If you’re hoping to discover that Russell Johnson, the level-headed, boundlessly inventive Professor Roy Hinkley from “Gilligan’s Island” lived a life riddled with scandal, prepare to be sorely disappointed. Aside from his 1948 divorce and the time he entered the Burbank Post Office parking lot through the exit lane because he was running late for a Kiwanis Club dinner, there’s not so much as a speck of dirt on this guy.
Born in 1924, you won’t be surprised to learn that he served in World War II. But you might be interested to learn that on his 45th bombing raid in the Pacific Theater, his B-25 was shot down, forcing him to ditch the aircraft off the coast of the Philippines. His co-pilot was killed, while Johnson broke both of his ankles. Johnson received a fistful of medals, was honorably discharged, and used the G.I. Bill to study performance at the Actors’ Lab in Hollywood.
Johnson clearly chose the right vocation. Between 1952 and 1964, he appeared in somewhere around 30 movies and television shows, some of which are fairly notable: e.g. the sci-fi classic “This Island Earth,” Roger Corman’s “Rock All Night” (co-starring the great Dick Miller), and Fritz Lang’s “Rancho Notorious.”
Johnson was settling into a comfortable career as a character actor when fate shipwrecked him on a desert isle with six other castaways. “Gilligan’s Island” changed everything — for better and worse. On one hand, the show’s syndication meant he’d be famous for the rest of his life; on the other, he was forever typecast. How did he feel about that, and did he try to alter people’s perception of him?
I am the Professor, and that’s the way it is
After the cancellation of “Gilligan’s Island” in 1967, sought out work on Gene Roddenberry’s “Star Trek,” but nothing ever materialized. He appeared on episodes of “The Invaders,” “Gunsmoke” and “That Girl,” and landed a role in Joseph Sargent’s WWII epic “MacArthur.” He goofed on his “Professor” persona via a cameo on an episode of “Newhart,” and had the misfortune of playing a sheriff on the “dream season” of “Dallas” (which erased his and many other characters from existence).
It used to make me upset to be typecast as the Professor … But as the years have gone by, I’ve given in. I am the Professor, and that’s the way it is … Besides, the show went into syndication and parents are happy to have their children watch the reruns. No one gets hurt. There are no murders, no car crashes. Just good, plain, silly fun. It’s brought a lot of joy to people, and that’s not a bad legacy.
It certainly wasn’t a bad life. Far from it. When Johnson’s son David died of complications from AIDS in 1994, he became active in fund-raising efforts to help fight the spread of the disease. Johnson himself passed away on January 16, 2014, in Bainbridge Island, Washington, leaving behind a legacy of guffaws and time well wasted on our parents’ couches.