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People

Bruce Brown

Known For
Directing

Known Credits
15

Gender
Male

Birthday
December 1, 1937 (88 years old)

Place of Birth
San Francisco, California, U.S.

Bruce Brown

Biography

Bruce Brown (born December 1, 1937 - December 10, 2017) was an American documentary film director, known as an early pioneer of the surf film. He is the father of filmmaker Dana Brown.

His surfing films are Slippery When Wet (1958), Surf Crazy (1959), Barefoot Adventure (1960), Surfing Hollow Days (1961), Waterlogged (1962), and his most well known film, The Endless Summer (1964) which received a nationwide theatrical release in 1966. Considered among the most influential in the genre, The Endless Summer follows surfers Mike Hynson and Robert August around the world. Thirty years later Brown would film The Endless Summer II with his son in 1994.

He also made a number of short films including The Wet Set, featuring the Hobie-MacGregor Sportswear Surf Team and one of the earliest skateboarding films, America's Newest Sport, presenting the Hobie Super Surfer Skateboard Team. These short films along with some unused footage from The Endless Summer were included in the DVD Surfin' Shorts, as part of the Golden Years of Surf collection. Brown has gone beyond surfing a few times with the ski film, The Incredible Pair of Skis (1967), a film about motorcycle sport, On Any Sunday (1971) which is held in high regard as one of the best motorcycle documentaries of all time, and a documentary about extreme sports, The Edge (1975), On Any Sunday II (1981) Baja 1000 Classic (1991), and On Any Sunday, revisited (2000) He made a guest appearance in the SpongeBob SquarePants episode SpongeBob vs. The Big One.

Brown was a 2009 inductee into the Surfers' Hall of Fame in Huntington Beach, California.

Known For

Production

2014On Any Sunday: The Next Chapter...Executive Producer
2000The Endless Summer Revisited...Executive Producer
1971On Any Sunday...Producer
1966The Endless Summer...Producer

Writing

2011Lizard Boy...Writer
1994The Endless Summer II...Writer
1966The Endless Summer...Author
1960Barefoot Adventure...Writer
1958Slippery When Wet...Writer

Directing

1994The Endless Summer II...Director
1971On Any Sunday...Director
1966America's Newest Sport...Director
1966The Endless Summer...Director
1964Surfin' Shorts...Director
1962Water-Logged...Director
1961Surfing Hollow Days...Director
1961Search for Surf...Director
1960Barefoot Adventure...Director
1959Surf Crazy...Director
1958Slippery When Wet...Director

Editing

1994The Endless Summer II...Editor
1966The Endless Summer...Editor
1960Barefoot Adventure...Editor
1958Slippery When Wet...Editor

Camera

1966The Endless Summer...Director of Photography
1960Barefoot Adventure...Director of Photography
1958Slippery When Wet...Director of Photography

Acting

2023Birth of The Endless Summer: Discovery of Cape St. Francisas Self
2020A Life of Endless Summers: The Bruce Brown Storyas Self
2015The Search for Freedomas Self (archive footage)
2014I Am Steve McQueenas Self
2009SpongeBob vs. the Big Oneas Narrator (voice)
2003Step Into Liquidas Himself
2000The Endless Summer Revisitedas Self
1999SpongeBob SquarePantsas Narrator (voice)
1994The Endless Summer IIas Narrator
1971On Any Sundayas Narrator (voice)
1968The Dick Cavett Showas Self - Guest
1966The Endless Summeras Narrator
1961Search for Surfas Self - Narrator
1960Barefoot Adventureas Himself / Narrator
1958Slippery When Wetas Narrator