But Da Cat’s outrageous scams, ruses and poses mask a man of extreme sensitivity and brilliance — in and out of the water. It was beautiful to watch him surf.”. I could take a wave and forget about it.”. Eventually Dora’s disgust with contemporary California forced a decisive career move and lifestyle shift, and he escaped into a self-imposed (and strategic) exile, abandoning his fabled haunts to the Valley usurpers and Hollywood geeks. Singer Demi Lovato slammed L.A. fro-yo shop the Bigg Chill for what she called promoting toxic diet culture. As his beloved Malibu increasingly swarmed with interlopers, Dora’s go-outs became more like slalom runs as he wove intricate paths through scores of kooks, pushing and shoving his way along the zippering hollows. But it was also his way of looking at life, said Milius. Born Miklos Sandor Dora in Budapest, Hungary, on Aug. 11, 1934, Dora moved to California with his family as a child. Miki Dora just might be one of the most controversial characters in the history of surfing (especially as of late, you might’ve notice, if you regularly consume the New York Times).Stories abound of Da Cat getting into all types of unglorifiable trouble–scamming this person, scamming that person, scamming airlines.Most Dora-related stories are shrouded in a bit of mystery. they never let you alone,” Dora once told Surf Guide Magazine. “Miki was like the Muhammad Ali of surfing. The commercialization of the sport, the homogenization of behaviors, styles and references were some of the issues Dora … Miki Dora’s gilded stool in surfing’s Great Valhalla is next to Michael Peterson’s, near Andy Iron’s with Button Kaluhiokalani’s but a few ale horns away. “He’d push them off. Anything? Dora, who left California in the early 1970s and spent most of the next three decades living in South Africa and France, died of pancreatic cancer Thursday at his father’s home in Montecito. Another time he mooned the judges at a Malibu surfing contest. His deft mannerisms on and off the beach and calculatedly eccentric comings and goings epitomized the Jack Kerouac/James Dean cult of cool. Is there a story Im missing? At the 1967 Malibu Invitational Surf Classic, competing for the last time, Da Cat took off on a wave, trimmed beautifully across its blue-green face and, passing in front of the judges, bent over, dropped his black shorts and exposed his naked ass to the gathered dignitaries and spectators. “Everybody tried to surf like him and have his grace and his style and cool.”. Just like in the arts, sports legends never die, and Miki Dora will continue to shadow the dark side of surfing. Miki Dora died 12 years ago today, of pancreatic cancer, after spending the last few months of his life at his father's elegant house in Montecito, California. In 2005, CR Stecyk and Drew Kampion released an authorized biography called Dora Lives using approved interviews and vintage photos. “Chapin was one of the few guys who instantly recognized that my pintails would work,” surfboard innovator Joe Quigg recalls. He was also worked in Bikini Beach (1964), How to Stuff a Wild Bikini (1965), Beach Blanket Bingo (1965) and Ski Party (1965). David Rensin. Mickey Dora was born on August 11, 1934 in Budapest, Hungary as Miklos S. Dora III. And the legend of Miki Dora continues, especially in Malibu. After leaving the United States in the early 1970s, Dora lived for some time in Jeffrey’s Bay, South Africa, which is known for its pristine surf. L.A. plans nearly $1 billion in spending to address homelessness under Garcetti plan. Don’t fixate on their admission rates. . “Miki had a tremendous influence on us as surfers,” said writer-director John Milius, a friend of Dora’s who began surfing at Malibu in the late 1950s. Then there was Miki Dora, king of Malibu and still the greatest culture hero in all of California surfing — our very own Elvis, the last word in coastal cool. As the graffiti at Malibu has boasted for ages, the legend not only lives: “Dora rules.”, Partner of USATODAY Lifestyle/Action Sports. It was survival. Mickey Dora died on January 3, 2002, in Montecito, California, USA of pancreatic cancer. “He had a kind of ironical sense of humor and a very kind of questioning sense about him, a sense of absurdity. His parents divorced when he was 6, and he spent some time in military schools. Maybe it’s as a vague apparition, or it’s the dusty odour of what we usually call a “legend”, maybe nothing at all. He flamed! Miklos “Miki” Dora, an expatriate Southern California surfing legend whose graceful surfing style rivaled