Russell Johnson

Known For	Acting
Birthday	Nov 10, 1924
Died	Jan 16, 2014 (89)
Birthplace	Ashley, Pennsylvania, USA
Popularity	0.4 (history)
Updated	Dec 19, 2024 (Update)
Entry Date	Apr 13, 2024
Links	TMDb IMDb

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

Known For

Headshots

Filmography

Blue Movies

1988

as Mr. Martin

Off the Wall

1983

as Mr. Whitby

The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island

1981

as Professor

The Great Skycopter Rescue

1980

as Professor Benson

The Castaways on Gilligan's Island

1979

as Professor

Rescue from Gilligan's Island

1978

as Professor Roy Hinkley, Jr.

The Ghost of Flight 401

1978

as Loft

Police Story: No Margin for Error

1978

as Captain

The Bastard

1978

as Col. James Barrett

Hitch Hike to Hell

1977

as Captain J.W. Shaw

Nowhere to Hide

1977

as Charles Montague

MacArthur

1977

as Admiral King

You Lie So Deep, My Love

1975

as The Foreman

Adventures of the Queen

1975

as Forbes

Three Days of the Condor

1975

as Intelligence Officer at Briefing (uncredited)

Aloha Means Goodbye

1974

as Dr. Frank Franklin

Beg, Borrow...or Steal

1973

as Alex Langley

The Horror at 37,000 Feet

1973

as Jim Hawley

The Movie Murderer

1970

as Cliff Thomas

The Greatest Story Ever Told

1965

as Scribe

A Distant Trumpet

1964

as Captain Brinker

The Saga of Hemp Brown

1958

as Hook

Badman's Country

1958

as Sundance

The Space Children

1958

as Joe Gamble

Rock All Night

1957

as Jigger

Attack of the Crab Monsters

1957

as Hank Chapman

Courage of Black Beauty

1957

as Ben Farraday

Ma and Pa Kettle at Waikiki

1955

as Eddie Nelson

This Island Earth

1955

as Steve Carlson

Strange Lady in Town

1955

as Shadduck

Many Rivers to Cross

1955

as Banks

Ride Clear of Diablo

1954

as Jed Ringer

Johnny Dark

1954

as Emory

Black Tuesday

1954

as Howard Sloane

Tumbleweed

1953

as Lam Blandon

It Came from Outer Space

1953

as George

Law and Order

1953

as Jimmy Johnson

Seminole

1953

as Lt. Hamilton

The Stand at Apache River

1953

as Greiner

Column South

1953

as Biddle

For Men Only

1952

as Ky Walker

Back at the Front

1952

as Johnny Redondo - Smuggler

Loan Shark

1952

as Charlie Thompson

The Turning Point

1952

as Herman (uncredited)

Rancho Notorious

1952

as Chuck-A-Luck Wheel Spinner (uncredited)

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Organization	Category	Movie

Gilligan's Island

as Roy "The Professor" Hinkley

Episodes: 98

First Aired: Sep 26, 1964

Black Saddle

as Marshal Gib Scott

Episodes: 44

First Aired: Jan 10, 1959

The New Adventures of Gilligan

as Professor Roy Hinkley (voice)

Episodes: 32

First Aired: Sep 07, 1974

Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law

as Asst D.A. Grant

Episodes: 23

First Aired: Sep 16, 1971

Gilligan's Planet

as Roy "The Professor" Hinkley (voice)

Episodes: 13

First Aired: Sep 18, 1982

Vanished

as Clyde Morehouse

Episodes: 2

First Aired: Mar 08, 1971

Rich Man, Poor Man - Book II

as Detective

Episodes: 2

First Aired: Sep 21, 1976

Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law

as Brenton Grant

Episodes: 2

First Aired: Sep 16, 1971

Beyond Westworld

as Patrick

Episodes: 2

First Aired: Mar 05, 1980

The Great Adventure

as Narrator (voice)

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 27, 1963

The F.B.I.

