Sonny Miller

Miller experienced a heart attack and could not be revived just one week after the death of his mother, Suzanne Gilliland. Married to Debra Levinson (1999-2009)

• Name — Sonny Miller • Birth Name — Sonny Miller • Born — July 18, 1960 • Birthplace — San Jose, California • Died — 8 July 2014 • Place of death — La Jolla, California • Nickname — Cap'n Fun • Sponsors — Rip Curl • Major Achievements — Searching for Tom Curren Video of the Year by Surfer Magazine in 1997.

Born in San Jose, California in 1960, Miller moved to Encinitas, California, sometime prior to 1971, where he learned to surf. He attended San Dieguito High School and studied photography at Palomar College. His career began with the accepted submission of still surfing photographs to Surfer and Breakout magazines, he was also a contributor to Snowboard Magazine with his work appearing on the début cover. Miller soon expanded into 16 mm film for motion photography.

Also known as Cap'n Fun, Miller and Tom Curren teamed to produce the series, The Search (1992). Filmed and directed by Miller, the series would travel the world and focus on Curran's freestyle surfing as most of the footage at the time, focused on Curren in competition. Miller's surfing documentaries include: Breakin’ on Thru (1992), The Search (1992), The Search II (1993), For the Sea (1994), Beyond the Boundaries (1994), Feral Kingdom (1995), Aloha Bowls (1996), Tripping the Planet (1996) and Searching for Tom Curren, which was awarded Video of the Year by Surfer magazine in 1997. In 2000, Miller's work began to include Hollywood feature films, his work includes, In God's Hands (1998), Blue Crush (2002), Riding Giants (2004), The Big Bounce (2004), Lords of Dogtown (2005) and the James Bond film, Die Another Day. He appeared onscreen opposite Michelle Rodriguez and Kate Bosworth as a surf contest announcer in Blue Crush, and his work is said to appear in the remake of Point Break (2015). In 2014, it was announced that Helen Hunt's, Ride, Miller's final film, would be dedicated in remembrance of Miller. In 2015, Hunt memorialised her friend and their experiences in "Sonny Miller's Lesson for Us All: 'Nature Dictates'", for the Huffington Post. At the time of his death, Miller was filming, Ricochet Surf Dog for an ESPN feature, a story of a service-dog whose balance helps to allow the disabled to enjoy the experience surfing.