Gilligan's Island Cast: Where They Are Now and Who Passed Away (2024)

When Gilligan's Island premiered on September 26, 1964, it wasn't expected to be a hit for CBS. The comedy about a boat full of tourists marooned on a deserted island may have relied on silly slapstick for laughs, but it was the perfect antidote for the cultural and political chaos of the 1960s. Created by Sherwood Schwartz, Gilligan's Island earned solid ratings during its three-season run and became a cultural milestone in later years as syndication made it an afterschool tradition for generations of kids.

The show's popularity led to a revival with a 1974 animated series The New Adventures of Gilligan. A 1978 TV reunion movie followed, Rescue from Gilligan's Island, which saw the castaways finally get off the island. Two more TV films followed: The Castaways on Gilligan's Island (1979) and The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island (1981), with all the cast members except Tina Louise reprising their roles. A second animated series, Gilligan's Planet, ran for a single season in 1982. Its classic status has endured attempts to "update" it, including an attempt by James Gunn to remake it as a horror movie, which was rejected.

Though it was never nominated for a single Emmy, Gilligan's Island remains among the most popular television series of all time, a snapshot of a more innocent America with an undeniable aura of nostalgia and timeless characters. Following is a list of the cast members and the creator of the series, detailing what each did before and after the series, and whether they have passed away.

"The First Mate" Gilligan (Bob Denver)

Bob Denver never aspired to be an actor but discovered in college that he might be able to make a living at it. He worked briefly as a teacher and a mailman until his breakthrough role as Maynard G. Krebs, TV's very first beatnik character, on the CBS series The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. That series ended just as Gilligan's Island was casting, and creator Sherwood Schwartz was reluctant to cast an actor with a "beatnik" image as his lead. Denver's screen test impressed him, however, and he won the role. His childlike, goofy portrayal of the Skipper's "little buddy" made Denver a cultural icon, beloved by generations of viewers.

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Later in life, Denver fought health problems due to a lifetime of heavy smoking. In 2005, he underwent heart bypass surgery and throat cancer surgery in North Carolina, near his West Virginia home. The cancer surgery caused complications, including pneumonia, and he passed away on September 2, 2005, at the age of 70.

"The Skipper" Jonas Grumby (Alan Hale Jr.)

Alan Hale Jr., whose father was an early Hollywood star, appeared in hundreds of films and television shows throughout the 1940s and 1950s. He starred primarily in Westerns, where his burly stature and personable character served him well until he auditioned for Gilligan's Island. Sherwood Schwartz couldn't find the right actor to embody the authority of the role while showing a softer side compared to Gilligan and his antics but found both in Hale. Calling Hale a "teddy bear," Schwartz said, “He has such warmth that you know no matter how much he yelled at Gilligan that he really likes him — loves him."

After the series ended, he opened Alan Hale's Lobster Barrel, a seafood restaurant in Los Angeles, where he often greeted diners in costume, signing autographs and cracking Gilligan jokes. He often made personal appearances with Bob Denver and visited sick children in hospitals, wearing his signature blue shirt and captain's hat.

In 1989, he was diagnosed with cancer of the thymus, a rare form of the disease that afflicts the small organ near the heart. He was hospitalized in late 1989 in Los Angeles and died on January 2, 1990, at the age of 68. Per his wishes, he was cremated, and his ashes were scattered in the Pacific.

"The Millionaire" Thurston Howell III (Jim Backus)

Jim Backus was already a successful actor long before he joined Gilligan's Island, having acted for decades prior to playing Thurston Howell. That included playing James Dean's father in Rebel Without a Cause and a memorable role in the all-star comedy romp It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World. He often played a rich aristocrat in films, so he was a natural to play Thurston Howell. After the series ended, he was best known for voicing the cartoon character Mr. Magoo.

Later in life, health issues affected Backus' career. His appearance in The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island was limited to a cameo at the end because he was suffering from Parkinson's Disease. On July 3, 1989, Backus passed away at the age of 76 from double pneumonia, a complication of Parkinson's, becoming the first cast member to pass away.

