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Jim Backus

Highest Rated: 100% Don't Bother to Knock (1952)

Lowest Rated: 17% Good Guys Wear Black (1978)

Birthday: Feb 25, 1913

Birthplace: Cleveland, Ohio, USA

A witty and talented performer who excelled in no less than four mediums - film, television, music and radio - Jim Backus was a character actor whose skill at portraying the idle and addled rich was epitomized by his turn as Thurston Howell, III on "Gilligan's Island" (CBS, 1964-67). If that role had been the cultural cap of Backus's career, it would have been a sufficient endnote, as the show remained exceptionally popular for decades after its cancellation. But Backus also provided the voice of the near-sighted Mr. Magoo in countless cartoons, and made memorable performances in everything from "Rebel Without a Cause" (1955) to dozens of television shows. An urbane and bemused presence in real-life who could shift into high insanity at the drop of the hat, Backus was a television favorite whose work stood the test of time.

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Highest rated movies

100% 76% Don't Bother to Knock Watchlist
100% 82% Bright Victory
Watchlist
100% 77% Sunday in New York
Watchlist
93% 88% Rebel Without a Cause Watchlist
92% 41% Crazy Mama
Watchlist
85% 69% Pat and Mike
Watchlist
80% 57% Now You See Him, Now You Don't
Watchlist
80% 78% Man of a Thousand Faces
Watchlist
78% 71% Deadline U.S.A.
Watchlist
77% 78% Angel Face
Watchlist

