RUSSELL JOHNSON BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:
Russell Johnson was born on November 10th, 1924 in Ashley, Pennsylvania with the middle name David. He was raised in Pennsylvania and as a young boy his father passed away and he was sent to a boarding school called, Girard College with his brothers in Pennsylvania to complete his education.
He then joined the Army Air Corps during World War II and upon completing his military service, he used the G.I. Bill to study acting at a Hollywood drama school, however remained active in the Army as a reserve for twelve years.
It was during this time that he was discovered by Paul Henreid, who chose to cast Johnson in the film, "For Men Only" (1952).
Soon he began to work more and starred in a number of Westerns and Sci-Fi films such as, "It Came from Outer Space" (1953), "Ride Clear of Diablo" (1954), "This Island Earth" (1955), "Attack of the Crab Monsters" (1956) and "The Space Children" (1958).
Along with working as a film actor he also appeared in on a number of television series early on in his career such as, "City Detective", "The Silent Service", "The Dupont Show with June Allyson", "Breaking Point" and "Black Saddle".
He is most well known for his role as, 'The Professor' in the classic comedy television sitcom, "Gilligan's Island" (1964-1967) costarring with Bob Denver, Alan Hale Jr., Jim Backus, Dawn Wells, Tina Louise and Natalie Schafer. Following this series ending he remained working in the industry appearing on a variety of films as well as television shows. Some of his later credits include the television series, "The Invaders", "Death Valley Days", "Ironside", "Gunsmoke", "Lassie", "Santa Barbara" and "Dallas".
Later film role credits he added to his resume were on, "Hitchhike to Hell" (1977), "Off the Wall" (1983) and "Blue Movies" (1988). Most recent television roles include, "Monsters", "My Two Dads", "Roseanne" and "Meego".
Russell Johnson has married three times throughout his lifetime, first to Edith Cahoon in 1943 however by 1948, this marriage came to an end. He then married Kay Cousins Johnson in 1949 and they had two children together and remained married until she passed away in 1980. His third and current wife is Constane Dane and they wed in 1982 and reside in the state of Washington. He is for he most part retired from the industry and on occasion will make guest appearances on a number of television shows.
He lost one son, David to AIDS. Since then, Johnson is a longtime volunteer to AIDS research fundraising.
Filmography
1997 Meego
1996 Hellbender
1995 Roseanne
1992 With a Vengeance
1991 Santa Barbara
1989 My Two Dads
1988 Monsters
1988 Mathnet
1988 Blue Movies
1987 Knots Landing
1987 ALF
1986-1987 Dynasty
1987 Newhar
1987 Fame
1986 Dallas
1986 Robotech II: The Sentinels
1983 Off the Wall
1983 Buffalo Bill
1982 The Jeffersons
1982 Gilligan's Planet
1982 Kill Squad
1981 The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island
1981 Bosom Buddies
1980 Days of Our Lives
1980 Beyond Westworld
1980 The Great Skycopter Rescue
1979 The Castaways on Gilligan's Island
1978 Lou Grant
1978 The New Adventures of Wonder Woman
1978 Rescue from Gilligan's Island
1978 The Bastard
1978 Police Story
1978 The Ghost of Flight 401
1977 ABC Afterschool Specials
1977 MacArthur
1977 Nowhere to Hide
1977 McMillan & Wife
1977 Hitch Hike to Hell
1976 Rich Man, Poor Man - Book I
1976 Collision Course: Truman vs. MacArthur
1975 Mobile One
1975 Three Days of the Condor
1974-1975 Cannon
1975 You Lie So Deep, My Love
1975 Adventures of the Queen
1974 Mannix
1974 Aloha Means Goodbye
1974 The New Adventures of Gilligan
1974 The Man from Independence
1973 Beg, Borrow, or Steal
1973 The Horror at 37,000 Feet
1971-1973 Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law
1957-1972 Gunsmoke
1972 Ironside
1971 O'Hara, U.S. Treasury
1971 Marcus Welby, M.D.
1971 Vanished
1971 The Young Lawyers
1970 San Francisco International Airport
1968-1970 The F.B.I.
1970 That Girl
1970 The Movie Murderer
1958-1969 Lassie
1969 Cry for Poor Wally
1961-1968 Death Valley Days
1968 Felony Squad
1968 The Big Valley
1967 The Invaders
1964-1967 Gilligan's Island
1965 The Greatest Story Ever Told
1964 Invitation to a Gunfighter
1964 A Distant Trumpet
1964 The Outer Limits
1964 The Greatest Show on Earth
1963 77 Sunset Strip
1963 The Farmer's Daughter
1963 Breaking Point
1963 Rawhide
1961-1963 Laramie
1963 Empire
1963 The Eleventh Hour
1961-1963 Hawaiian Eye
1963 The Dakotas
1962 G.E. True
1957-1962 Wagon Train
1962 Ben Casey
1962 The Wide Country
1962 The Law and Mr. Jones
1957-1962 Tales of Wells Fargo
1962 Route 66
1961 Adventures in Paradise
1961 The Detectives
1961 Alcoa Premiere
1961 Ripcord
1961 The Deputy
1960-1961 Twilight Zone
1961 Thriller
1960 The DuPont Show with June Allyson
1959-1960 Black Saddle
1959 Riverboat
1959 Lawman
1959 Border Patrol
1958 Rescue 8
1958 The Californians
1958 Steve Canyon
1958 The Saga of Hemp Brown
1958 Badman's Country
1958 The Space Children
1958 Jefferson Drum
1957-1958 The Silent Service
1958 Flight
1957 Casey Jones
1956-1957 The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin
1957 Courage of Black Beauty
1955-1957 Lux Video Theatre
1957 Code 3
1957 Rock All Night
1957 Alfred Hitchcock Presents
1955-1957 Cavalcade of America
1957 Attack of the Crab Monsters
1956 Circus Boy
1956 You Are There
1955-1956 Crossroads
1956 Celebrity Playhouse
1956 Climax!
1956 God Is in the Streets
1955 Kings Row
1955 The Lone Ranger
1955 This Island Earth
1955 The Touch of Steel
1955 Ma and Pa Kettle at Waikiki
1955 Strange Lady in Town
1955 Many Rivers to Cross
1954 Black Tuesday
1954 City Detective
1954 Rogue Cop
1954 Johnny Dark
1954 Demetrius and the Gladiators
1954 Taza, Son of Cochise
1954 Ride Clear of Diablo
1953 Tumbleweed
1953 The Stand at Apache River
1953 It Came from Outer Space
1953 Column South
1953 Law and Order
1953 Seminole
1953 Adventures of Superman
1952 The Turning Point
1952 Back at the Front
1952 Loan Shark
1952 Rancho Notorious
1952 For Men Only
1950 Fireside Theatre
