Rolf Aurness was born on February 18, 1952 in
Santa Monica
Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing to ...
, California. He won the 1970
World Surfing Champion
The International Surfing Association (ISA) is the world governing authority for surfing, SUP racing, SUP surfing, bodyboarding and all other wave riding activities. The ISA is recognized by the International Olympic Committee.
After the 202 ...
ships held at
Johanna
Johanna is a feminine name, a variant form of Joanna that originated in Latin in the Middle Ages, including an -h- by analogy with the Latin masculine name Johannes. The original Greek form ''Iōanna'' lacks a medial /h/ because in Greek /h/ cou ...
in
Victoria, Australia
Victoria is a state in southeastern Australia. It is the second-smallest state with a land area of , the second most populated state (after New South Wales) with a population of over 6.5 million, and the most densely populated state in Au ...
, beating
Midget Farrelly
Bernard "Midget" Farrelly (13 September 1944 – 6 August 2016) was the first world surfing champion.
Farrelly, was the first Australian to win a major surfing title, the 1962 Makaha International Surfing Championships, the unofficial world s ...
in the finals.
[
]
Surfing career
When he was nine Aurness suffered a skull fracture after falling from a tree. His father, reported to be an enthusiastic surfer,Hollister Ranch
Hollister Ranch is a gated residential community amidst a working cattle ranch on the Gaviota Coast in Santa Barbara County, California. The dramatic bluffs, isolated beaches and terraced grasslands are within the last undeveloped stretch of ...
.[
Several times a year they visited Hawaii, renting accommodation on Mākaha beach.]
Personal life
Aurness is the son of ''Gunsmoke
''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centers on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central character ...
'' actor James Arness
James Arness (born James King Aurness; May 26, 1923 – June 3, 2011) was an American actor, best known for portraying Marshal Matt Dillon for 20 years in the CBS television series '' Gunsmoke''. Arness has the distinction of having played the ...
and nephew of ''Mission Impossible
''Mission: Impossible'' is a multimedia franchise based on a fictional secret espionage agency known as the Impossible Missions Force (IMF). The 1966 TV series ran for seven seasons and was revived in 1988 for two seasons. It inspired a serie ...
'' actor Peter Graves
Peter Graves (born Peter Duesler Aurness; March 18, 1926 – March 14, 2010) was an American actor. He was best known for his role as Jim Phelps in the CBS television series ''Mission: Impossible (1966 TV series), Mission: Impossible'' from 1967 ...
.[Kampion, Drew (December 2000]
"Rolf Aurness Biography"
''Surf Line
The Surf Line is a railroad line that runs from San Diego north to Orange County along California's Pacific Coast. It was so named because much of the line is near the Pacific Ocean, within less than in some places. The tracks are now owned by ...
'', Accessed June 5, 2011["Rolf Aurness Biography"]
. www.worldchampionsofsurfing.com, Accessed June 5, 2011
In the decade following his World Surfing Championship win Aurness fell out of surfing as his wife, mother and sister all died.[ His wife died in 1978 from cancer, his mother Virginia (née Chapman) died in 1976, and his sister Jenny Lee Aurness committed suicide on May 12, 1975.]["Jenny Lee Aurness"]
''findagrave
Find a Grave is a website that allows the public to search and add to an online database of cemetery records. It is owned by Ancestry.com. Its stated mission is "to help people from all over the world work together to find, record and present fi ...
'', Accessed March 15, 2010
His adopted brother, Craig, founded the stock photography agency Westlight and also was a photographer for ''National Geographic
''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...
''.[Walker, David (December 16, 2004]
"In Memoriam: Craig Aurness, 58"
''Photo District News
''Photo District News'' (or ''PDN'') was an American monthly trade publication for professional photographers. ''PDN'' was first published in 1980. The publication took its name from New York City's photo district, an area of photo businesses tha ...
'', Accessed June 5, 2011.
His father, well known Western
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
*Western, New York, a town in the US
*Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that id ...
and ''Gunsmoke'' television show actor James Arness, died on June 3, 2011.
References
External links
The Ranch
www.surfline.com. Greg Heller, November 2000
Orange County Register
''The Orange County Register'' is a paid daily newspaper published in California. The ''Register'', published in Orange County, California, is owned by the private equity firm Alden Global Capital via its Digital Fiest/Media News subsidiaries. ...
. December 28, 2010
*
*
Living people
1952 births
American surfers
{{US-surfing-bio-stub