Filmography

Movies

Credit
No Score Yet 17% Slapstick of Another Kind President of the U.S. (Character) - 1984
No Score Yet No Score Yet Prince Jack Dealy (Character) - 1984
No Score Yet No Score Yet Alibaba's Revenge Unknown (Voice) - 1984
No Score Yet No Score Yet Nobody's Boy Unknown (Voice) - 1982
No Score Yet 43% The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island Thurston Howell III (Character) - 1981
No Score Yet 0% Angels' Brigade Cmdr. Lindsey March (Character) - 1979
No Score Yet 28% C.H.O.M.P.S. Mr. Gibbs (Character) - 1979
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Castaways on Gilligan's Island Thurston Howell III (Character) - 1979
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Gift of the Magi Unknown (Character) - 1978
No Score Yet 44% Rescue From Gilligan's Island Thurston Howell III (Character) - 1978
17% 36% Good Guys Wear Black Doorman (Character) - 1978
No Score Yet 90% The Enchanted Journey Gamun (Voice) - 1978
56% 60% Pete's Dragon The Mayor (Character) - 1977
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Magic Pony The Tsar (Voice) - 1977
No Score Yet No Score Yet Never Con a Killer Stanley Bunch (Character) - 1977
92% 41% Crazy Mama Mr. Albertson (Character) - 1975
No Score Yet 41% Friday Foster Enos Griffith (Character) - 1975
No Score Yet No Score Yet Cop on the Beat Jake Mandel (Character) - 1975
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Return of Joe Forrester Jake Mandel (Character) - 1975
No Score Yet 50% Miracle on 34th Street Horace Shellhammer (Character) - 1973
No Score Yet 61% The Girl Most Likely To... Prof. David Tilson (Character) - 1973
80% 57% Now You See Him, Now You Don't Timothy Forsythe (Character) - 1972
No Score Yet No Score Yet Getting Away From It All Mike Lorimar (Character) - 1972
No Score Yet 100% Mooch Goes to Hollywood Self,
Screenwriter
- 1971
No Score Yet No Score Yet Magic Carpet George Benson (Character) - 1971
No Score Yet 55% The Cockeyed Cowboys of Calico County Staunch (Character) - 1970
24% 35% Myra Breckinridge Doctor (Character) - 1970
No Score Yet No Score Yet Wake Me When the War Is Over Colonel (Character) - 1969
No Score Yet 59% Hello Down There T.R. Hollister (Character) - 1969
22% 29% Hurry Sundown Carter Sillens (Character) - 1967
No Score Yet No Score Yet Mr. Magoo, Man of Mystery Unknown (Voice) - 1967
No Score Yet 46% Billie Howard G. Carol (Character) - 1965
No Score Yet No Score Yet Mr. Magoo's Storybook Unknown (Voice) - 1965
No Score Yet 17% John Goldfarb, Please Come Home Miles Whitepaper (Character) - 1965
No Score Yet 47% Advance to the Rear Gen. Willoughby (Character) - 1964
No Score Yet No Score Yet Magoo in the King's Service Unknown (Voice) - 1964
No Score Yet No Score Yet Operation Bikini Bosun's Mate Ed Fennelly (Character) - 1963
50% 46% Johnny Cool Louis Murphy (Character) - 1963
100% 77% Sunday in New York Chief Pilot Drysdale (Character) - 1963
No Score Yet 56% The Wheeler Dealers Bullard Bear (Character) - 1963
No Score Yet 37% Critic's Choice Dr. William Von Hagedorn (Character) - 1963
No Score Yet 50% My Six Loves Sheriff (Character) - 1963
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Horizontal Lieutenant Cmdr. Jeremiah Hammerslag (Character) - 1962
No Score Yet No Score Yet Mr. Magoo in Sherwood Forest Friar Tuck (Voice) - 1962
No Score Yet 21% Zotz! Prof. Horatio Kellgore (Character) - 1962
No Score Yet 70% Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol Ebenezer Scrooge/Mr. Magoo (Voice) - 1962
No Score Yet 46% Boys' Night Out Peter Bowers (Character) - 1962
No Score Yet 61% The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm The King (Character) - 1962
No Score Yet 50% Ice Palace Dave Husack (Character) - 1960
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Wild and the Innocent Mr. Forbes (Character) - 1959
No Score Yet No Score Yet A Private's Affair Jim Gordon (Character) - 1959
No Score Yet No Score Yet 1001 Arabian Nights Uncle Abdul Azziz Magoo (Voice) - 1959
No Score Yet 63% Ask Any Girl Maxwell (Character) - 1959
No Score Yet 34% Macabre Jim Tyloe (Character) - 1958
No Score Yet No Score Yet The High Cost of Loving Paul Mason (Character) - 1958
No Score Yet 55% The Pied Piper of Hamelin King's Emissary (Character) - 1957
80% 78% Man of a Thousand Faces Clarence Locan (Character) - 1957
No Score Yet 57% Top Secret Affair Col. Homer W. Gooch (Character) - 1957
No Score Yet No Score Yet No Greater Sin Harvey Graham (Character) - 1957
No Score Yet No Score Yet Eighteen and Anxious Harvey Graham (Character) - 1957
No Score Yet 15% The Girl He Left Behind Sgt. Hanna (Character) - 1956
No Score Yet 66% Meet Me in Las Vegas Tom Culdane (Character) - 1956
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Naked Hills Willis Haver (Character) - 1956
No Score Yet 22% You Can't Run Away From It Danker (Character) - 1956
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Great Man Nick Cellantano (Character) - 1956
93% 88% Rebel Without a Cause Frank Stark (Character) - 1955
No Score Yet No Score Yet Magoo Express Unknown (Voice) - 1955
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Square Jungle Pat Quaid (Character) - 1955
No Score Yet 47% Francis in the Navy Cmdr. E.T. Hutch (Character) - 1955
No Score Yet 52% Deep in My Heart Ben Judson (Character) - 1954
No Score Yet 55% I Love Melvin Mergo (Character) - 1953
No Score Yet 65% Above and Beyond Gen. Curtis E. LeMay (Character) - 1953
No Score Yet No Score Yet Geraldine Jason Ambrose (Character) - 1953
No Score Yet No Score Yet Magoo Slept Here Mr. Magoo (Voice) - 1953
78% 71% Deadline U.S.A. Jim Cleary (Character) - 1952
77% 78% Angel Face Dist. Atty. Judson (Character) - 1952
85% 69% Pat and Mike Charles Barry (Character) - 1952
100% 76% Don't Bother to Knock Peter Jones (Character) - 1952
43% 48% Androcles and the Lion Centurion (Character) - 1952
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Rose Bowl Story Michael "Iron Mike" Burke (Character) - 1952
No Score Yet No Score Yet Here Come the Nelsons Joe Randolph (Character) - 1952
No Score Yet No Score Yet Iron Man Max Watkins (Character) - 1951
No Score Yet 36% I Want You Harvey Landrum (Character) - 1951
No Score Yet 44% Hollywood Story Mitch Davis (Character) - 1951
No Score Yet 17% Half Angel Michael Hogan (Character) - 1951
No Score Yet 45% The Man With a Cloak Flaherty (Character) - 1951
No Score Yet 72% His Kind of Woman Myron Winton (Character) - 1951
67% 67% I'll See You in My Dreams Sam Harris (Character) - 1951
100% 82% Bright Victory Bill Grayson (Character) - 1951
No Score Yet 66% Ma and Pa Kettle Go to Town Joseph "Little Joe" Rogers (Character) - 1950
No Score Yet No Score Yet Emergency Wedding Ed Hamley (Character) - 1950
No Score Yet No Score Yet One Last Fling Howard Pritchard (Character) - 1949
No Score Yet 64% The Great Lover Higgins (Character) - 1949

