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Russell Johnson

Russell Johnson

Actor · 1924 – 2014 · Ashley, Pennsylvania, USA

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

Series24

  • TV6.9

    Knots Landing

    1979 · 47 votes

  • TV7.7

    MacGyver

    1985 · 963 votes

  • TV6.8

    Ironside

    1967 · 71 votes

  • TV7.3

    The Jeffersons

    1975 · 130 votes

  • TV6.8

    Mannix

    1967 · 56 votes

  • TV6.5

    Dynasty

    1981 · 135 votes

  • TV6.6

    Wagon Train

    1957 · 31 votes

  • TV6.3

    Lassie

    1954 · 74 votes

  • TV8.5

    The Twilight Zone

    1959 · 1.1K votes

  • TV7.8

    Alfred Hitchcock Presents

    1955 · 265 votes

  • TV6.7

    Cannon

    1971 · 41 votes

  • TV5.6

    The F.B.I.

    1965 · 25 votes

  • TV7.2

    Newhart

    1982 · 65 votes

  • TV6.5
  • TV7.8
  • TV7.2

    Rawhide

    1959 · 49 votes

  • TV7.6

    ALF

    1986 · 1.3K votes

  • TV5.9

    Ben Casey

    1961 · 15 votes

  • TV6.7

    Route 66

    1960 · 20 votes

  • TV6.7

    Gunsmoke

    1955 · 119 votes

  • TV6.8

    The Invaders

    1967 · 62 votes

  • TV7.4

    Lou Grant

    1977 · 32 votes

  • TV5.6

    Hawaiian Eye

    1959 · 10 votes

  • TV6.0

    Lawman

    1958 · 13 votes

Movies23

  • Movie7.3

    Three Days of the Condor

    1975 · 1.4K votes

  • Movie6.4
  • Movie6.2

    MacArthur

    1977 · 97 votes

  • Movie6.5

    Rancho Notorious

    1952 · 129 votes

  • Movie6.0

    This Island Earth

    1955 · 240 votes

  • Movie6.3

    It Came from Outer Space

    1953 · 257 votes

  • Movie5.2
  • Movie5.5

    The Ghost of Flight 401

    1978 · 16 votes

  • Movie6.5

    Many Rivers to Cross

    1955 · 19 votes

  • Movie4.9

    Strange Lady in Town

    1955 · 9 votes

  • Movie5.5

    A Distant Trumpet

    1964 · 32 votes

  • Movie5.7

    Law and Order

    1953 · 18 votes

  • Movie4.9
  • Movie4.5
  • Movie6.1

    Black Tuesday

    1954 · 34 votes

  • Movie6.1

    Ride Clear of Diablo

    1954 · 34 votes

  • Movie6.4

    The Saga of Hemp Brown

    1958 · 9 votes

  • Movie6.6
  • Movie5.3
  • Movie6.2

    Column South

    1953 · 12 votes

  • Movie5.6

    Seminole

    1953 · 32 votes

  • Movie4.2

    The Space Children

    1958 · 43 votes

  • Movie6.3

    The Turning Point

    1952 · 34 votes