Russell Johnson

Acting November 10, 1924 (89 years old) January 16, 2014 Ashley, Pennsylvania, USA

Biography

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Russell David Johnson (November 10, 1924 – January 16, 2014) was an American actor, best known for his role as Professor Roy Hinkley in Gilligan's Island. Military career After graduating from high school, Johnson enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces as an aviation cadet. On completing his training, he was commissioned a second lieutenant. He flew 44 combat missions in the Pacific Theater during World War II as a bombardier in B-25 twin-engined medium bombers. On March 4, 1945, while flying as a navigator in a B-25 with the 100th Bombardment Squadron, 42nd Bombardment Group, 13th Air Force, his B-25 and two others were shot down during a low-level bombing and strafing run against Japanese military targets in the Philippine Islands. The B-25s encountered heavy anti-aircraft fire, and all three had to ditch in the sea off Zamboanga. Johnson broke both ankles in the landing, and his bomber's co-pilot was killed. Johnson received a Purple Heart for his injuries. He was also awarded the Air Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with three campaign stars, the Philippine Liberation Ribbon with one campaign star, and the World War II Victory Medal. After Japan's surrender, Johnson was honorably discharged as a first lieutenant on November 22, 1945. He joined the United States Air Force Reserve and used the G.I. Bill to pay for his acting studies at the Actors' Lab in Hollywood. While there, he met actress Kay Cousins (1923–1980), whom he married in 1949. His early roles were primarily in Westerns such as Rancho Notorious (1952, starring Marlene Dietrich), Seminole (1953), Law and Order (1953, opposite Ronald Reagan), and Badman's Country (1958), and science fiction films such as It Came from Outer Space (1953), This Island Earth (1955), Attack of the Crab Monsters (1956), and The Space Children (1958). He also appeared in a Ma and Pa Kettle vehicle, Ma and Pa Kettle at Waikiki (1955), as well as in Roger Corman's rock-'n'-roll crime drama Rock All Night (1957). In 1955, he had a role in Many Rivers to Cross along with Alan Hale Jr., later as the Skipper from Gilligan's Island. "The Professor" on Gilligan's Island Johnson was best known for playing Professor Roy Hinkley (usually called the "Professor"), the very knowledgeable polymath who could build all sorts of inventions out of the most rudimentary materials available on the island. As Johnson himself pointed out, though, he could not fix the hole in the boat. In the first episode of the show, the radio announcer describes the Professor as a research scientist and well-known scoutmaster. Gilligan's Island aired from 1964-67, but has been shown in reruns continuously ever since. CLR

Russell Johnson

Biography

Movies 52

Three Days of the Condor

The Greatest Story Ever Told

MacArthur

It Came from Outer Space

Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie

Attack of the Crab Monsters

This Island Earth

The Saga of Hemp Brown

Rescue from Gilligan's Island

Law and Order

Ride Clear of Diablo

Rancho Notorious

Many Rivers to Cross

Strange Lady in Town

The Ghost of Flight 401

Robotech II: The Sentinels

A Distant Trumpet

Hollywood in the Atomic Age: Monsters! Martians! Mad Scientists!

Seminole

The Turning Point

Beg, Borrow...or Steal

Black Tuesday

The Horror at 37,000 Feet

The Space Children

Surviving Gilligan's Island: The Incredibly True Story of the Longest Three Hour Tour in History

Hitch Hike to Hell

The Stand at Apache River

Adventures of the Queen

Tumbleweed

The Castaways on Gilligan's Island

Loan Shark

Collision Course: Truman vs. MacArthur

The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island

Back at the Front

Blue Movies

The Movie Murderer

Ma and Pa Kettle at Waikiki

Column South

Off the Wall

The Great Skycopter Rescue

Rock All Night

Johnny Dark

Police Story: No Margin for Error

You Lie So Deep, My Love

Courage of Black Beauty

For Men Only

Aloha Means Goodbye

Badman's Country

Nowhere to Hide

The Man from Independence

Cry for Poor Wally

The Gilligan Manifesto

TV Shows 96

MacGyver

Ironside

Lassie

Dynasty

Knots Landing

Wagon Train

Wagon Train

Wagon Train

Mannix

The Twilight Zone

The Twilight Zone

Newhart

Newhart

Cannon

ALF

Rawhide

The F.B.I.

The F.B.I.

The F.B.I.

The Jeffersons

Route 66

The Lone Ranger

Ben Casey

Lawman