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Russell Johnson
Age: 85
Height: 5' 10"
Birth Place: Ashley, Pennsylvania, USA
Born: Nov. 10th, 1924
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Russell Johnson's Main TV Roles
NOTE: Complete List of Works can be found at
IMDB
BIOGRAPHY: 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 currently lives in the state of Washington, and has done several guest shots on television shows.
TRIVIA:
- Johnson and actress 'Dawn Wells (I)' (qv) are best known for their roles on the television series _Gilligan's Island (1964)_ , but they are also known for their ambiguous 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.
- 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.
- Was a member of the National Honor Society while in high school.
- Son David died of AIDS at age 39 on October 27, 1994. Before and especially since David's death, Johnson devotes a great deal his time to AIDS fund-raising.
- 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.
- 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.
- Known for narrating the long-running anime series, _"Robotech" (1985)_ (qv).
- (2001) Johnson revealed on _Surviving Gilligan's Island: The Incredibly True Story of the Longest Three Hour Tour in History (2001) (TV)_ (qv) 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.
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