Deceased

How Did Jim Backus Die?

Life & Death

Died aged 76

Also known asJames Gilmore BackusGenderMaleNationalityUnited StatesBorn25/02/1913Born inCleveland, Ohio, USADied03/07/1989Died inLos AngelesCausepneumonia, Parkinson's diseaseWikidataQ1236412 ↗Buried atWestwood Village Memorial Park CemeteryTMDb#2771 ↗

James Gilmore Backus was an American actor. Among his most famous roles were Thurston Howell III on the 1960s sitcom Gilligan's Island, the father of James Dean's character in Rebel Without a Cause, the voice of the near-sighted cartoon character Mr. Magoo, the rich Hubert Updike III on the radio version of The Alan Young Show, and Joan Davis's character's husband on TV's I Married Joan. He also starred in his own show of one season, The Jim Backus Show, also known as Hot Off the Wire.

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Filmography130 titles

Importing filmography…

Year	Title	Character	Age at release
2022	The Unknown StorySeries	Self - archive footage	109
2004	Los Angeles Plays ItselfMovie	Frank Stark in Rebel Without A Cause (archive footage)	91
1987	Hollywood's Hidden SecretsMovie	Self	74
1983	The Unpredictable Pudgy!Movie	Himself	70
1982	Slapstick of Another KindMovie	President of the U.S.	69
1982	Gilligan's PlanetSeries	Thurston Howell, III (voice)	69
1982	Natalie - A Tribute to a Very Special LadyMovie	—	69
1981	Hill Street BluesSeries	Mr. Magoo (archive footage) (uncredited)	68
1981	The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's IslandMovie	Thurston Howell III	68
1980	The Gossip ColumnistMovie	Jim Backus	67
1979	$weepstake$Series	Major Adams	66
1979	Angels' BrigadeMovie	Cmdr. Lindsey March	66
1979	EischiedSeries	—	66
1979	C.H.O.M.P.S.Movie	Mr. Gibbs	66
1979	The RebelsSeries	John Hancock	66
1979	The Castaways on Gilligan's IslandMovie	Thurston Howell III	66
1978	Flying HighSeries	—	65
1978	Good Guys Wear BlackMovie	Albert, the Doorman	65
1978	Fantasy IslandSeries	Cap Truman	65
1978	Rescue from Gilligan's IslandMovie	Thurston Howell III	65
1977	The Love BoatSeries	Mr. Landers	64
1977	CHiPsSeries	Weitzman	64
1977	Pete's DragonMovie	The Mayor	64
1977	Have I Got a Christmas for YouMovie	Kevin Grady	64
1976	Charlie's AngelsSeries	Iggy	63
1975	Ellery QueenSeries	Howard Biggers	62
1975	Crazy MamaMovie	Mr. Albertson	62
1975	Mobile OneSeries	Macklin	62
1975	Cop on the BeatMovie	Jake Mandel	62
1975	Joe ForresterSeries	—	62
1974	Kolchak: The Night StalkerSeries	—	61
1974	Harry OSeries	Ziggy	61
1974	Chico and the ManSeries	—	61
1973	Police StorySeries	—	60
1972	Getting Away from It AllMovie	Mike Lorimar	59
1972	Now You See Him, Now You Don'tMovie	Timothy Forsythe	59
1971	Alias Smith and JonesSeries	—	58
1971	Mooch Goes to HollywoodMovie	Jim Backus	58
1970	Myra BreckinridgeMovie	Doctor	57
1970	Nanny and the ProfessorSeries	Dr. Charles Walters	57
1970	The Cockeyed Cowboys of Calico CountyMovie	Staunch	57
1969	Medical CenterSeries	—	56
1969	Love, American StyleSeries	Jerry Franks	56
1969	Marcus Welby, M.D.Series	Bill	56
1969	The Brady BunchSeries	Zaccariah	56
1969	The Barbara McNair ShowSeries	Self	56
1968	The Mod SquadSeries	Emile Wade	55
1968	Where Were You When the Lights Went Out?Movie	Tru-Blue Lou	55
1967	Don't Make WavesMovie	Self (uncredited)	54
1967	Hurry SundownMovie	Carter Sillens	54
1967	The Smothers Brothers Comedy HourSeries	Self	54
1965	The Wild Wild WestSeries	Fabian Swanson	52
1965	I Dream of JeannieSeries	General Fitzhugh	52
1965	John Goldfarb, Please Come Home!Movie	Whitepaper	52
1964	Daniel BooneSeries	Will Scataway	51
