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mahatmakanejeeves

(57,664 posts)
Wed Nov 10, 2021, 12:33 PM Nov 2021

Actor Russell Johnson was #BornOnThisDay, Nov. 10. 1924.

Last edited Wed Nov 10, 2021, 08:30 PM - Edit history (3)

Actor Russell Johnson was #BornOnThisDay, Nov. 10. 1924. Best remembered for his role as "Professor" on TV's Gilligan's Island (1964-'67) & in TV's #TwilightZone, episode, "Execution" (1960) & "Back There" (1961). Passed in 2014 (age 89) from kidney failure. #RIP #birthday #BOTD





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Russell Johnson


Johnson in Black Saddle (1960)

Born: Russell David Johnson; November 10, 1924; Ashley, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died: January 16, 2014 (aged 89); Bainbridge Island, Washington, U.S.

Russell David Johnson (November 10, 1924 – January 16, 2014) was an American actor. He played Professor Roy Hinkley in Gilligan's Island and Marshal Gib Scott in Black Saddle.

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Early life

Johnson was born in Ashley, Pennsylvania, on November 10, 1924, to Russell Kennedy Johnson (1901–1932) and Marion Wenonah Smink Johnson (1902–1976).

Johnson was the eldest of seven siblings: Kenneth W. Johnson (1925–2012), David Reed Johnson (1926–1976), Lois Marion Johnson (1927–1928), Lorraine Johnson Crosby (1928-2015), Marion Joan Johnson Reeves (1930–2010), and Paul Wesley Johnson (1932–1933). Their father died of pneumonia in December 1932, and Paul Wesley died not long after. Minnie Johnson later remarried Thomas S. Lewis.

As a teenager, Johnson attended Girard College, a private boarding school for fatherless boys, located in Philadelphia.

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 as 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.

Johnson was honorably discharged as a first lieutenant on November 22, 1945, then joined the United States Air Force Reserve.

Movie and television career

After his honorable discharge from the military, Johnson used the G.I. Bill to pay for his acting studies at the Actors' Lab in Hollywood.

Johnson 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. Johnson's Hollywood career began in 1952, with the college fraternity hazing exposé For Men Only, and with Loan Shark, also released in 1952 and starring George Raft.

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 the Skipper from Gilligan's Island. Johnson and Hale also appeared together in an episode of the tv series, Casey Jones.

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Personal life

Johnson was married three times. His first marriage to Edith Cahoon in 1943 ended in divorce in 1948.

In 1949 he married his second wife, Kay Cousins, whom he had met while at the Actors' Lab in Hollywood. Together they had a daughter, Kim, and a son, David. Cousins died on January 20, 1980, in Century City, California.

In 1982, Johnson married Constance "Connie" Dane, and became stepfather to her son, Courtney Dane. It was here that Johnson collaborated with writer Steve Cox on the memoir, "Here on Gilligan's Isle," published in 1993.

Russell's son David Johnson died of AIDS-related complications on October 27, 1994.[11] After his son's diagnosis with AIDS, Johnson frequently helped raise money for AIDS charities.

Death
Johnson died from kidney failure at his home in Bainbridge Island, Washington, on January 16, 2014, aged 89. His remains were cremated. Johnson's memorial service was held a month later.

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