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IMDbPro

Jim Backus(1913-1989)

  • Actor
  • Writer
  • Soundtrack
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Jim Backus
Trailer for Los Angeles Plays Itself
Play trailer1:21
Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003)
34 Videos
99+ Photos
Jim Backus was born James Gilmore Backus on February 25, 1913 in Cleveland, Ohio. He was one of the few actors to do it all: radio, Broadway, movies, television and cartoons. After attending preparatory school in his hometown Cleveland, Backus enrolled at the American Academy of Dramatic Art, to ply his trade. While waiting for parts, he did radio and became friends with such future notables as Garson Kanin and Keenan Wynn. Backus stuck it out and soon was doing motion pictures in addition to radio. He was typecast in roles as "rich types" but broke the mold when he portrayed James Dean's father in the classic Rebel Without a Cause (1955). With his career in full swing, Backus also tackled two roles that he would be best known for, Mr. Magoo in cartoons and Thurston Howell III in Gilligan's Island (1964). After the series' run ended, he continued doing guest spots on television and movies, before passing away on July 3, 1989.
BornFebruary 25, 1913
DiedJuly 3, 1989(76)
BornFebruary 25, 1913
DiedJuly 3, 1989(76)
IMDbProStarmeter
See rank
  • Awards

Photos110

Jim Backus and Howard Da Silva in M (1951)
Jim Backus and Roy Engel in M (1951)
Jim Backus in Hollywood Story (1951)
Jim Backus, Richard Conte, Louis Lettieri, and June Whitley Taylor in Hollywood Story (1951)
Jim Backus, Richard Conte, and Houseley Stevenson in Hollywood Story (1951)
Jim Backus in Hollywood Story (1951)
Jim Backus and Tom Poston in Zotz! (1962)
Jim Backus and Tom Poston in Zotz! (1962)
Jim Backus and John Fiedler in Ark II (1976)
Jim Backus, Bob Burns, and Lisa Todd in The Ghost Busters (1975)
Jim Backus and Ella Raines in A Dangerous Profession (1949)
Jim Backus in A Dangerous Profession (1949)

Known for

James Dean, Natalie Wood, and Corey Allen in Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
Rebel Without a Cause
7.6
  • Frank Stark
  • 1955
It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963)
It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World
7.5
  • Tyler Fitzgerald
  • 1963
Jim Backus, Bob Denver, Alan Hale Jr., Tina Louise, Russell Johnson, Natalie Schafer, and Dawn Wells in Gilligan's Island (1964)
Gilligan's Island
7.4
TV Series
  • Thurston Howell III
Charlie Callas and Sean Marshall in Pete's Dragon (1977)
Pete's Dragon
6.3
  • The Mayor
  • 1977

Credits

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IMDbPro

Actor

  • Jim Backus, Bob Denver, Alan Hale Jr., Tina Louise, Russell Johnson, Natalie Schafer, and Dawn Wells in Gilligan's Island (1964)
    Gilligan's Island
  • Merrie Melodies: Starring Bugs Bunny and Friends (1990)
    Merrie Melodies: Starring Bugs Bunny and Friends
    • (voice)
  • The Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show (1986)
    The Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show
    • (voice)
  • Prince Jack (1984)
    Prince Jack
  • Pernell Roberts in Trapper John, M.D. (1979)
    Trapper John, M.D.
  • Jim Backus, Bob Denver, Alan Hale Jr., Russell Johnson, Natalie Schafer, and Dawn Wells in Gilligan's Planet (1982)
    Gilligan's Planet
    • (voice)
  • Madeline Kahn and Jerry Lewis in Slapstick of Another Kind (1982)
    Slapstick of Another Kind
  • Fred Grandy, Bernie Kopell, Ted Lange, Gavin MacLeod, and Lauren Tewes in The Love Boat (1977)
    The Love Boat
  • The Enchanted Journey (1981)
    The Enchanted Journey
    • (voice)
  • The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island (1981)
    The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island
  • There Goes the Bride (1980)
    There Goes the Bride
  • Ricardo Montalban and Hervé Villechaize in Fantasy Island (1977)
    Fantasy Island
  • Bobby Vinton in The Gossip Columnist (1980)
    The Gossip Columnist
  • Valerie Bertinelli, Red Buttons, and Conrad Bain in C.H.O.M.P.S. (1979)
    C.H.O.M.P.S.
  • Joe Don Baker in Eischied (1979)
    Eischied

Writer

  • Higgins in Mooch (1974)
    Mooch
  • Destination Magoo (1954)
    Destination Magoo

Soundtrack

  • Damn Yankees! (1967)
    Damn Yankees!
  • Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol (1962)
    Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol
  • Leslie Nielsen, June Allyson, Joan Blondell, Joan Collins, Agnes Moorehead, Dolores Gray, Sam Levene, Ann Miller, and Ann Sheridan in The Opposite Sex (1956)
    The Opposite Sex
    • (uncredited)

Videos34

Mr. Magoo: Theatrical Collection (1949-1959)
Clip 1:29
Mr. Magoo: Theatrical Collection (1949-1959)
Pete's Dragon: 35th Anniversary Edition
Clip 1:29
Pete's Dragon: 35th Anniversary Edition
Pete's Dragon: 35th Anniversary Edition
Clip 1:33
Pete's Dragon: 35th Anniversary Edition
Pete's Dragon: 35th Anniversary Edition
Clip 1:34
Pete's Dragon: 35th Anniversary Edition
Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol
Clip 3:12
Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol
Teaser Trailer
Trailer 0:26
Teaser Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 2:20
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 2:45
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 2:09
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 4:19
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 2:22
Trailer
Crazy Mama
Trailer 2:53
Crazy Mama

Personal details

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    • February 25, 1913
    • Cleveland, Ohio, USA
    • July 3, 1989
    • Los Angeles, California, USA(pneumonia)
    • Henny BackusJanuary 14, 1943 - July 3, 1989 (his death)
  • Other works
    Book: "Rocks on the Roof"
  • Publicity listings
    • 2 Print Biographies
    • 1 Portrayal
    • 4 Articles

Did you know

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  • Trivia
    One of his teachers in grade school was Margaret Hamilton, who would later play the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz (1939).
  • Quotes
    Many a man owes his success to his first wife and his second wife to his success.
    • Rich smooth voice

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