James Gilmore Backus (b. February 25, 1913 – d. July 3, 1989) was an American radio, television, film, and voice actor. Among his most famous roles was the voice of nearsighted cartoon character Mr. Magoo, the rich Hubert Updike III on the radio version of The Alan Young Show, Joan Davis' character's husband (a domestic court judge) on TV's I Married Joan, James Dean's character's father in Rebel Without a Cause, and Thurston Howell III, on the 1960s sitcom Gilligan's Island. He also starred in his show of one season, The Jim Backus Show, also known as Hot Off the Wire. He as well starred as Mr. Julius Caesar Dithers, the boss of Dagwood Bumstead, along with his wife, Cora, played by his real-life wife, Henny, in Blondie, the 1968 live-action sitcom based on the daily and Sunday newspaper comic strip originally created by Chic Young, the father of Dean Young after he passed to his son with his assistants including Alex Raymond, Jim Raymond, Paul Fung Jr., Mike Gersher, Stan Drake, Denis Lebrun, Jeff Parker, and (since 2005) John Marshall.
Career[]
An avid golfer, Backus made the 36-hole cut at the 1964 Bing Crosby Pro-Am tournament.
Death[]
On July 3, 1989, Backus died from complications of pneumonia after suffering from Parkinson's disease. He was 76.
Shows appeared[]
- What's My Line? (1957-1965)
- I've Got a Secret (1957-1967)
- To Tell the Truth (1958)
- Password (1962-1973)
- Picture This (1963)
- Stump the Stars (1963)
- The Match Game (1963)
- The Hollywood Squares (1965-1973)
- The Celebrity Game (1965)
- I'll Bet (1965)
- Personality (1967)
- It Takes Two (1969-1970)
- It's Your Bet (1969-1972)
- He Said She Said (1970)
- Match Game (1973)
- TattleTales (1974)
- Family Feud (1983)