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Warren A. Miller (October 15, 1924 – January 24, 2018) was an American ski and snowboarding filmmaker.[1] He was the founder of Warren Miller Entertainment and produced, directed and narrated films until 1988. His published works include over 750 sports films, several books and hundreds of non-fiction articles.[2] Miller was inducted into the U.S. Ski Hall of Fame (1978), the Colorado Ski Hall of Fame (1995), and was awarded Lifetime Achievement Awards from the International Skiing History Association (2004) and the California Ski Industry Association (2008).[3]
Warren Miller | |
|---|---|
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| Born | October 15, 1924 Los Angeles, California, US |
| Died | January 24, 2018 (aged 93) Orcas Island, Washington, US |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1950–2004 |
| Known for | Skiing films, Warren Miller Entertainment |
Early years
editWarren Anthony Miller was born in Hollywood, Los Angeles, to Helena Humphrey Miller and Albert Lincoln Miller. He had two older sisters, Mary Helen Miller and Betty Jane "BJ" Miller.[4]
As a young man he took up the hobbies of skiing, surfing, and photography. At the age of 18, with the U.S. ten months into World War II, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served in the South Pacific.[5] On Christmas vacation in 1944, he first filmed skiing with a borrowed camera in Yosemite.[6]
Upon his discharge from the Navy in 1946, Miller bought his first 8mm movie camera, a Bell & Howell for $77 (equivalent to $1,203 in 2023).[7] He and a friend, Ward Baker, moved to Sun Valley, Idaho, where they lived in a teardrop trailer in the parking lot of the Sun Valley ski resort, and worked as ski instructors.[5] In their free time, they filmed each other skiing to critique and improve their ski techniques. During the summers they shifted to the California coast where they filmed each other surfing.[8]
Career
editAfter Miller showed his skiing and surfing films to friends, with accompanying commentary, he began to receive invitations to show and narrate them at parties. In 1949, he founded Warren Miller Entertainment (WME) and began producing one feature-length ski film per year. He borrowed money to rent halls and theaters, and charged admission to his shows. He booked show halls near ski resorts so that he could film the next year's footage during the day, and show the current film in the evening. Before long he was showing his films in 130 cities a year.[9]
Miller continued to head Warren Miller Entertainment until the late 1980s when he sold the company to his son, Kurt Miller. Kurt later sold the company to Time, Inc., which sold it in 2007 to Bonnier Corporation, and in 2013 Warren Miller was acquired by Active Interest Media.[10] The company has continued to produce a new film every year carrying on the brand legacy after Warren's passing in 2018 at the age of 93.[11] In January 2023, Outside announced a two-year film project leading into the 75th anniversary of the films. Despite reports and internet hearsay including rumors from longtime Warren Miller collaborator, Chris Patterson, that in 2023 there would not be new Warren Miller film.[12] Warren Miller films corrected rumors and released the 74th film "All Time" in October 2023 [13] and included both historical footage and newly filmed segments shot in Palisades Tahoe, California and Park City, Utah.[14]
While transitioning out of his executive role, Miller still maintained his creative role as director and narrator for the films into the 1990s. The makers of later films, including Warren Miller's Higher Ground (2005) and Warren Miller's Off the Grid (2006), used Miller's narration from previous films rather than recording new narration.[15][16]
In 1998, Miller became Director of Skiing at The Yellowstone Club, a private resort in Big Sky Montana.
In late 2010, Miller presented 'An Evening with Warren Miller' to two sold-out audiences at Seattle's Benaroya Hall.[17]
In September 2016, Miller self-published his autobiography, Freedom Found: My Life Story.[18]
Personal life
editMiller's first wife, Jean, died of cancer in 1953, when their son was one year old.[2][19][20] Miller married Dorothy Marion Roberts in 1957. They had two children. They were married for twenty years and lived in Hermosa Beach, California,[19] where Warren Miller Entertainment was located. Miller then married two other people before marrying Laurie Penketh Kaufmann in 1988.[2] With Laurie, Miller lived on Orcas Island, Washington, from 1992 until his death on January 24, 2018.[2][20]
Filmography
editMovies released since 2004, while bearing Warren Miller's name, were not directed by Warren Miller, nor was he involved in their production in any way.[citation needed]
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 1950 | Deep And Light |
| 1951 | California Skis |
| 1952 | Wandering Skis |
| 1953 | Ski Fantasy |
| 1954 | Symphony On Skis |
