Gerry Lopez

Gerry Lopez, aka "Mr. Pipeline," (born November 7, 1948, Honolulu, Hawaii) is a world-renowned surfer and occasional film actor. He won the prestigious Pipe Masters competition in 1972 and 1973. In 1982 he co-starred in the film Conan the Barbarian with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Other film appearances include Big Wednesday (1978), North Shore (1987), and Farewell to the King (1989). He has also appeared in numerous surfing documentaries, including 5 Summer Stories (1973), Step Into Liquid (2003), and Riding Giants (2004). Lopez is an ambassador for Patagonia (clothing) clothing company and has written at least one essay for their catalogs. Today, Lopez lives far from the long lenses of the surfing media, in Bend, Oregon, with his wife Toni and son, Alex. Snowboarding has become a passion for both father and son, and Gerry is now applying his talents as a craftsman to making snowboards. His surfboards also remain in high demand.

Lopez played an important role in the industry of surfboard manufacturing. Whilst on Hawaii, together with other shapers, Lopez started the Lightning Bolt brand of high performance shortboards. This brand was the first brand to sponsor team riders with free boards, partially because the riders didn't have the money to buy them.