Lovey Howell (Natalie Schafer)

Natalie Schafer's natural grace and elegance made her the perfect choice to play Mr. Howell's wife Lovey, the highlight of a successful career spanning more than three decades prior to Gilligan's Island. Schafer began acting on Broadway in the 1930s and made her credited theatrical debut in 1941's romantic comedy The Body Disappears. After Gilligan's Island made her a recognizable star, she continued working in television after the series ended, with guest-starring roles in dozens of TV movies and series, including The Love Boat, CHiPS, and Three's Company.

Ironically, Schafer was already a millionaire when she filmed the series. She married her husband, actor Louis Calhern, in 1933, and the couple bought Beverly Hills real estate while it was cheap and made a fortune when they sold it. Schafer passed away on April 10, 1991, at the age of 90, from liver cancer. She was cremated and her ashes were spread in the Pacific Ocean. Per her wishes, her estate set aside money to take care of her dog. The rest was donated to the Motion Picture and Television Hospital in Los Angeles, which named a wing after her.

"The Movie Star" Ginger Grant (Tina Louise)

Tina Louise got her big break in entertainment with a role in Broadway's Lil' Abner in the 1950s and was soon appearing in film and on TV until her breakthrough role on Gilligan's Island. As the Marilyn Monroe-like bombshell, Louise and co-star Dawn Wells ignited the great "Ginger or Mary Ann" debate that rages to this day. After the series ended, Louise was the only cast member who did not return for the reunion films or animated series, seeking to distance herself from the role that seemed to typecast her.

She acted in a handful of films and television series and became a literacy advocate, often volunteering to promote reading to schoolchildren in her hometown of New York City. She wrote several books, including two children's books. She is an accomplished painter and recorded an album covering classic songs from the Gershwin Brothers and Cole Porter. To date, she is the only surviving cast member from Gilligan's Island.

"The Professor" Roy Hinkley (Russell Johnson)

Before Russell Johnson was cast as the Professor, he built an extensive resume in Hollywood, usually appearing in Westerns. He appeared in a number of genre films and television series, including The Adventures of Superman, It Came From Outer Space, This Island Earth, and two episodes of The Twilight Zone. He parlayed the success of Gilligan's Island into steady work after the series ended, with dozens of appearances (mostly in television) from the 1970s through the mid-1990s, including all the Gilligan reunion projects.

Related: Gilligan's Island: The Complete Third Season DVD Review

Unbeknownst to most fans, Johnson was a World War II veteran and earned the Purple Heart after his plane was shot down in the Philippines during a 1945 bombing run. He broke both his ankles. He passed away on January 16, 2014, at the age of 89 from kidney failure, with his wife and two children at his side in his home in Washington state.

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Mary Ann Summers (Dawn Wells)

Dawn Wells wanted to become a ballerina, but knee injuries sidelined those dreams. Instead, she entered beauty pageants, participating in the 1960 Miss America pageant as Miss Nevada. She attended college to become a doctor, but she caught the acting bug and earned a drama degree from the University of Washington. After a number of TV roles, she was cast as Mary Ann and became a household name as America's "Girl Next Door." She continued to act after the series ended, making a number of TV guest appearances and participating in the Gilligan reunion films.

Later in life, Wells taught acting classes and established a drama boot camp while doing occasional tours of various plays. She created a line of clothing for disabled people and a makeup line. She passed away from COVID-19 complications on December 30, 2020, at the age of 82.

Sherwood Schwartz (Creator, Executive Producer)

Sherwood Schwartz got his start in Hollywood as a writer for Bob Hope and Ozzie & Harriett radio shows. He moved to television, winning an Emmy for writing The Red Skelton Show. He then created Gilligan's Island, which established him as a TV producer. He went on to create the shows The Brady Bunch and It's About Time, becoming a TV icon in his own right.

Shortly before his passing, Schwartz backed a reboot of Gilligan's Island, a family-friendly comedy that featured Michael Cera as Gilligan and Beyoncé as Ginger, but the project died in development. He died in his sleep in his Los Angeles home on July 12, 2011, at the age of 94, from an undisclosed illness.