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Robert Anthony Purvey
Robert Anthony Purvey (born May 14, 1948) is a British/American surfer, actor, environmentalist, and entrepreneur. He is known as the surfer that introduced the ultimate noserider model surfboard, “The Ugly,” at the 1966 More-Pope Invitational Professional Championships in Ventura, California, also known as the 1966 US Invitational Championships, where he won the noseriding contest. The Ugly was considered authoritatively “ The Ultimate NoseRider”. In 2004, Purvey started producing Ugly Surf & Urban wear along with his line of Ugly noseriders. Purvey first major acting role was in the title role in Mission Impossible - The Rebel (Paramount, 1970). He co-starred in the Emmy Nominated TV Pilot, Winners: I Can (CBS 1978).

Early life
Purvey was born in Cairo, Egypt, to a British father and Greek Mother. The Purvey Family’s primary language was French, and the secondary languages were English, Greek, and Arabic. Cairo burned on January 26, 1952, and signaled the end of the last Kingdom of Egypt. On April 29, 1954, the family had to leave Egypt. The Arab military, led by Abdul Nasser and the Russian Communists, had deposed King Farouk and kicked out all Europeans, mainly the British. The once affluent Purvey family of four moved to London, England, where Purvey and his sister, Joan, six and a half years older, attended boarding school for almost a year. On March 18, 1955, the Purvey family arrived in Manhattan, New York, and moved into the Manhattan Hotel for the next six months. While trying to sort out their new lifestyle, the family moved to Jamaica, Queens, where six-year-old Purvey entered grade school at PS #50. In 1961, the family moved to Westwood Village in West Los Angeles, California, where Purvey was enrolled in Emerson Junior High School.

Film Career
After returning home to Los Angeles, Purvey studied acting with film coach and actor Paton Price (77 Sunset Strip (1958), Surfside 6 (1960), Maverick (1957), Broadway and prominent screen director Milton Katselas (40 Carats, The Rose Tattoo) and acting coach Rick Walters. He advanced his acting career by working in London, New York, and Los Angeles. His film credits include AIP's Mary Jane, starring in Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep (un-released), and Cinerama's Follow Me. Purvey's television credits include the lead in the Emmy Nominated Winners: I Can (CBS 1978 – pilot show), a series regular on Lovers and \Friends (NBC, 1977), and co-star in the title role of Mission Impossible - The Rebel (Paramount, 1970), a semi-regular on General Hospital (ABC, 1985-89) and featured roles on A-Team and Rich Man, Poor Man, among others. His last performance on TV was in General Hospital, appearing as a Mafia plant on the jury of the Zakaria trial. Purvey also performed in over forty regional and thirty national television commercials, pitching for products such as Hallmark Cards, Chevrolet Celebrity, and Atari PacMan.

Surfing Career
Purvey joined the infamous Dewey Weber Competition Team in 1963. In 1966, Purvey won the 2nd Morey Pro Noseriding Invitational and helped make famous his Ugly surfboard model, appearing in numerous magazine ads. In 1967, television commercials, magazine ads, and notoriety as a well-known, champion surfer led to the film Follow Me, an Endless Summer-Esque, adventurous odyssey about three champion surfers going around the world on a quest to find perfect waves - released by Cinerama, 1968.

Through the ‘70s and part of the ‘80s, Purvey divided his time between acting and surfing. In 1979, he returned to competitive surfing and won the Church Noseriding Championships. His endorsement garnered numerous sponsors, including O'Neill, Ugg, Kennedy, Miyata, and Images.

Environmental Advocacy
Purvey is also known as an environmentalist who helped spearhead the way to clean up the infamous “Polio Pond” Malibu Lagoon, a watershed effort he undertook for over 20 years (1992-2013). In 1992, Purvey turned environmentalist and took on Malibu Surfrider Beach, one of the most famous beaches in the world and one of the most polluted beaches in Santa Monica Bay. To remedy the problem, Purvey participated in a group that organized to address all the issues of concern with Stakeholders in the Malibu Creek Watershed - a 109 square mile landmass and network of streams that terminate at world-famous Surfrider Beach - and come up with an action plan. Over the first few years, Bob spoke about the various violations endured by swimmers and surfers at world-famous Malibu Surfrider Beach. In 1994, he realized that he wasn't reaching a big enough audience, so Bob turned to the skills he developed as an actor and started producing his first documentary, Malibu Creek, and Its Surrounding Watershed, which in 1996 won 3 Falcon Cable awards: Best Producer, Best Communicator, and Best Music. Purvey initiated the organization of the Malibu Lagoon Task Force in 1995 and led the organization of the first "State of the Malibu Creek Watershed Conference" in 1997. Purvey continues to promote clean-up water best practices through his nonprofit at EcoMalibu.org.