyce belonged to the camera crew in Vancouver, one of the busiest screen production centres in North America. He earned his living in the same way as hundreds of other technicians in the city: by moving from one production to the next and doing precise work that rarely gets a mention in the credits.

He has no Wikipedia page, and he gave no interviews that sources can point to. That lack of coverage explains why so many articles about him repeat the same few facts. It also explains why some of those articles disagree with each other on small points such as his age and job title.

The public learned his name only after he died. In April 2018, viewers of The 100 noticed a memorial card at the end of an episode and began asking who he was.

Early Life and Family

Most sources say Boyce was born on 23 September 1978 in Vancouver. One site gives 1971 instead, but the 1978 date fits the widely reported age of 39 at the time of his death in April 2018, so it looks like the reliable figure.

His father is Larry Boyce. Briefly reports that his mother died when he was young, and no outlet has published her name. Details about siblings, schooling and his childhood have not appeared in any source this article could verify.

Boyce spent most of his life in Vancouver. Briefly says he developed an interest in cinematography and photography there, and it lists travel and photography as his hobbies. A friend later said he had just come back from his first big trip to Asia when he died.

Boyce kept his private life out of the media. Briefly lists him as single, and no source names a partner or children. This article does not guess about anything beyond those reported details.

Career in Film and Television

Boyce started in the industry as a camera trainee on the 2002 film Punch. A trainee carries out the entry-level jobs in a camera department, so the role served as his first step into professional work.

Over the following years he moved up to assistant camera roles. Sources list his credits as Riverdale, Wynonna Earp, Underwater Podcast and The 100. Several of these productions filmed in British Columbia, which kept him working close to home.

Vancouver’s screen industry, often nicknamed Hollywood North, gives camera assistants steady work because American and Canadian studios shoot many series there. A technician who builds a good reputation can move between shows for years, and that network of references often matters more than any single credit.

In 2017, he joined the International Cinematographers Guild Local 669, according to Briefly. The guild represents camera department workers in British Columbia, and Briefly describes it as covering camera operators and publicists. Membership gave Boyce access to union-backed work on large productions.

Sources describe his job title in two ways: assistant cameraman and second assistant cameraman. The two descriptions point to the same part of the camera team, and the second assistant is the more specific title.

What Does an Assistant Cameraman Do?

An assistant cameraman, also called a camera assistant, supports the camera operator and the director of photography. On a large series, the camera department splits the work between a first assistant, who pulls focus, and a second assistant, who handles the supporting jobs.

A second assistant usually operates the clapperboard at the start of each take. That small action marks the scene, shot and take so editors can later match the picture to the sound.

The same person typically keeps the camera paperwork, loads and labels recording media, and prepares the equipment each morning. They also move kit between set-ups, often in the dark, in bad weather or on rough ground. On a show like The 100, which filmed many forest and outdoor scenes, that work demanded stamina as well as skill.

None of this earns an award or a headline. Yet a missed label or a misplaced battery can slow down a whole shooting day, which is why directors and cinematographers value a reliable second assistant.

Chad Boyce and The 100

The 100 is a post-apocalyptic science fiction drama on The CW, set nearly a century after a nuclear war. It filmed in and around Vancouver, and it ran for seven seasons. Eliza Taylor, Bob Morley, Marie Avgeropoulos and Lindsey Morgan are among its best-known cast members.

Boyce worked on the show as part of the camera team and was still on the crew when he died in April 2018. Tribute articles describe The 100 as one of his final projects and the one that made his name searchable.

His exact credits by episode are not clear from public records, and IMDb carries only limited information. For that reason, this article does not claim any specific season or scene as his.

What the record does show is that colleagues considered him part of the team. The producers did not add a memorial card for a name they barely knew. They added it for a working member of the crew.

His Death in April 2018

Boyce died on 17 April 2018, aged 39, while still working on The 100. Several sources place his death in Vancouver.

No official body has published a cause of death, and his family has made no public statement about it. Briefly states plainly that the cause was not made public.

Some websites repeat a claim that originated in a Facebook post by a friend, which described the death as drug-related. No coroner’s report, family statement or news outlet has confirmed that post. Treat it as unverified, and do not treat it as established fact.

