Russell Johnson
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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
Known for
MacGyver
Oslow
The Twilight Zone
Prof. Manion
The Twilight Zone
Pete Corrigan
Lassie
Dynasty
Wagon Train
Craig Manson
Wagon Train
Major Dan Marriott
Ironside
Martin Lucas
Mannix
ALF
Professor Roy Hinkley
Cannon
Rawhide
Burt Harvey
Knots Landing
Tim Murphy
Gunsmoke
Stanger
Gunsmoke
Harry Webb
Gunsmoke
Diggs
Gunsmoke
Link Parrin
The F.B.I.
Phillip Graham
The F.B.I.
Jim Kellogg
The F.B.I.
Dr. McGregor
Ben Casey
Lawman
Newhart
The Outer Limits
Major Benedict
Route 66
Bob Keel
The Invaders
James Bernard
The Lone Ranger
Tom Levering
Tales of Wells Fargo
William Dodd
Adventures of Superman
Adventures of Superman
Man on Phone in Montage (archive footage)
Hawaiian Eye
Fame
Lou Grant
ABC Afterschool Special
Mr. Calder
Adventures in Paradise
Bowman
77 Sunset Strip
The Jeffersons
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Turk
Gilligan's Island
Roy "The Professor" Hinkley
That Girl
Thriller
Adam Talmadge
The Detectives
Lee
Black Tuesday
Howard Sloane
Police Story
Wonder Woman
Colonel
McMillan & Wife
Carl Jensen
Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law
Asst D.A. Grant
Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law
Asst. D.A. Grant
Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law
Brenton Grant
Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law
Asst. D.A. Brenton Grant
Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law
Prosecutor
Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law
DA Grant
The Great Adventure
Narrator (voice)
The Great Adventure
Self - Narrator
Monsters
Ripcord
The DuPont Show with June Allyson
Hugh
The DuPont Show with June Allyson
Tom Richards
Black Saddle
Marshal Gib Scott
Felony Squad
Tye Laughlin
The Rebels
The Greatest Show on Earth
Dr. Arnold Andrews
Three Days of the Condor
Intelligence Officer at Briefing (uncredited)
Aloha Means Goodbye
Dr. Frank Franklin
The Deputy
Albee Beckett
The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin
Sgt. Stan Powers
The Bastard
Col. James Barrett
The Space Children
Joe Gamble
General Electric True
Riverboat
Darius
Loan Shark
Charlie Thompson
Back at the Front
Johnny Redondo - Smuggler
Rich Man, Poor Man - Book II
Detective
Bosom Buddies
The Movie Murderer
Cliff Thomas
City Detective
The Greatest Story Ever Told
Scribe
Cavalcade of America
Karl Nader
Cavalcade of America
Dan Marshall
Lux Video Theatre
Carter
Lux Video Theatre
Lennigan
A Distant Trumpet
Captain Brinker
You Are There
Law and Order
Jimmy Johnson
Temple Houston
Steve Canyon
Maj. Pitch Hammer
Hawkins
District Attorney
You Lie So Deep, My Love
The Foreman
The Dakotas
Roseanne
Beyond Westworld
Patrick
Jefferson Drum
The Sundown Kid
Strange Lady in Town
Shadduck
Code R
Ike
This Island Earth
Steve Carlson
Gilligan's Planet
Roy "The Professor" Hinkley (voice)
Rock All Night
Jigger
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Lefty
Attack of the Crab Monsters
Hank Chapman
Blue Movies
Mr. Martin
The New Adventures of Gilligan
Professor Roy Hinkley (voice)
The Turning Point
Herman (uncredited)
Stevie and Zoya
Narrator
E! True Hollywood Story
Seminole
Lt. Hamilton
Badman's Country
Sundance
Vanished
Clyde Morehouse
It Came from Outer Space
George
Kings Row
Cry for Poor Wally
Ride Clear of Diablo
Jed Ringer
Rancho Notorious
Chuck-A-Luck Wheel Spinner (uncredited)
Tumbleweed
Lam Blandon
Off the Wall
Mr. Whitby
MacArthur
Admiral King
The Ghost of Flight 401
Loft
The Horror at 37,000 Feet
Jim Hawley
Column South
Biddle
Rescue from Gilligan's Island
Professor Roy Hinkley, Jr.
The Stand at Apache River
Greiner
Surviving Gilligan's Island: The Incredibly True Story of the Longest Three Hour Tour in History
Himself
Many Rivers to Cross
Banks
The Saga of Hemp Brown
Hook
Ma and Pa Kettle at Waikiki
Eddie Nelson
Hollywood in the Atomic Age: Monsters! Martians! Mad Scientists!
Self (archive footage)
The Unknown Story
Self - archive footage
For Men Only
Ky Walker
Johnny Dark
Emory
Adventures of the Queen
Forbes
The Gilligan Manifesto
Himself
The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island
Professor
The Man from Independence
Linaver
Police Story: No Margin for Error
Captain
Hitch Hike to Hell
Captain J.W. Shaw
Nowhere to Hide
Charles Montague
Beg, Borrow...or Steal
Alex Langley
The Castaways on Gilligan's Island
Professor
Courage of Black Beauty
Ben Farraday
The Great Skycopter Rescue
Professor Benson
Collision Course: Truman vs. MacArthur
Gen. George Stratemeyer
Space Ghost Coast to Coast
Self