Long before he was known as "The Professor" in the cult comedy classic Gilligan's Island, Russell Johnson was a well-known character actor, starring in several Westerns and Sci-Fi classics as This Island Earth and It Came from Outer Space. 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.


Was a member of the National Honor Society while in high school. Was originally best known for playing character villains, but that changed dramatically after he played the Professor on "Gilligan's Island" (1964), which was the diametrically opposite type of character. Three children: two, David and Kim Johnson with his first wife, Kay Cousins Johnson; and one stepson, Courtney Dane, with his second wife, Constance Dane. During the Second World War, enlisted to become an aviation cadet and rose to the officer's rank of First Lieutenant, under the service number 765 497. Flew as Bombadier in B-25 aircraft on a total of 44 combat missions over the Netherlands, East Indies, and the Phillipines. World War II decorations include the Bronze Star, Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Purple Heart, Good Conduct Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with three service stars, Philippine Liberation Ribbon with one service star, and the World War II Victory Medal with Honorable Service Lapel Button. Earned his Purple Heart (for injuries during battle) when the B-24 Liberator bomber he was a crewman on was shot down during a bombing run against Japanese targets in the Philippine Islands in March of 1945. 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. Johnson and actress Dawn Wells 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. Writes with his left hand.