| 1955 | Invitation To Skiing |
| 1956 | Have Skis, Will Travel |
| 1957 | Anyone For Skiing? |
| 1958 | Are Your Skis On Straight? |
| 1959 | Let's Go Skiing |
| 1960 | Swinging Skis |
| 1961 | Many Moods Of Skiing |
| 1962 | Around The World On Skis |
| 1963 | The Sound Of Skiing |
| 1964 | The Skiers |
| 1965 | The Big Ski Show |
| 1966 | Ski On The Wild Side |
| 1967 | The Ski Scene |
| 1968 | No Boundaries |
| 1969 | This Is Skiing |
| 1970 | Sound Of Winter |
| 1971 | Any Snow, Any Mountain |
| 1972 | Winter People |
| 1973 | Skiing's Great |
| 1974 | The Color Of Skiing |
| 1975 | There Comes A Time |
| 1976 | Skiing On My Mind |
| 1977 | In Search Of Skiing |
| 1978 | Ski A La Carte |
| 1979 | Winter Fever |
| 1980 | Ski People |
| 1981 | Ski In The Sun |
| 1982 | Snowonder |
| 1983 | Ski Time |
| 1983 | Hot Yachts, Cold Water |
| 1984 | Ski Country |
| 1985 | Steep And Deep |
| 1986 | Beyond The Edge |
| 1987 | White Winter Heat |
| 1988 | Escape To Ski |
| 1989 | White Magic |
| 1990 | Extreme Winter |
| 1991 | Born To Ski |
| 1992 | Steeper And Deeper |
| 1993 | Black Diamond Rush |
| 1994 | Vertical Reality |
| 1995 | Endless Winter |
| 1996 | Snowriders |
| 1997 | Snowriders 2 |
| 1998 | Freeriders |
| 1999 | Fifty |
| 2000 | Ride |
| 2001 | Cold Fusion |
| 2002 | Storm |
| 2003 | Journey |
| 2004 | Impact |
Bibliography
edit- On Film in Print (1994) Vail, CO: Ritem and Printem ISBN 978-0963614414
- Lurching from One Near Disaster to the Next (1998) Deer Harbor, WA: Pole Pass Pub. ISBN 978-0963614421
- Wine, Women, Warren, & Skis, (2001) Warren Miller Productions; 14th edition; ISBN 978-0963614407
- Warren's World, (2002) Mountain Sports Press, ISBN 978-0967674780
- "The Good New Days" Ski (Jan 2004) Vol 68 #5:152
- "A Taste of Freedom" The Ski Journal (2010) vol 4.2 ISSN 1935-3219
- Bigford, Andy and Miller, Warren (2016) Freedom Found: My Life Story Warren Miller Company ISBN 9780963614469
References
edit- ^ "Warren Miller". U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame and Museum. U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame. n.d. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
- ^ a b c d Judd, Ron (January 25, 2018). "Pioneering, Inspiring Snow-Sports Filmmaker Warren Miller, 93, Dies at Orcas Island Home". The Seattle Times. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
- ^ "Pioneering, inspiring snow-sports filmmaker Warren Miller, 93, dies at Orcas Island home". The Seattle Times. January 24, 2018. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
- ^ Bigford and Miller (2016). Freedom Found: My Life Story. Warren Miller Company. ISBN 978-0963614469.
- ^ a b "Whistler remembers filmmaking legend ". Pique Magazine, By Joel Barde. February 01, 2018
- ^ Miller, Warren (2012) "Warren's World", The Ski Journal Vol 6 #3:22, theskijournal.com; accessed February 3, 2018.
- ^ "A Legacy Will Live On". Warren Miller Productions. January 25, 2018. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
His first still camera was a Bakelite Univex, bought for 39 cents; in 1946 he bought a Bell & Howell 8-mm camera for $77.
- ^ Lund, Morten (March 2004) Warren Miller profile, Skiing Heritage Vol 16 #1:8-14
- ^ Fry, John (2010) The Story of Modern Skiing Hanover: University Press of New England ISBN 978-1584658962 pg 278-280
- ^ Blevins, Jason (2013) "The Balance Sheet", The Denver Post; retrieved June 3, 2014.
- ^ Chuba, Kirsten (January 25, 2018). "Warren Miller, pioneering ski filmmaker, dies at 93". Variety. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
- ^ Snowbrains (January 24, 2023) There Will Be No New Warren Miller Ski Movie Next Year for the 1st Time in 74 Years Snowbrains.com
- ^ Blevins, Jason (February 6, 2023). "The annual Warren Miller ski movie isn't going anywhere, despite reports to the contrary". The Colorado Sun. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
- ^ "ALL TIME - 2023". Warren Miller Entertainment. June 20, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
- ^ "Warren Miller's Off the Grid: The world's largest winter sports movie announces 2006 U.S. tour", Skinet.net; retrieved August 19, 2007.
- ^ "Warren Miller's Higher Ground", PR Newswire, 2005-08-31, via highbeam.com; retrieved August 19, 2007. Archived May 16, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Thompson, Neal (2011) "Ski Movie Mogul Warren Miller Refuses to Go Downhill" Seattle Met; retrieved August 6, 2018
- ^ "Warren Miller's autobiography to be available in second printing this fall" (Press release). Ski Racing. July 22, 2017.
- ^ a b Dorworth, Dick (1974) “Warren Miller: Making It on Film” Skiing vol 26#7 pg 70
- ^ a b Chawkins, Steve (January 25, 2018). "Warren Miller, the ski bum whose films made him king of the slopes, dies at 93". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
External links
edit- Official site at the Wayback Machine (archived September 22, 2021)
- Warren Miller Entertainment
- Warren Miller at IMDb