Catalog

Jim Backus

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. Provided by Wikipedia