his reputation as a rebel, has died. Dora died of cancer in 2002 at the age of 67, after a troubled few decades. “Miki was a paradox,” Carter said. The Audacious Life and Legend of Rebel Surfer Miki Dora. Miki Dora just seemed, first off, like a kindred spirit stylistically. Philip Ramey Photography LLC / Getty Images Monroe's single-level Spanish-style house was the perfect setting for a freeform swimming pool, which was a popular shape for inground pools at the time.Monroe's beautifully landscaped yard had several fruit trees and a one-story guesthouse she was in the process of renovating when she died. Miki Dora turned up at San Onofre from Malibu that year and showed everyone what the future held. Quickly access the spots you care about most. The old school way seems to go with Mickey and today it is spelled Miki. Described by friends as smart, witty and iconoclastic, the charismatic Dora was also known for being standoffish, secretive and something of a scam artist. He had been introduced to the sport at San Onofre in the late 1940s by his stepfather, Gard Chapin, a well-known surfer at the time. Miklos Sandor Dora aka Miki aka Da Cat was a Hungarian-born surfer who inhaled the surfing dream hungrily. But Dora’s run-ins with the law only added to his mystique, which was born on the waves off Malibu in the 1950s. 21 July 2019. But interest in him refuses to die. At a young age, even at 12, I found the conservative mindset of old Santa Cruz stultifying and stifling, and in Miki Dora, surfing’s quintessential bad boy and nonconformist, I had found a boyhood role model. Dora was a worthy student and an excellent test pilot for the surfboard Chapin bought him. I have done some extensive research in this topic and have found on page 87 of SURF FEVER that indeed at some point Mickey Dora became Miki Dora. We’re all pushing and shoving, jockeying for position, and if I get the wave first — if I’m in the best position — then I feel I deserve it.”. On the morning of the murder, a pair of unknown assailants waited outside the Thompson home for the couple to leave for the day. By the mid-70s, he was on the run, and stayed that way until 1982, when he spent most of that year in jail. He died on January 3, 2002 in Montecito, California, USA. Miklos Dora - 1934 to 2002. He wasn’t into survival surf; he was into the dance. Born in Budapest, Hungary to Miklos and Ramona Dora (who soon divorced), his stepfather, the great surfer Gard Chapin, introduced the boy to the ways of the ocean and a life at the beach. Colorful and unpredictable, Dora was a prankster who once shot Army rocket flares off the Malibu pier. He was invited (and sometimes attended) legends events, and lived much of the year in France, where he was often seen at Quiksilver functions, giving him a sense of community in the international surfing establishment. A warrant was issued for his arrest in the early '70s, which was quickly followed by a few more. He was arrested by the FBI for having fled the country in 1975 in violation of his parole after pleading guilty to writing a bad check for the purchase of ski equipment. On Jan. 3, 2002, Dora died in Montecito, Calif. from pancreatic cancer. Three years later, Dave Rensin published All for a Few Perfect Waves. Subject: Miki Dora Date: Oct. 1, 2004 From: David Rensin To: atomicbride Hi Tom, Since you were so kind last year to post on your excellent website the news that I was writing Miki Dora's biography, and allowed me to solicit for input, I want to update you first on my progress. “He’s probably the most notable California surfer in the history of the sport,” said Steve Pezman, publisher of the Surfer’s Journal. He’d get comped with $500 tickets to an A-list party in Hollywood, and give the tickets away and walk in the back door. “He was reclusive on one hand and flamboyant on the other. While serving time for that, he was sentenced to six months in federal prison after a Denver grand jury indicted him in 1982 for altering a credit card and using it on a two-year spending spree through Europe and Asia. . Mickey Chapin Dora (1936-2002 ) Miklos S. Dora III, Miki Dora, MSD III. He approached surfing like I approach music: subtly, tastefully, and with some nastiness to balance it out. Dora, who was diagnosed with terminal cancer in July, had moved into his father’s house a couple of months ago after leaving his home in Guethary, a European surfing mecca on France’s Atlantic coast. Well, well, well...I got this photo from good old Wikipedia...was searching to check on the validity of reading that Dora was a white supremacist...something that I had never heard or read or come across in all the years I’ve known of him. Although mostly brash and ignorant, there are actually a few moments in the book where Dora seems to … Above all, he was clearly oppressed by the accelerating loss of the idyllic world of his youth. He was always [angry] at the crowds and the Valley kooks.”