as Phillip Graham

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 19, 1965

Hawkins

as District Attorney

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Mar 13, 1973

MacGyver

as Oslow

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 29, 1985

Knots Landing

as Tim Murphy

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Dec 27, 1979

Gunsmoke

as Stanger

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 10, 1955

Wonder Woman

as Colonel

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Nov 07, 1975

ALF

as Professor Roy Hinkley

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 22, 1986

Hallmark Hall of Fame

as Lefty

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Dec 24, 1951

The Twilight Zone

as Prof. Manion

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Oct 02, 1959

Alfred Hitchcock Presents

as Turk

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Oct 02, 1955

Rawhide

as Burt Harvey

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Jan 09, 1959

Thriller

as Adam Talmadge

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 13, 1960

Lux Video Theatre

as Carter

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Oct 02, 1950

Adventures in Paradise

as Bowman

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Oct 05, 1959

Riverboat

as Darius

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 13, 1959

Code R

as Ike

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Jan 21, 1977

Cavalcade of America

as Karl Nader

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Oct 01, 1952

Wagon Train

as Craig Manson

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 18, 1957

The DuPont Show with June Allyson

as Hugh

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 21, 1959

ABC Afterschool Special

as Mr. Calder

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Oct 04, 1972

The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin

as Sgt. Stan Powers

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Oct 15, 1954

Tales of Wells Fargo

as William Dodd

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Mar 18, 1957

The Deputy

as Albee Beckett

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 12, 1959

The Twilight Zone

as Pete Corrigan

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Oct 02, 1959

Adventures of Superman

as Man on Phone in Montage (archive footage)

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 19, 1952

Jefferson Drum

as The Sundown Kid

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Apr 25, 1958

The F.B.I.

as Jim Kellogg

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 19, 1965

The F.B.I.

as Dr. McGregor

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 19, 1965

Gunsmoke

as Harry Webb

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 10, 1955

Gunsmoke

as Diggs

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 10, 1955

Gunsmoke

as Link Parrin

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 10, 1955

The Outer Limits

as Major Benedict

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 16, 1963

Cavalcade of America

as Dan Marshall

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Oct 01, 1952

The DuPont Show with June Allyson

as Tom Richards

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 21, 1959

Route 66

as Bob Keel

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Oct 07, 1960

Steve Canyon

as Maj. Pitch Hammer

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 13, 1958

The Lone Ranger

as Tom Levering

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 15, 1949

McMillan & Wife

as Carl Jensen

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 29, 1971

Lux Video Theatre

as Lennigan

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Oct 02, 1950

Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law

as Asst. D.A. Grant

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 16, 1971

Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law

as Asst. D.A. Brenton Grant

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 16, 1971

The Invaders

as James Bernard

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Jan 10, 1967

The Detectives

as Lee

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Oct 16, 1959

Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law

as Prosecutor

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 16, 1971

Ironside

as Martin Lucas

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Mar 28, 1967

Stevie and Zoya

as Narrator

Episodes: 0

First Aired: Unknown

Lassie

Episodes: 4

First Aired: Sep 12, 1954

Dynasty

Episodes: 3

First Aired: Jan 12, 1981

The Great Adventure

as Self - Narrator

Episodes: 3

First Aired: Sep 27, 1963

That Girl

Episodes: 2

First Aired: Sep 08, 1966

The Jeffersons

Episodes: 2

First Aired: Jan 18, 1975

Cannon

Episodes: 2

First Aired: Sep 14, 1971

City Detective

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 07, 1953

Lou Grant

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 20, 1977

77 Sunset Strip

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Oct 10, 1958

Fame

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Jan 07, 1982

Roseanne

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Oct 18, 1988

E! True Hollywood Story

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Aug 21, 1996

Space Ghost Coast to Coast

as Self

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Apr 15, 1994

Bosom Buddies

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Nov 27, 1980

Mannix

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 16, 1967

Newhart

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Oct 02, 1982

Hawaiian Eye

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Oct 07, 1959

Monsters

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Oct 22, 1988

Ripcord

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 28, 1961

The Greatest Show on Earth

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 17, 1963

Felony Squad

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 12, 1966

Police Story

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Mar 20, 1973

Adventures of Superman

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 19, 1952

You Are There

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Feb 01, 1953

The Dakotas

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Jan 07, 1963

Lawman

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Oct 05, 1958

Ben Casey

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Oct 02, 1961

General Electric True

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 30, 1962

Kings Row

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 13, 1955

Temple Houston

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 19, 1963

Popularity Metrics

Popularity History

Year	Month	Avg	Max	Min
2024	6	10	19	6
2024	7	18	31	7
2024	8	14	29	7
2024	9	11	23	4
2024	10	6	10	3
2024	11	6	12	2
2024	12	8	14	2
2025	1	12	24	6
2025	2	5	12	1
2025	3	5	9	1
2025	4	1	1	1
2025	6	1	1	1
2025	7	0	1	0
2025	8	0	1	0

Trending Rank

Year	Month	Avg Rank	Max Rank
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Russell Johnson

Biography

Known For

Headshots

Filmography

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