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The extraordinary life of Greg Bonann - creator of Baywatch

The extraordinary life of Greg Bonann - creator of Baywatch 


Read in this section each month the extraordinary life of Greg Bonann, creator, director and producer of the world's #1 TV series, "Baywatch". The articles appear in the e-magazine "Sport Lifesaver" that is distributed to everyone who subscribes freely. To view the magazine, click here. To read Greg Bonann's life, visit each month this link.


Greg Bonann reflects on his first year on Baywatch and how he returned back to work.



Baywatch creator, Greg Bonann tells why he started swimming lessons.


Baywatch creator, Greg Bonann shares his experiences from the first rookie lifeguard test.


Baywatch creator, Greg Bonann, describes the first days of training as rookie lifeguard.
Baywatch creator, Greg Bonann, explains that fear of missing a rescue helped him remain more vigilant.

Baywatch creator, Greg Bonann, explains the strong bonding he had with his lifeguard mates
and with his head lifeguard, Eddie Hoffman. 
Baywatch creator, Greg Bonann, explains how his parties were mythologized in the lifeguard lore.


Baywatch creator, Greg Bonann, explains that he attended the Olympics because he failed to compete.

Baywatch creator, Greg Bonann, explains how he combined his love for the Olympic Games with his career as filmmaker.


Greg Bonann, the legendary creator of Baywatch, is describing the obstacles of filmmaking in a foreign country.

Greg Bonann, the legendary creator of Baywatch, is tellins us how he managed to created
the documentary "A View from the Seats" for the 1984 Olympic Games.


Greg Bonann, the legendary creator of "Baywatch", is telling how a not so dramatic rescue
opened the door for making his famous TV series.


Greg Bonann, the legendary creator of "Baywatch", is telling that
Baywatch was about the life and times of lifeguards on and off duty; it was about heroes!
Greg Bonann, the legendary creator of "Baywatch", is telling that
the Lifeguard Games (aka lifesaving sport) was the perfect itnroduction to lifeguarding. 


Greg Bonann, the legendary creator of "Baywatch", is telling that with no credentials the 1988 Olympic Games was a classic deja vu but he eventually managed to make a good documentary film.

Greg Bonann, the legendary creator of "Baywatch", is telling that when he filmed the lifeguard tryouts
he managed to capture the exquisite and irresistible beauty of Baywatch. 

Greg Bonann, the legendary creator of "Baywatch", is telling that when CBS rejected Baywatch it was a sad, miserable day. 


Greg Bonann, the legendary creator of "Baywatch", is telling that Baywatch became 
the first series ever to be sold on the strengh of a concise video presentation. 

Greg Bonann, the legendary creator of "Baywatch", is telling that their initial euphoria gradually dissipated as the Baywatch script became problem because NBC wanted murders.

Greg Bonann, the legendary creator of "Baywatch", is telling that David Hasselhoff could be a true lifeguard and Erika Eleniak was hired for her acting abilities and not because of Playbody.
Greg Bonann, the legendary creator of "Baywatch", is telling that the characters that were potrayed in the show were based on real people.

Greg Bonann, the legendary creator of "Baywatch", is telling that it is amazing what we may accomplish when we don't care who gets the credit. 

The legendary creator of Baywatch Greg Bonann is telling that the right director would have had to live and breathe Baywatch in order to pull it off (July 2020).


The legendary creator of Baywatch Greg Bonann is telling that by the Baywatch definition, swimming in the ocean and making a rescue is not a stunt - it's action (August 2020).



The legendary creator of Baywatch Greg Bonann is recalling the heroic rescue of a young
boy that he performed
 and the medal of valor that he received- part 1 (August 2020).



The legendary creator of Baywatch Greg Bonann is recalling the heroic rescue of a young
boy that he performed
 and the medal of valor that he received- part 2 (August 2020).



The legendary creator of Baywatch Greg Bonann mentions: "Someone wrote that I came off sounding like a producer than a lifeguard, which I think was meant as a compliment- or at least I interpreted it as such" (November 2020).





The legendary creator of Baywatch Greg Bonann says that it seemed criminal to turn Baywatch into yet another crime show (December 2020).




The legendary creator of Baywatch Greg Bonann says: "We’d completed the first 13 episodes of Baywatch, but I wasn’t sure if NBC would want the back nine" (January 2021).



The legendary creator of Baywatch Greg Bonann says that In Hollywood, people create
rules to keep themselves in and to keep others out (February 2021).



The legendary creator of Baywatch Greg Bonann says that Baywatch was cancelled (March 2021).



The legendary creator of Baywatch Greg Bonann says that his father told him to take Baywatch back (April 2021).

The legendary creator of Baywatch Greg Bonann says how he asked to get Baywatch back (May 2021).




The legendary creator of Baywatch Greg Bonann says that some executives thought that any effort to refloat Baywatch was perceived as a waste of money (June 2021).


The legendary creator of Baywatch Greg Bonann says that Baywatch had caught fire in Europe (July 2021).


The legendary creator of Baywatch Greg Bonann says that he was the first American producer to fly in and try to solve a problem rather simply shoving it back in the producers' face (August 2021).


The legendary creator of Baywatch Greg Bonann says that for station programmers, Baywatch was a dream come true (November 2021).




The legendary creator of Baywatch Greg Bonann says that in the grand plan to resurrect Baywatch, Vinnedge was a prime mover and an ongoing champion (December 2021).


The legendary creator of Baywatch Greg Bonann says that the new Baywatch was something altogether different and necessitated a new term (January 2022).


The legendary creator of Baywatch Greg Bonann says in the first session of syndication, Baywatch in 89% of the country (February 2022).


The legendary creator of Baywatch Greg Bonann says that he burned gallons of gasoline looking for a new home for Baywatch (March 2022).


The legendary creator of Baywatch Greg Bonann says that he came up against clever attorneys who always found reaons to block Baywatch (April 2022).


The legendary creator of Baywatch Greg Bonann says that their in-house music team create the song "I'm Always There' for the Baywatch main theme (May 2022).


The legendary creator of Baywatch Greg Bonann says that they sold Baywatch on the premise of a strict, non-nonsense budget (June 2022).





© Photos: Greg Bonann. Reproduced by: Bonann, G.J. (2000). Baywatch: Rescued from Prime Time: the Official, Behind-the-scenes Story of the World's Most Popular TV Show. USA: New Millennium Press. The author's share of proceeds from the sales of the book go to A Chance for Children Foundation. http://www.achanceforchildren.org/