Rolf Aurness (born February 18, 1952,

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American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

surfer who won the 1970

World Surfing Champion The International Surfing Association (ISA) is the List of international sport federations, world governing authority for surfing, Standup paddleboarding, SUP racing, SUP surfing, para surfing, bodyboarding and all other wave riding activities. ...

ships held at

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, 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 ...

in the finals. He is the son of the famous ''

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'' 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 series ''Gunsmoke''. He has the distinction of having played the role of Dillon in f ...

Surfing career

When he was nine Aurness suffered a skull fracture after falling from a tree. His father, reported to be an enthusiastic surfer, used surfing to help his son recover. He implemented a strict training regimen of dawn sessions at beaches, long distance swimming and weekend beach trips, including the Hollister Ranch. Several times a year they visited Hawaii, renting accommodation on Mākaha beach.

Personal life

Aurness is the son of ''

'' actor

(who died on June 3, 2011) and nephew of ''

Mission Impossible ''Mission: Impossible'' is an American 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 ...

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Peter Graves Peter Graves (born Peter Duesler Aurness; March 18, 1926 – March 14, 2010) was an American actor who portrayed Jim Phelps in the television series ''Mission: Impossible (1966 TV series), Mission: Impossible'' from 1967 to 1973 and in its reviv ...

.Kampion, Drew (December 2000
"Rolf Aurness Biography"
''

Surf Line The Surf Line is a railroad line that runs from San Diego 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. It is the second busiest passeng ...

''. Accessed June 5, 2011."Rolf Aurness Biography"
. www.worldchampionsofsurfing.com Profile], worldchampionsofsurfing.com. Accessed June 5, 2011 In the decade following his World Surfing Championship win Aurness fell out of surfing due to the deaths of his wife, mother, and sister. His wife died in 1978 from cancer, his mother Virginia (née Chapman) died in 1977 of an accidental drug overdose, and his sister Jenny Lee Aurness died of an apparently deliberate drug overdose in 1975. His adopted brother, Craig, founded the stock photography agency Westlight and also was a photographer for '' National Geographic (magazine), National Geographic''.Walker, David (December 16, 2004
"In Memoriam: Craig Aurness, 58"
''

Photo District News ''Photo District News'' (or ''PDN'') was an American monthly trade journal, trade publication for professional photographers, published from 1980 to January 2020. The publication took its name from New York City's photo district, an area of photo ...

''. Accessed June 5, 2011.

References

External links

The Ranch
www.surfline.com. Greg Heller, November 2000

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. December 28, 2010 * * Living people 1952 births American surfers {{US-surfing-bio-stub