Bruce the Shark is Tiki Town’s official mascot. He can typically be seen cruising the waters in the Tiki Town Lagoon just north of the main resort dance floor.
Bruce Shark is a great white shark (carcharodon carcharias). His favorite foods include sashimi tuna, dolphin kabobs, and strawberry waffles. His hobbies include swimming, people watching, people nibbling, and collecting lost bikinis. He considers himself a people-person and enjoys spending time with his friends, both fish and humans. Bruce says that he avoids aquatic riff-raff and troublemakers such as dolphins and orcas.
“They are not our friends. When dolphins show up they have lots of problems. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And none of them, I assume, are good people.”
When asked about orcas, Bruce was also very direct in offering his thoughts.
“Orcas… they’re just shark wannabes. They’re not as smart or talented as sharks. They’re almost as bad as dolphins. And how many orca movies can you name? Maybe one? Nobody wants to see a fucking orca movie.”
Bruce began his film career as an un-credited roll in the 1965 James Bond film Thunderball. Afterward, he had a supporting role in the 1969 film Shark. Between acting gigs Bruce did some photo modeling work for National Geographic and Nature magazine. His big acting break came in 1975 with his starring role in the blockbuster movie Jaws which went on to win three Academy Awards. Bruce’s breakout performance in the movie was unfairly overlooked by the Academy due to widespread anti-shark prejudice. He was disappointed but he didn’t let that discourage him from acting.
“The 70s were a difficult time to be a shark. A lot of beach violence was unjustly blamed on sharks. We were victims of racial profiling and discrimination. Anytime someone washed up on a beach missing an arm or a leg the media was always quick to blame sharks. A lot of things have teeth… barracudas, pike, bluefish, tilapia, humans. But who always gets blamed? Sharks!”
After Jaws Bruce went on to star in other movies including The Deep (1977) and Jaws 2 (1978). He also had a supporting role in Jaws 3-D (1983) before once again playing the leading shark in Jaws: The Revenge (1987) which was his last major role in a film.
Bruce suffered from typecasting throughout much of his film career and found it difficult to acquire movie roles in the 90’s and 2000’s. He had a cameo appearance in the 1999 film Deep Blue Sea. Co-star Samuel L. Jackson said, “Bruce was an extremely professional motherfucker on the set of the movie. That motherfucker deserved a much bigger role. It was an honor to work alongside a true motherfuckin’ Hollywood legend like Bruce.”
Once again cast as a shark, Bruce had a minor role in the 2005 family film The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl which also was one of Bruce’s very rare speaking roles. Bruce’s last film was a small role in the 2013 film Sharknado. He announced his retirement from acting the following year.
Aside from his acting career, Bruce also worked at the Studio Tour at Universal Studios Hollywood theme park from 1976 to 1992, re-enacting his role from the original Jaws movie.
“It was a steady gig and I had a lot of fun working there. It was nice getting to be up close with so many of many fans. And I got to scare the shit out of quite a lot of people. Sometimes quite literally.”
A life-size replica of Bruce can be seen in the Academy for Motion Picture Arts in Los Angeles.
The CGI character “Bruce” in the animated film Finding Nemo (2003) was based on Bruce.
After his retirement from acting Bruce and moved from his long-time home in the Pacific Ocean. Bruce became a resident of Tiki Town in 2018. After a highly successful petition by Tiki Town staff Bruce was named Tiki Town’s official mascot in 2021.
Bruce has remained a bachelor his entire life though rumors of his dating Rihanna, Jessica Biel and Halle Berry have been circulating for years though he has refused to comment on his romantic relationships. He prefers to stay out of the tabloids and has repeatedly turned down interview requests from Access Hollywood, Entertainment Tonight, and The Discovery Channel.
He has never divulged his birthday but he is believed to be about 60 years old. He is loving his retirement in Tiki Town and enjoys the great music and dancing. And yes, sharks can dance. They’re just shy about doing it.
Bruce says that he is still in excellent health and is watching his weight and swims at least twenty miles every day to stay in shape. He is happy to say that he still has all 300 teeth and not a single filling. Bruce says that the secret to his good health is avoiding fatty foods such as walrus and seals.
When asked about his plans for the future Bruce the Shark had this to say.
“I live my life one day at a time. I swim around. I eat stuff. I chill and relax. Like most sharks, I’m not looking for trouble. Humans just misunderstand our intentions sometimes. Sharks are very loving but we hug with our mouths. Sometimes love hurts.”