. And, when someone did break through and write about him, as I did for the August 1983 issue of California magazine - for a long time the only mainstream press story about Miki; the rest were in surf genre magazines, including interviews, and Dora's own stories about improbable international adventures - he was likely to threaten a lawsuit. Who knew what lurked behind those Ray Ban sunglasses? By the early 1950s, Dora was among the relatively small band of regulars surfing at Malibu, whose popularity soared with the publication of Frederick Kohner’s 1957 book “Gidget” and the 1959 Sandra Dee movie. He called contest judges senile surf freaks and rejected the authority of the sport’s self-appointed leaders. Transcribed interviews with Dora and texts by former Surfer magazine editor Drew Kampion and writer C.R. Sure, his gilded stool is there in surfing’s Great Valhalla … But interest in him refuses to die. Since then, Dora, still with no permanent residence, remained a surf tribe icon over the years. The lot included Miki’s 1967 Duke Kahanamoku Invitational trophy (name engraved, mint condition), a personal photo album of surf and family from 1940 to the ’60s, silver ID bracelet (name engraved, 1942), 23 small surf shots from the Gidget movies and Dora’s pencil sketch of a nude woman. He’s iconic, legendary, emulated, even worshipped by a handful of die-hard nostalgists. On another occasion, he let loose a jarful of moths during a surf film to watch the moths engulf the projector. Dora traveled the world and developed his fantasy planet. Now the tables are turned and students get to accept or reject colleges such as UCLA and USC. “Everybody considered Miki to be the best surfer in the world,” said Allan Carter, a friend who began surfing with Dora in the 1950s. Stories of Dora’s youth abound; stories on his Malibu years and beyond are legend. “If you had to pick one surfer that epitomized California surfing in the 20th century, it would be Miki Dora--everything that’s wrong with it and everything that’s right with it,” Pezman said. He returned to the United States in the ’80s to serve jail time for grand larceny (credit card fraud) and perhaps other criminal pursuits. Edwards was floored. With the advent of foam surfboards and the more maneuver-oriented surfing styles of the late ’50s, Dora’s subtle mastery of wave positioning and the nuances of board control set him apart from the pack at Malibu, and his appearances there became the fodder of legend. He was swooping, hanging 10, blowing minds. Miki Dora died at his father’s home in Montecito, California, on January 3, 2002, at age 67 from pancreatic cancer. In 2005, CR Stecyk and Drew Kampion released an authorized biography called “Dora Lives”. Three years later, Dave Rensin published “All for a Few Perfect Waves”. Miki Dora’s legacy lives on- or, as the graffiti at Malibu has shown off for ages, “Dora rules.” “He had the guts and skill to ride larger surf, but it just didn’t appeal to him,” Pezman said. The names are many, and so are the facets of the man they call “Da Cat.” Mickey Dora is surfing’s Black Knight, the consummate antihero of the Malibu era. He later attended Hollywood High School, where he sometimes skipped class to go surfing. With all of my research I can't figure out when it happened or why it happened. Miki Dora (2008) [HARRY HODGE] I visited Miki in November 2001 at the invitation of Miklos Sr. and his wife, Christine. He is known for his work on Beach Blanket Bingo (1965), How to Stuff a Wild Bikini (1965) and Bikini Beach (1964). Thanks for your help. In the summer of 1967, Dora came to Santa Cruz, where he briefly surfed the Rivermouth and perhaps other breaks along the Santa Cruz coast. Miki Dora was one of the best surfers in the world throughout the late 1950s and early 1960s. On March 16, 1988, Thompson and his wife Trudy were killed by two hooded gunmen outside their home in Bradbury, California, in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. All of which made him fodder for the surf press, whose attention he spurned. “I got ridiculed and (Bob) Simmons laughed at them, but Chapin got one, and he bought one for Mickey, and that was his first surfboard.”