TV

Credit
No Score Yet No Score Yet Trapper John, M.D. Unknown (Guest Star) 1983
No Score Yet No Score Yet Gilligan's Planet Thurston Howell III (Voice) 1982
No Score Yet No Score Yet Fantasy Island Unknown (Guest Star) 1978 1980
No Score Yet No Score Yet CHiPs Unknown (Guest Star) 1977
No Score Yet No Score Yet Charlie's Angels Unknown (Character) 1977
No Score Yet No Score Yet The New Adventures of Gilligan Mr. Howell (Voice) 1974-1975
No Score Yet No Score Yet Joe Forrester Unknown (Guest Star) 1975
No Score Yet No Score Yet Gunsmoke Reverend Sims (Guest Star) 1975
100% 84% Kolchak: The Night Stalker Unknown (Guest Star) 1975
No Score Yet No Score Yet Harry O Unknown (Guest Star) 1975
No Score Yet No Score Yet Chico and the Man Unknown (Guest Star) 1975
No Score Yet No Score Yet What's My Line? Guest 1969 1974
No Score Yet No Score Yet Marcus Welby, M.D. Bill (Guest Star) 1974
No Score Yet No Score Yet Tattletales Guest 1974
No Score Yet No Score Yet Mod Squad Emile Wade (Guest Star) 1973
No Score Yet No Score Yet Alias Smith and Jones Unknown (Guest Star) 1972
78% No Score Yet The Brady Bunch Unknown (Guest Star) 1971
No Score Yet No Score Yet Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In Guest 1970
No Score Yet 58% I Dream of Jeannie General Charles Fitzhugh (Guest Star) 1970
71% 88% The Good Guys Henry Arsdale (Guest Star) 1969
No Score Yet 100% The Wild, Wild West Unknown (Guest Star) 1969
No Score Yet No Score Yet I Spy Unknown (Guest Star) 1968
No Score Yet No Score Yet Daniel Boone Unknown (Guest Star) 1968
90% 74% Gilligan's Island Thurston Howell III (Character) 1964-1967
No Score Yet No Score Yet I've Got a Secret Guest 1957 1967
No Score Yet No Score Yet Password Guest 1966
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo Unknown (Voice) 1964-1965
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Beverly Hillbillies Unknown (Guest Star) 1963
No Score Yet No Score Yet Cain's Hundred Unknown (Guest Star) 1961
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Untouchables Unknown (Guest Star) 1960
No Score Yet No Score Yet 77 Sunset Strip Maury Samuels (Guest Star) 1960
No Score Yet No Score Yet Climax! Unknown (Character) 1957
No Score Yet No Score Yet I Married Joan Bradley Stevens (Character) 1952-1955