Jim Backus
American radio, television, film, and voice actor (1913–1989)
- Born
- 25 February 1913, Cleveland
- Died
- 3 July 1989
- Citizenship
- United States
- Occupation
- actor, screenwriter, voice actor, writer, television actor
- Films here
- 2
James Gilmore Backus (February 25, 1913 – July 3, 1989) 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' character's husband (a domestic court judge) 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.
An avid golfer, Backus made the 36-hole cut at the 1964 Bing Crosby Pro-Am tournament. He was inducted to the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960.
Filmography (martial arts films)
| Year | Film | Credit |
|---|---|---|
| 1955 | The Square Jungle | Cast |
| 1978 | Good Guys Wear Black | Cast |
Frequent collaborators
External links
Facts from Wikidata Q1236412 (CC0); quoted introduction from English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Data retrieved 2026-10-22.
Data: Wikidata (CC0 1.0); Wikipedia (English) (CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.