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Bruce Brown (director)

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For other people named Bruce Brown, see Bruce Brown (disambiguation).
Bruce Brown
Brown in the mid-1960s during the making of The Endless Summer
Born
Bruce Alan Brown

(1937-12-01)December 1, 1937
San Francisco, California, U.S.
DiedDecember 10, 2017(2017-12-10) (aged 80)
Santa Barbara, California, U.S.
OccupationDocumentary film director
Spouse
Patricia Hunter
​
​
(m. 1960; died 2006)​
Children3

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

Biography

Brown's films include Slippery When Wet (1958), Surf Crazy (1959), Barefoot Adventure (1960), Surfing Hollow Days (1961), Waterlogged (1962), and his best known film, The Endless Summer (1964), which received nationwide theatrical release in 1966.[2] 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 filmed The Endless Summer II with his son in 1994.[3]

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 went beyond surfing a few times with films about motorcycle sport, On Any Sunday (1971), which is held in high regard as one of the best motorcycle documentaries of all time, 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 SquarePants vs. The Big One".

In 2003, Brown revived Bruce Brown Films, LLC together with Alex Mecl with the intent of protecting Brown's legacy and intellectual property, including his trademarks, copyrights, and vast film archives. The company continues to carry on Bruce Brown's legacy while serving the many loyal fans worldwide.

Brown died of natural causes in Santa Barbara, California, nine days after his 80th birthday.[4][5]

Awards and honors

Brown was inducted into the Surfers' Hall of Fame in Huntington Beach, California.

References

  1. ^ Kampion, Drew (December 11, 2017). "RIP: Bruce Brown, 1937-2017". Surfline.
  2. ^ Langer, Emily (December 12, 2017). "Bruce Brown, Documentarian Whose 'Endless Summer' Caught Perfect Wave on Film, Dies at 80". Washington Post.
  3. ^ Sandomir, Richard (December 12, 2017). "Bruce Brown, 80, Dies; His 'Endless Summer' Documented Surfing". New York Times.
  4. ^ Haro, Alexander (December 10, 2017). "Bruce Brown, Father of Surf Films, Has Died". The Inertia.
  5. ^ Marble, Steve (December 11, 2017). "Bruce Brown, Who Turned Surfing into a Cultural Phenomenon with 'The Endless Summer,' Dies at 80". Los Angeles Times.
  6. ^ "Bruce Brown: Creator of Classic Motorcycle Film, 'On Any Sunday'". Motorcycle Hall of Fame. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  7. ^ "Bruce Brown Enters Surfers' Hall of Fame". Surfer. July 22, 2010. ISSN 0039-6036.
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