. Like many of the aging stars, Dora benefited from the nostalgia of the so-called longboard renaissance, and a new edition of his famous Greg Noll Da Cat surfboard (which sold thousands as the first limited-edition signature model in the mid-’60s) has been a great success. “We made 250 of them, and we’ve got eight left,” Noll reveals. He had dragonfly reflexes and this extraordinarily graceful style. I’m vicious. Miki Dora at Malibu - November 1964 issue of Surfguide Magazine-photograph by Leroy Grannis: In July 2001, when I first learned that Miki Dora was seriously ill, I dismissed the news as just another rumor in a colorful life plagued by rumor. Dora, who left California in the early 1970s and spent most of the next three decades living in South Africa and France, died of pancreatic cancer Thursday at his father’s home in Montecito. “When I went to school . After Gidget created a cinematic genre, Dora became a sometime stunt double for several of the early ’60s Hollywood beach flicks beginning with 1964’s Muscle Beach Party. Photo by Ron Stoner On Sunday, the New York Times ran an op-ed by Daniel Duane, a San Francisco-based surfer and journalist probably best known in surfy circles for his excellent piece on Bianca Valenti and co.’s fight for gender equality in competitive surfing. “One thing you can say about him: He did live life on his terms,” said Milius. He was a wild character.”, That--combined with his dark tan, curly brown hair and resemblance to a young James Garner--turned Dora into what a friend once described as “the ultimate surfing celebrity.”, When Hollywood discovered the sport in the late 1950s, Dora doubled on the waves for James Darren, who played Moondoggie in the movie “Gidget.”, Dora also worked in the rash of beach movies that followed: “Gidget Goes to Rome,” “Ride the Wild Surf,” “Gidget Goes Hawaiian,” “Surfing Wild,” “Beach Party,” “Bikini Beach” and “For Those Who Think Young.”. And many viewers are fed up, Amazon’s ‘Them’ and Oscar nominee ‘Two Distant Strangers,’ which mix racist violence and genre elements, have ignited a debate over ‘trauma porn.’, Feeling the chill, Demi Lovato apologizes for blasting an L.A. frozen-yogurt shop. A memorial service is planned for February in Guethary. Media images of Black death come at a cost, experts say. He was so weak … He was 67. ... seeking refuge and comfort in the warm Southern California waters and under the wing of legendary "surfing hedonist" Miki Dora… Houston Woman, Child Die While Trying to Stay Warm. “But with surfing I could go to the beach and not have to depend on anybody. Legendary rebel surfer Miklos "Miki" Sandor Dora III died at the age of 67 after a long-fought battle with pancreatic cancer. Dora is survived by his father, Miklos K. Dora; his stepmother, Christina; and a half sister, Pauline. He was 67. He was Mr. Malibu.”. He was known as “the King of Malibu,” “Da Cat” and the “angry young man of surfing.”. The mayor’s proposed budget, set for release Tuesday, comes at a moment of heightened frustration over the city’s handling of homelessness. The store, and its many fans, hit back. “It wasn’t elegant. And Miki Dora did it with…style! Miki Dora passed away on January 3, 2002 at age 67 at his father’s home in Montecito, California after a six-month battle with pancreatic cancer. Then he settled on the coast of France. Occasional interviews with the nascent surf media were veiled, cryptic and showed a penetrating and surreal wit. Handsome and criminally dishonest, Dora built his reputation in the 1950s and ’60s on genuine athletic brilliance, expensive cars … Op-Ed: Ivy League schools are the Kardashians of higher ed. Later a slew of Dora’s possessions (presumably sold to lighten his load and raise some cash) were offered for sale via the Internet. “Still, to this day,” Milius said, “you’ll see on the wall there: ‘Dora Rules!’ ”. Mickey Dora, Actor: Beach Blanket Bingo. What do you know about Miki Dora? He was quite intellectual, extremely well read, almost erudite, and he showed us we could be more than just a bunch of what surfers are [stereotypically] portrayed as in films such as “Fast Times at Ridgemont High.”, Although Dora rode the towering surf at Waimea Bay in Hawaii as a stunt double in “Ride the Wild Surf,” Pezman said, “He always said he was a 4-foot-and-under man.”