Crap - R.I.P. Russell Johnson
Russell Johnson? The Professor on Gilligan's Island.
From the
New York Times:
Russell Johnson, the Professor on �Gilligan�s Island,� Dies at 89
Russell Johnson, an actor who made a living by mostly playing villains in westerns until he was cast as the Professor, the brains of a bunch of sweetly clueless, self-involved, hopelessly na�ve island castaways, on the hit sitcom �Gilligan�s Island,� died on Thursday at his home in Bainbridge Island, Wash. He was 89.
He lived quite the life offstage too - from
Together We Served:
After high school, in the midst of World War II, Johnson joined the United States Army Air Forces as an aviation cadet; upon commissioning as a Second Lieutenant, Johnson was assigned the service number 0 765 497. He flew 44 combat missions as a bombardier in B-25 Mitchell bombers. 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.
Posted by DaveH at January 16, 2014 4:18 PM