He was born on December 1, 1937 in San Francisco, California and directed his first documentary, Slippery When Wet, in 1958. He followed with such films as Surf Crazy (1959), Barefoot Adventure (1960), Surfing Hollow Days (1961) and Waterlogged (1962), but it was ENDLESS SUMMER (1966) for which Brown would become best known. The film was considered the most influential in the genre, and followed surfers Mike Hynson and Robert August as they traveled the world. In 1994, he filmed The Endless Summer II with his son, Dana Brown.