Russell Johnson
Russell Johnson
The Professor on Gilligan's Island; WW2 Purple Heart Veteran
Russell David Johnson is a television and film actor best known as "The Professor" on the CBS television sitcom Gilligan's Island.
After high school, in the midst of the Second World War, Johnson joined the United States Army as an aviation cadet. During the War, he rose to the rank of First Lieutenant, under the service number 765 497. He flew as bombardier in a total of 44 combat missions in a B-25 aircraft over the Netherlands, The East Indies, and the Philippines.
His plane was shot down in the Philippines in March 1945, during a bombing run against Japanese targets. The plane had to crash land at the port of Zamboanga. In this mission, he broke both his ankles and earned his Purple Heart. He was also awarded the Air Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with three service stars, the Philippine Liberation Ribbon with one service star, and the World War II Victory Medal. He was honorably discharged with the rank of first Lieutenant on November 22, 1945. He then joined the Army Reserves and used the GI Bill to fund his acting studies.
He made his acting debut in 1952 in the movie For Men Only, in which he played a villain. Throughout the next 12 years he appeared in many movies including, The Attack of the Crabs, This Island Earth, It Came From Outer Space, and Law and Order with Ronald Reagan and guest starred on numerous television shows including two appearances on the hit TV show The Twilight Zone.
In 1963, Russell won the role of the professor in the sitcom Gilligan's Island. Little did he know that this show would be his biggest claim to fame. The show ran for a total of 96 episodes and ended abruptly (due to scheduling conflicts with the hit show Gunsmoke) with the castaways stranded on the island. Despite its relatively short run, it has been shown in reruns continuously ever since.
His son, David, ran the AIDS program for Los Angeles, California until David's own death from complications of AIDS in 1994. Russell Johnson has been a full-time volunteer for AIDS research fundraising since his son was diagnosed.
Russell has written his memoirs: Here on Gilligan's Isle.
Russell Johnson at the Internet Movie Database