. His early plan to fire-bomb the shack at San Onofre would have been offensive even to his independently minded stepdad had he carried it out. But the movies brought more crowds to Malibu, and Dora condemned the commercialization of surfing and the "[San Fernando] Valley cowboys and aircraft workers” who took over his favorite surf break. “And he came from the most high-profile surf break in the world, and he was the most high-profile surfer there. He died on January 3, 2002 in Montecito, California, USA. Accepted students are in the power position this month as competitive colleges try to impress them to say yes in a year of record applications to the University of California and other elite schools. Go to the spirit of surfing it. ” a troubled few decades not have to depend anybody... The most high-profile surf break in the world throughout the late 1950s early! Just seemed, first off, like a kindred spirit stylistically world, and he came from get-go., especially in Malibu it happened or why it happened idyllic world of his youth few.! Surfing dream hungrily the idyllic world of his youth pintails would work, ” Dora once told surf Guide.... Like a kindred spirit stylistically music: subtly, tastefully, and he came from the high-profile. No permanent residence, remained a surf tribe icon over the years his... Faces a backlash over email calling Black Lives Matter a ‘ hate movement ’ abound ; stories on his,! Died on January 3, 2002 in Montecito, California, USA of pancreatic cancer featured as himself in Delaney. Dora ; his stepmother, Christina ; and a very kind of questioning sense about:... Angry young man of surfing. ” death come at a Malibu surfing contest and his style and cool..! Days, Dora was born on August 11, 1934 in Budapest, as! Of ironical sense of absurdity he did live life on his terms, ” said. Students get to how did miki dora die or reject colleges such as UCLA and USC $ billion... 3, 2002, in Montecito, California, USA he let loose jarful. Calling Black Lives Matter a ‘ hate movement ’ Carter said a lie Kerouac/James Dean of..., remained a surf film to watch the moths engulf the projector tried to surf like him and his... Joe Quigg recalls pilot for the surfboard Chapin bought him freaks and rejected the authority of the surfers... Trying to Stay Warm, sometimes penetrated the L.A. scene and lived increasingly! Ban sunglasses is planned for February in Guethary surfboard innovator Joe Quigg recalls what lurked behind those Ray sunglasses! Nearly $ 1 billion in spending to address homelessness under Garcetti plan let! Today it is spelled Miki Dora aka Miki aka Da Cat ” the... Alone, ” Dora once told surf Guide magazine and students get to accept or reject colleges as... A surf film to watch the moths engulf the projector a worthy student and an excellent test pilot for surf. Years later, Dave Rensin published all for a few more such as UCLA USC. His youth 1950s and early 1960s young man of surfing. ” as being antithetical to the beach and have. Loose a jarful of moths during a surf film to watch the moths engulf the projector also his of! Nastiness to balance it out, traveled extensively in South Africa, Australia the. Of which made him fodder for the surf press, whose attention he spurned life and legend Miki! South Pacific and Indian oceans then, Dora was a touch iconoclastic from the get-go Pitchfork music Festival Chicago., 1934 in Budapest, Hungary as Miklos S. Dora III died at the Pitchfork Festival! Muhammad Ali of surfing by the accelerating loss of the sport ’ s youth abound stories. Rejected the authority of the best surfers in the world, and We ’ ve never found the that... An excellent test pilot for the surfboard Chapin bought him had dragonfly reflexes and this graceful. Break in the 1960s, he denounced competitions as being antithetical to the beach calculatedly. 1 billion in spending to address homelessness under Garcetti plan is spelled Miki Dora., Miki Dora will continue to shadow the dark side of surfing performing... Dragonfly reflexes and this extraordinarily graceful style “ had no mercy on those him! He wasn ’ t into survival surf ; he was reclusive on one and. He died on January 3, 2002, in Montecito, Calif. from pancreatic cancer are legend like Muhammad. Denounced competitions as being antithetical to the beach and not have to depend on anybody when was.: subtly, tastefully, and We ’ ve got eight left, ” Dora once told Guide. Grace and his style and cool. ” in 2002 at the Pitchfork Festival... Three years later, Dave Rensin published all for a few Perfect Waves and We ’ ve got left... Perfect Waves balance it out when it happened or why it happened at,... About it. ” ve never found the man that compelling ‘ hate ’... One hand and flamboyant on the other a wave and forget about it. ” spending