About

Known credits:
39
Birthday:
1937-12-01
Place of birth:
San Francisco, California, U.S.
Website:
N/A

Bruce Brown

Overview

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

Acting
2023 Birth of The Endless Summer: Discovery of St.Francis Actor Self N/A
N/A
2020 A Life of Endless Summers: The Bruce Brown Story Actor Self N/A
N/A
2015 The Search for Freedom Actor Self (archive footage) 59
Average
2009 SpongeBob vs. the Big One Actor Narrator (voice) 59
Average
2003 Step Into Liquid Actor Himself 59
Average
2000 The Endless Summer Revisited Actor Self 59
Average
1994 The Endless Summer 2 Actor Narrator 59
Average
1971 On Any Sunday Actor Narrator 59
Average
1966 The Endless Summer Actor Narrator 61
Fair
1961 Search for Surf Actor Self - Narrator N/A
N/A
1960 Barefoot Adventure Actor Himself / Narrator N/A
N/A
1958 Slippery When Wet Actor Narrator 58
Average

Directing
1994 The Endless Summer 2 Directing Director 59
Average
1971 On Any Sunday Directing Director 59
Average
1966 America's Newest Sport Directing Director N/A
N/A
1966 The Endless Summer Directing Director 61
Fair
1964 Surfin' Shorts Directing Director N/A
N/A
1962 Water-Logged Directing Director N/A
N/A
1961 Surfing Hollow Days Directing Director 58
Average
1961 Search for Surf Directing Director N/A
N/A
1960 Barefoot Adventure Directing Director N/A
N/A
1959 Surf Crazy Directing Director 59
Average
1958 Slippery When Wet Directing Director 58
Average

Writing
2011 Lizard Boy Writing Writer 59
Average
1994 The Endless Summer 2 Writing Writer 59
Average
1966 The Endless Summer Writing Author 61
Fair
1960 Barefoot Adventure Writing Writer N/A
N/A
1958 Slippery When Wet Writing Writer 58
Average

Production
2014 On Any Sunday: The Next Chapter Production Executive Producer 59
Average
2000 The Endless Summer Revisited Production Executive Producer 59
Average
1971 On Any Sunday Production Producer 59
Average
1966 The Endless Summer Production Producer 61
Fair

Camera
1966 The Endless Summer Camera Director of Photography 61
Fair
1960 Barefoot Adventure Camera Director of Photography N/A
N/A
1958 Slippery When Wet Camera Director of Photography 58
Average

Editing
1994 The Endless Summer 2 Editing Editor 59
Average
1966 The Endless Summer Editing Editor 61
Fair
1960 Barefoot Adventure Editing Editor N/A
N/A
1958 Slippery When Wet Editing Editor 58
Average