Rumours often fill the gap when facts are missing, and they can hurt grieving relatives. The responsible position is simple: the public knows when Boyce died, but it does not know why.

Memorial Service and Tribute

Family and friends held a memorial service for Boyce on 26 May 2018 at Polish Hall in Vancouver. Reports call the event a celebration of his life. A friend, Dale Shaben, wrote a tribute on Facebook the following day.

The production of The 100 also paid its respects on screen. At the end of an episode, a title card read, “In Loving Memory of Chad Boyce.” Most sources place it at the end of Season 5, Episode 4, titled “Pandora’s Box”. A few sites name a different season, so check the episode itself if you need certainty.

That card did more than honour one man. It showed audiences that a long list of people they never see helps create every scene. Many viewers learned the term “camera assistant” because of it.

Cast members and colleagues also reacted to the news. Reports describe them as shocked and saddened, though the sources do not quote individual statements that this article could verify.

Why Information About Chad Boyce Varies

If you search for Chad Boyce, you will find many short biographies, and they do not always agree. The reason is simple: few primary records exist, so most sites copy one another and add small errors along the way.

The clearest example is his birth year. Most pages say 1978, one says 1971, and a few mention ages from 31 to 40. The 1978 date matches the most common age of 39, so this article uses it, but it still carries a note of caution.

Job titles also differ. Some pages say cameraman, others say camera operator, and the most specific ones say second assistant cameraman. A few sites list him as an actor or quote a net worth figure, and neither claim has any support in reliable records.

Readers should treat unsourced figures with suspicion. When a page gives a precise net worth for a private crew member, it almost certainly guessed. The safest facts are those that several independent pages repeat, such as his Vancouver roots, his guild membership, his date of death and the tribute card.

Chad Boyce and Cameron Boyce: Two Different People

Search engines often mix up Chad Boyce with Cameron Boyce, the actor who starred in Descendants and died in July 2019. The two men shared a surname and little else. They were not related in any source this article found.

Chad worked behind the camera in Vancouver and died in 2018. Cameron was an American actor who performed in front of it. Anyone who reads about “Boyce” and “The 100” together is nearly always reading about Chad.

Keeping the two straight matters for accuracy and for respect. Each man has his own family and his own friends who remember him.

Legacy

Boyce’s legacy rests on the work of a profession that rarely receives credit. Camera assistants, trainees and other crew members make a show possible, and his story gave viewers a reason to notice them.

The tribute also changed how fans talk about The 100. Discussions about the series now include the crew who lost a colleague during production, alongside the cast and storylines.

His name still draws steady search interest years later. Readers want to know who he was, how he died and why a TV show honoured him. Honest answers include the fact that some of those questions have no public answer.

For people entering the industry, his career shows a typical route into a film crew: start as a trainee, join a guild, then build a track record on larger sets.

Conclusion

Chad Boyce spent his career helping other people’s work look good on screen, and that quiet work is what makes his story worth telling. The few facts that exist show a Vancouver-born camera assistant who joined a respected guild and died in 2018 while working on The 100. His crew colleagues remembered him with a public tribute, and viewers still look for his name today.

Frequently Asked Questions About Chad Boyce

1. Who was Chad Boyce?

Chad Boyce was a Canadian assistant cameraman from Vancouver, British Columbia. He worked in the camera department on productions including The 100, and he died on 17 April 2018.

2. Was Chad Boyce an actor?

No. Chad Boyce did not act. He worked behind the camera as a crew member, and he did not play any character in The 100.

3. When and where was Chad Boyce born?

Most sources say he was born on 23 September 1978 in Vancouver, British Columbia. One site gives 1971, but that date does not match the reported age of 39 at his death.

4. How old was Chad Boyce when he died?

Most sources say he was 39. A few say 40, which likely comes from rounding or from the 1971 date discrepancy.

5. What was Chad Boyce’s cause of death?

Nobody has made the cause of death public. Unverified claims exist online, but no official source or family statement has confirmed any of them.

6. What did Chad Boyce do on The 100?

He worked on the camera crew as an assistant cameraman. Sources also call him a second assistant cameraman, a role that supports the camera operator and focus puller.