1964	Gilligan's IslandSeries	Thurston Howell, III	51
1964	Rendezvous in SpaceMovie	Moon (voice)	51
1963	Burke's LawSeries	Pork Pie Hannigan	50
1963	It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad WorldMovie	Tyler Fitzgerald	50
1963	The Wheeler DealersMovie	Bullard Bear	50
1963	Johnny CoolMovie	Louis Murphy	50
1963	My Six LovesMovie	Sheriff	50
1963	EspionageSeries	McAvoy	50
1963	Arrest and TrialSeries	Sam Thayer	50
1963	Sunday in New YorkMovie	Chief Pilot Drysdale	50
1963	A Child Is WaitingMovie	Hot Dog Vendor (uncredited)	50
1963	Critic's ChoiceMovie	William Von Hagedorn	50
1963	Operation BikiniMovie	Bosun's Mate Ed Fennelly	50
1962	The Merv Griffin ShowSeries	Self	49
1962	The Beverly HillbilliesSeries	Marty Van Ransohoff	49
1962	The Wonderful World of the Brothers GrimmMovie	The King (segment "The Dancing Princess")	49
1962	Mister Magoo's Christmas CarolMovie	Mr. Quincy Magoo / Ebenezer Scrooge (voice)	49
1962	Zotz!Movie	Horatio Kellgore	49
1961	The Mike Douglas ShowSeries	Self	48
1961	The Dick Powell ShowSeries	Monte	48
1961	Cain's HundredSeries	Karl Bigger	48
1960	Ice PalaceMovie	Dave Husack	47
1959	The UntouchablesSeries	William Norbert	46
1959	The Big OperatorMovie	Cliff Heldon	46
1959	Ask Any GirlMovie	Mr. Maxwell	46
1959	A Private's AffairMovie	Jim Gordon	46
1959	1001 Arabian NightsMovie	Uncle Abdul Azziz Magoo (voice)	46
1958	77 Sunset StripSeries	Maury Samuels	45
1958	The High Cost of LovingMovie	Paul Mason	45
1957	MaverickSeries	Joe Wheelwright	44
1957	Tonight Starring Jack PaarSeries	Self	44
1956	The Opposite SexMovie	Psychiatrist	43
1956	You Can't Run Away from ItMovie	Danker	43
1956	Meet Me in Las VegasMovie	Tom Culdane	43
1956	The Girl He Left BehindMovie	Sgt. Hanna	43
1955	Matinee TheaterSeries	—	42
1955	GunsmokeSeries	Reverend Sims	42
1955	The MillionaireSeries	Henry Banning	42
1955	Rebel Without a CauseMovie	Frank Stark	42
1955	Francis in the NavyMovie	Commander Hutch	42
1955	The Square JungleMovie	Pat Quaid	42
1954	Climax!Series	Detective Herman	41
1954	Deep in My HeartMovie	Ben Judson	41
1954	The George Gobel ShowSeries	Self	41
1953	Angel FaceMovie	District Attorney Judson	40
1953	I Love MelvinMovie	Mergo	40
1953	Above and BeyondMovie	Gen. Curtis E. LeMay	40
1953	GeraldineMovie	Jason Ambrose	40
1952	Deadline - U.S.A.Movie	Jim Cleary	39
1952	Pat and MikeMovie	Charles Barry	39
1952	Don't Bother to KnockMovie	Peter Jones	39
1952	Here Come the NelsonsMovie	Joe Randolph	39
1952	Androcles and the LionMovie	Centurion	39
1952	Pete HotheadMovie	Lavery the Floorwalker/Mailman (uncredited)	39
1951	Hallmark Hall of FameSeries	Kevin Grady	38
1951	I Want YouMovie	Harvey Landrum	38
1951	The Man with a CloakMovie	Flaherty	38
1951	MMovie	The Mayor	38
1951	His Kind of WomanMovie	Myron Winton	38
1951	Iron ManMovie	Max Watkins	38
1951	Bright VictoryMovie	Bill Grayson	38
1951	Hollywood StoryMovie	Mitch Davis	38
1951	I'll See You in My DreamsMovie	Sam Harris	38
1950	Robert Montgomery PresentsSeries	Lucus Edgerton	37
1950	The Killer That Stalked New YorkMovie	Willie Dennis (uncredited)	37
1950	Lux Video TheatreSeries	Harry	37
1950	What's My Line?Series	Self - Panelist	37
1950	The Colgate Comedy HourSeries	Self	37
1950	Ma and Pa Kettle Go to TownMovie	Joseph "Little Joe" Rogers	37
1950	Emergency WeddingMovie	Ed Hamley	37
1949	The Great LoverMovie	Higgins	36
1949	Easy LivingMovie	Dr. Franklin	36
1949	Father Was a FullbackMovie	Professor Sullivan	36
1949	A Dangerous ProfessionMovie	Police Lt. Nick Ferrone / Narrator (voice)	36
1948	Studio OneSeries	Tim McTaggart	35