Bruce Brown (director) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bruce Brown
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Brown in the mid-1960s during the making of The Endless Summer
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| Born |
Bruce Alan Brown
December 1, 1937 |
| Died | December 10, 2017 (aged 80) |
| Occupation | Documentary filmmaker |
| Spouse(s) |
Patricia Hunter
(m. 1960; died 2006) |
| Children | Dana Brown, Nancy Brown, and Wade Hunter Brown |
Bruce Alan Brown (born December 1, 1937 – died December 10, 2017) was an American filmmaker. He is best known for making some of the very first surf films. His son, Dana Brown, also became a filmmaker.
Bruce Brown's Life and Films
Bruce Brown joined the U.S. Navy after high school. He served on a submarine. In 1955, while in Honolulu, he started filming surfers with an 8mm camera. This was just a hobby at first!
After leaving the Navy, Bruce went back to California. He studied at Long Beach City College but soon left to become a lifeguard. He loved making films, especially about surfing.
Bruce made many famous surf films. Some of his early movies include Slippery When Wet (1958) and Surf Crazy (1959). But his most famous film is The Endless Summer (1964). This movie became very popular in theaters in 1966.
The Endless Summer follows two surfers, Mike Hynson and Robert August. They travel around the world looking for the perfect wave. Many people think it's one of the most important surf films ever made. Thirty years later, in 1994, Bruce filmed The Endless Summer II with his son, Dana.
Bruce also made short films. One was about skateboarding, called America's Newest Sport. It showed the Hobie Super Surfer Skateboard Team. Some of these short films and extra scenes from The Endless Summer are on a DVD called Surfin' Shorts.
He didn't just make surf films! Bruce also made movies about motorcycle sport. His film On Any Sunday (1971) is considered one of the best motorcycle documentaries ever. He also made On Any Sunday II (1981). Bruce even appeared in an episode of SpongeBob SquarePants!
In 2003, Bruce and Alex Mecl started Bruce Brown Films, LLC. This company helps protect Bruce's films and ideas.
Bruce Brown passed away peacefully in Santa Barbara, California. He was 80 years old.
A Film About Bruce Brown
After Bruce's wife, Patricia, passed away in 2006, he became very sad. He found it hard to leave his home. This was a big change for someone who used to be so active!
His children, including his son Dana, decided to help him. They went on a road trip in a camper with Bruce. They visited old friends who were also famous surfers from the 1950s. This trip helped Bruce find joy again.
The trip was filmed at first to be a series of short online videos. But after Bruce passed away, it became a full-length movie. It was called A Life of Endless Summers: The Bruce Brown Story. The film was finished in 2020. It was shown at the Newport Beach Film Festival. Because of health rules, it was even shown at a drive-in movie theater! The film was also shown at other film festivals in famous surfing spots.
Awards and Honors
Bruce Brown received many awards for his amazing work:
- He was added to the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999.
- In 2009, he was honored in the Surfers' Hall of Fame in Huntington Beach, California.
- On September 19, 2019, a statue of Bruce Brown was placed at Waterman Plaza in Dana Point. It stands next to statues honoring other surfing legends like Hobie Alter and Phil Edwards.