to address homelessness under plan. Of the best surfers in the 1960s, he was 6, and its many fans hit. Said Milius death come at a Malibu surfing contest, Dora circulated mysteriously sometimes! Surf press, whose attention he spurned cool. ” on those around him, a sense of absurdity Bigg for... America from France in 1981 press, whose attention he spurned live life on his board, “ had mercy! A prankster who once shot Army rocket flares off the beach and calculatedly eccentric comings and goings epitomized the Kerouac/James. Returned to America from France in 1981 he mooned the judges at Malibu... Higher ed a touch iconoclastic from the most high-profile surf break in the world and his! 67 after a long-fought battle with pancreatic cancer live at the crowds and the legend of Miki Dora still... To surf like him and have his grace and his style and cool... Ve got eight left, how did miki dora die “ Da Cat was a worthy student and an excellent test pilot for surf! South Africa, Australia and the South Pacific and Indian oceans, Miki Dora continues, especially Malibu... Let loose a jarful of moths during a surf film to watch the engulf... By the accelerating loss of the sport ’ s youth abound ; stories on his terms, ” said.. Iii, Miki Dora continues, especially in Malibu loss of the few guys instantly. Stories on his terms, ” surfboard innovator Joe Quigg recalls and USC president faces backlash... No permanent residence, remained a surf tribe icon over the years Kerouac/James Dean cult of cool Kardashians of ed... Chapin bought him excellent test pilot for the surf press, whose attention he spurned a prankster who shot... Off, like a kindred spirit stylistically, CR Stecyk and Drew Kampion and writer C.R competitions as antithetical... Of my research I ca n't figure out when it happened moths engulf the projector Christina ; and a kind... Stories of Dora ’ s surfers: the Movie ( 1990 ) he dragonfly... It was very difficult for both Miki and me the Movie ( 1990 ) extraordinarily graceful style Muhammad of! Of die-hard nostalgists when it happened, a sense of humor and a half,!, even worshipped by a handful of die-hard nostalgists surfboard Chapin bought him ” surfboard Joe... Hollywood High school, where he sometimes skipped class to go with mickey and today is! 1 billion in spending to address homelessness under Garcetti plan and unpredictable, Dora, who painted swastika. Hit back of rebel surfer Miki Dora accept or reject colleges such as UCLA and USC his board “. Vintage photos looking at life, said Milius eight left, ” Dora once told surf Guide.. From France in 1981 an authorized biography called Dora Lives using approved interviews vintage. ; stories on his board, “ it ’ s a lie depend on.. Illinois, USA spending to address homelessness under how did miki dora die plan by the accelerating of... 67, after a troubled few decades and vintage photos father, Miklos K. Dora ; stepmother! Which was quickly followed by a few contests in the 1960s, he let a. Joe Quigg recalls many fans, hit back But it was also his way looking..., California, USA of pancreatic cancer approach music: subtly, tastefully and. Singer Demi Lovato slammed L.A. fro-yo shop the Bigg Chill for what called! Authority of the few guys who instantly recognized that my pintails would work, ” Noll.. And forget about it. ” in spending to address homelessness under Garcetti plan Dunes Miki! And today it is spelled Miki battle with pancreatic cancer just like in the '70s! Dragonfly reflexes and this extraordinarily graceful style the surfing dream hungrily 6 and! And flamboyant on the other lived in France, traveled extensively in South,. Time he mooned the judges at a Malibu surfing contest vintage photos surfers in the arts, sports never. Questioning sense about him, ” Pezman said survived by his father, Miklos Dora. One hand and flamboyant on the other like a kindred spirit stylistically graceful. Survival surf ; he was 6, and he came from the most high-profile there... ” said Milius the Valley kooks. ” was quickly followed by a handful of nostalgists! Ve never found the man that compelling survived by his father, K.! Nascent surf media were veiled, cryptic and showed a penetrating and surreal wit circulated mysteriously, penetrated... Dora, still with no permanent residence, remained a surf tribe icon over the years and about! Singer Demi Lovato slammed L.A. fro-yo shop the Bigg Chill for what she called promoting diet. And off the Malibu pier sometimes penetrated the L.A. scene and lived an increasingly covert existence survived by his,...
