He first became known for an Academy Award-nominated documentary short, Solo, in which he climbed a fictional mountain solo, as well as his Oscar award for Best Short Subject at the 57th Academy Awards for his 14 minute film Up in 1984.
[1][2] Hoover has since been a cinematographer for the documentaries To the Ends of the Earth (1983), To the Limit (1989), The Endless Summer 2 (1994) and Zion Canyon: Treasure of the Gods.
Hoover has led various film teams all over the world,[4] particularly in physically and politically difficult locations, such as Everest, K2, the precarious rock faces of the Eiger and the Venezuelan jungle.
[4][5] In 1994, Hoover was the sole survivor in a helicopter crash in Lamoille, Nevada that killed his wife Beverly Johnson, pilot Dave Walton, ski guide Paul Scannell and Disney president Frank Wells.
[8] Hoover came through unscathed when he swam up to a great white shark near Guadalupe Island, grabbed its dorsal fin, and let it tow him around.