Though photos, mementos, art and more, the life of pioneering filmmaker and outdoor enthusiast Warren Miller will be explored in a new exhibit opening Friday, Nov. 15, at the Hermosa Beach Museum.
Warren, who died in 2018 and would have turned 100 years old on Oct. 15, established his film business in Hermosa Beach at 505 Pier Ave. in 1960 and was located there until 1993. He went on to produce, direct and narrate hundreds of films on skiing, snowboarding, surfing and other outdoor sports.
“No Boundaries: The Life and Work of Warren Miller” will run through Jan. 16.
The exhibit also marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of Warren Miller Entertainment, which still produces films to this day as part of the company Outside Inc.
The documentary “Warren Miller’s 75” documentary will be screening at the Hermosa Beach Community Center, beginning at 7:30 p.m. on the same evening of the exhibit opening, but the event is sold out. Tickets are available for another screening in Culver City on Thursday, Nov. 14, according to warrenmiller.com.
Chris Miller, Warren Miller’s daughter and co-curator of the exhibit, said his film career came out of his “love of the outdoors,” its “freedoms” and his “desire to share all of what he had discovered.”
“His idea of being indoors was to sleep at night, maybe get a meal or two, but he always wanted to be outside,” said Chris Miller, a former photographer at The Beach Reporter.
Jamie Erickson, Hermosa Beach Museum director and curator, said in an email that “Warren Miller played a huge role in encouraging the world to seek beauty, escape, and wonder in all that our earth has to offer, just like he did.”
“Once you know who Warren Miller is, there is no going back,” Erickson said. “His films have become an essential element to ski season for generations of outdoor enthusiasts.”
A Hollywood native, Warren Miller started surfing at around 11 years old according to his daughter. He would ride his bike from Hollywood up Sunset Boulevard to go surfing.
Warren Miller served in the Navy during World War II.
When he was discharged from the Navy, Chris Miller said that he first moved to the mountains in Idaho with a camera in tow and fell in love with the snow. He and friends also took surf films during the summer.
He attended USC where he studied astrophysics to become an astronaut or an astronomer to work at a planetarium.
But in 1949, Warren Miller decided to form his own company and spread his love the outdoors.
His first feature film, “Deep and Light,” which he directed, wrote and narrated, was shot in Squaw Valley and released in 1950.
His Hermosa Beach office began at 505 Pier Ave. in 1960, and eventually expanded next door to 503 Pier Ave.
Warren Miller’s films quickly grew in popularity. He was giving well over 100 live performances yearly in the United States and Canada from October through early January, according to Chris Miller.
“He would do all of his performances live on stage to a tape recorder that had the music that went to the film, and he would do his own narration each and every night,” said Chris Miller. “He was there with the audiences live. It made people feel really respected and that’s how he grew his reputation and his business.”
Aside from this yearly feature film, Warren Miller shot around 500 short, promotional films for such entities as Hollywood Park to the Baja 500.
Warren Miller stayed active well into his eighth decade.
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He had sold the company to his son Kurt Miller, who sold it to Time Inc., where it eventually landed at Outside Inc.
Warren Miller had his offices in Hermosa Beach, where he also made his home, for over three decades before moving to Boulder Colorado in 1993. He then made a home in Orcas Island, Wash. where he died at the age of 93.
During his lifetime, Warren Miller wrote many books including the self-published autobiography “Freedom Found: My Life Story” in 2016.
Warren Miller was also served on the Hermosa Beach Planning Commission.
Warren Miller has also been honored as a member of the Surfer’s Walk of Fame in Hermosa Beach and the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of fame in Michigan, among many other accolades.
Chris Miller said he exhibit opening Nov. 15 will feature photographs, his memorabilia, his books and many stories to explore his life as an “iconic member of Hermosa beach and the South Bay.”
“It is always a privilege to explore the history of the great people who have played a part in shaping the life, culture, and history of the South Bay,” said Erickson. “It is even more special to learn about their person, family, and special qualities. For that I thank Chris for sharing her dad’s story with the Museum, and with the world.”
On closing night, Jan. 16, Chris Miller will host a talk and question-and-answer event about her father.
The Nov. 15 exhibit opening, which begins at 6 p.m. and is expected to end around 8 p.m., is free and RSVP’s are not required.
For more information, visit hermosabeachhistoricalsociety.org.
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