Russell Johnson |
||
|
|
||
Russell Johnson Relationships |
||
Who is Russell Johnson dating?Click on the photos to find out Who's Dated Who...
|
||
Post Your Vote |
||
Vote Results |
||
Career Highlights |
||
Actor Credits
|
||
Russell Johnson Biography |
||
|
Russell Johnson comes from the humblest of beginnings. He grew up in a a boys` orphanage school in the thick of the Great Depression.
Johnson joined the United States Army Air Forces in World War II. He had a very distinguished record and was highly decorated for his service. He flew 44 combat missions as a gunner in B-24 Liberator bombers, receiving a Purple Heart for injuries sustained when his plane was shot down over the Philippines. When the war ended, he joined the Army Reserves and used the GI Bill to fund his acting studies. He became a close friend of Audie Murphy and later appeared with him in three of his films, "Column South" and "Tumbleweed" in 1953 and "Ride Clear of Diablo" in 1954. (russell-johnson.com). Johnson`s Hollywood career began in 1952, with the college fraternity hazing exposé For Men Only, and Loan Shark also released in 1952, starring George Raft. His early roles were primarily in westerns and science fiction 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). Johnson appeared in two episodes of note in The Twilight Zone. He attempted to prevent the assassination of Abraham Lincoln in the time-travel episode "Back There". He also appeared as a college professor in the episode "Execution". He is best known to the public as "The Professor", the erudite polymath who could build all sorts of inventions out of the most rudimentary materials available on the island, but could not seem to find a way to get the castaways rescued. Gilligan`s Island aired from 1964 to 1967, but has been shown in reruns continuously ever since. Johnson was asked to take off his shirt when auditioning for the Gilligan`s Island role; he refused, but still got the job. Before accepting the role of "Roy Hinkley", he made Gilligan`s Island producer Sherwood Schwartz promise him that when he made scientific statements that they would be accurate. Johnson was typecast, but willingly participated in all the reunion movies, cartoons, and other events related to the program. When recognized as "The Professor" in public, he is gracious and friendly, and doesn`t object to being addressed as such. He has also appeared at least once alongside Nobel Prize-winning scientists as part of the awards presentation panel at the Ig Nobel Prize ceremonies. |
||
Top News Stories |
||
|
||
Snapshot |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Photo Gallery |
||
|
|
||
Fans |
||
|
|
||
Trivia |
||
 Really, we don`t know what to make of it except that we`re delighted about it. We have all these fans thirty years later and they`re still around and will probably be around for a long time to come. There aren`t many shows that people are talking about thirty years after they`re done. So we`re rather unique and we`re very grateful about it. Well, we`ve been typecast, there`s no doubt about that. But it`s all right. We`ve all done other things since then and we`ve had good careers. If any man be in Christ, he`s a new preacher. The old things are passed away and all things become new. It`s a phenomenon that we don`t really understand. We had a good cast and we loved each other. I must give an account for what I`ve done. "It used to make me upset to be typecast that way. But as the years have gone on, I have given in. I am the Professor, and that`s the way it is. The show has brought a lot of joy to people, and that`s not a bad legacy." -- Russell Johnson, referring to his role on "Gilligan`s Island" "Old actors never die, they don`t even fade away. They`re always available."Trivia Immortalized by the obscure Canadian band Show Business Giants in their song "I Can`t Get Russell Johnson Off My Mind," from their 1995 album "Let`s Have a Talk With the Dead.". Writes with his left hand. Known for narrating the long-running anime series, "Robotech" (1985). Johnson and actress Dawn Wells are best known for their roles on the television series _Gilligan`s Island (1964)_ , but they are also known for their infamous reference, "and the rest", in the show`s original theme song. It was later to changed to "The Professor and Mary Ann" after protests from the actors. Auditioned for the title role on the television series "Ben Casey" (1961), but lost out to actor Vince Edwards. Served for over twelve years as an officer of the Air Force, first as an active duty World War II bombadier (1944 - 1945) and then as an inactive member of the Officer Reserve Corps. Upon the creation of the U.S. Air Force, in the late 1940s, was augmented to the U.S. Air Force Reserve and briefly was a member of the 4th Air Reserve District in San Francisco. In 1953, became an inactive officer once again and recieved final discharge from the Air Force Reserve in August 1957. Enlisted in the U.S. Army in November 1942. Was assigned the service number 13 154 406 and served for two years, before being discharged in January 1944 to accept a commission as an officer. During the Second World War, enlisted to become an aviation cadet and rose to the officer`s rank of First Lieutenant, under the service number 765 497. Flew as Bombadier in B-25 aircraft on a total of 44 combat missions over the Netherlands, East Indies, and the Phillipines. World War II decorations include the Bronze Star, Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Purple Heart, Good Conduct Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with three service stars, Philippine Liberation Ribbon with one service star, and the World War II Victory Medal with Honorable Service Lapel Button. Earned his Purple Heart (for injuries during battle) when the B-24 Liberator bomber he was a crewman on was shot down during a bombing run against Japanese targets in the Philippine Islands in March of 1945. Father of actress Kim Johnson Johnson revealed on Surviving Gilligan`s Island: The Incredibly True Story of the Longest Three Hour Tour in History (2001) (TV) that producers wanted him to take off his shirt during the screen test to determine his sex appeal, but he refused. The producers settled for a photo instead. [2001] Three children: two, David and Kim Johnson with first wife, Kay Cousins Johnson; and one stepson, Courtney, with second wife, Constance. Son David died of AIDS at age 39 on October 27, 1994. Since David`s death, Johnson devotes his time to AIDS fund-raising. Was originally best known for playing character villains, but that changed dramatically after he played the Professor on "Gilligan`s Island" (1964), which was the diametrically opposite type of character. Was enrolled in a Hollywood drama school when he was spotted by Paul Henreid, who cast him in For Men Only (1952). Was a member of the National Honor Society while in high school. Married 3 times. Born in Ashley, Pennsylvania, USA | ||
Top Contributors |
||
|
Top editors for this profile:
|
||
Related Links |
||
 Super Star Sites Silver Sites Star Sites
|
||
Related Profiles |
||
Profile
Married
Relationship
"Encounter"
Comments
Submit a Comment