Russell Johnson
Birthday:
10 November 1924, Ashley, Pennsylvania, USA
Birth Name:
Russell David Johnson
Height:
178 cm
Long before he was known as "The Professor" in the cult comedy classic Gilligan's Island (1964), Russell Johnson was a well-known character actor, starring in several Westerns and Sci-Fi classics as This Island Earth (1955) and It Came from Outer Space (1953). Johnson grew up in Pennsylvania and was sent to a boarding school in Phila...
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Long before he was known as "The Professor" in the cult comedy classic Gilligan's Island (1964), Russell Johnson was a well-known character actor, starring in several Westerns and Sci-Fi classics as This Island Earth (1955) and It Came from Outer Space (1953). Johnson grew up in Pennsylvania and was sent to a boarding school in Philadelphia with his brothers when his father died.Unlike his Professor character, Johnson said he was not a bright student and was in fact held back a grade. Johnson did redeem himself later on in his school career and made the National Honor Society in high school. He joined the Army Air Corps in World War II, and earned the Purple Heart when his B-24 Liberator was shot down in the Philippines during a bombing run in March, 1945. After the war, he used the G.I. Bill to enroll in acting school to ply his new trade.Johnson lived in the state of Washington, and has done several guest shots on television shows. Show less «
Old actors never die, they don't even fade away. They're always available.
Old actors never die, they don't even fade away. They're always available.
[about his role on Gilligan's Island (1964)] It used to make me upset to be typecast that way. But as the years have gone on, I have given i...Show more »
[about his role on Gilligan's Island (1964)] 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. Show less «
Gunsmoke (1955), Wagon Train (1957), The Dakotas (1962) -- you name a Western, I did it. I was always the bad guy in Westerns. I played more...Show more »
Gunsmoke (1955), Wagon Train (1957), The Dakotas (1962) -- you name a Western, I did it. I was always the bad guy in Westerns. I played more bad guys than you can shake a stick at until I played the Professor. Then I couldn't get a job being a bad guy. Show less «
Russell Johnson's Photos
The Professor
Himself
