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45-450: Gilligan is a fictional character played by Bob Denver on the 1960s TV show Gilligan's Island and its many sequels. Gilligan, affectionately called "little buddy" by the "Skipper" , is the bumbling, dimwitted, accident-prone first mate of the SS ; Minnow . His full name is never given. He wears a trademark red shirt, pale trousers, white sneakers, and white navy cap . During

90-492: A Catholic elementary school in Pacific Palisades, California . Most of Denver's acting career was in television, though he also appeared in several films and on Broadway. He was widely associated with the title character that he played in the 1960s television series Gilligan's Island , and he continued to appear as Gilligan in several movies, as a guest on other television series, in personal appearances, and as

135-484: A documentary called Before the Three Hour Tour shows that Sherwood Schwartz's original treatment for the series indicated that Gilligan's full name in the failed pilot was to be "Willy Gilligan", but that rendition, with other unfamiliar castaways, was canned and did not air. The documentary also reveals that Schwartz found the name "Gilligan" by flipping through a Los Angeles telephone directory. Another story

180-526: A lost wagon train headed to California), and the Sid and Marty Krofft children's program Far Out Space Nuts (1975). Four episodes of Dusty's Trail were later combined to create a feature film, The Wackiest Wagon Train in the West (1976). Denver's other television roles included guest appearances on multiple episodes of Love, American Style ; The Love Boat ; and Fantasy Island . In 1983, he starred in

225-509: A reduced sentence of a $ 250 fine. In 1998, he was arrested for marijuana delivered to his home, originally saying that the delivery came from Dawn Wells , who played Mary Ann on Gilligan's Island , but he later refused to name her in court, testifying that "some crazy fan must have sent it." He pleaded no contest and received six months probation. Later in his life, Denver returned to his adopted home of Princeton, West Virginia , and became an FM radio personality. He and his wife Dreama ran

270-510: A runaway depth charge . Upon retirement, Grumby, described as "an old salt in these waters", used his savings to buy the Minnow , and as the captain (or "Skipper" as he was nearly invariably addressed), Grumby hired his "little buddy", Gilligan, as his first mate. Gilligan's past and family are fleetingly mentioned during the series. Such characters include: an older brother from whom he swiped his ever-present red rugby shirt, his Uncle Ramsey (who

315-772: A small " oldies format" radio station, WGAG-LP 93.1 FM. He also earned a small income making public appearances, often costumed as Gilligan. In 1992, he played Gilligan to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation for a West Virginia fundraiser for the organization. Denver was a heavy smoker. He received cancer treatment and underwent heart bypass surgery in 2005. On September 2, 2005, he died at age 70 from complications, including pneumonia following throat cancer surgery at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina . Rescue from Gilligan%27s Island Fifteen years after

360-443: A small group of shipwrecked castaways became the one for which he is most remembered. During the run, Denver privately went out of his way to help his co-stars who warmly appreciated his efforts, such as successfully demanding that Russell Johnson and Dawn Wells be included in the series' opening credits (which also included a nod to their respective characters in the opening theme song), and insisting that Wells get an equal share of

405-578: A storm, he throws an anchor overboard without a rope attached, which leaves the Minnow shipwrecked on an "uncharted desert isle" with its seven passengers and crew, establishing the underlying premise of the franchise. The enduring popularity of the series has made him a cultural icon . Gilligan served in the United States Navy with Jonas Grumby (the Skipper) during an unspecified war (probably Korean War ) and saved him from being killed by

450-453: A voice actor in the animated version of the series. Denver made his television debut in 1957, playing a small part in an episode of The Silent Service (S01 E37: "The Loss of the Tang"). While teaching at Corpus Christi in 1958, Denver was permitted to audition for a role on the sitcom The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis as a favor to his sister, who was a secretary on the production lot. He gained

495-494: Is occasionally the exception to the rescue ruination, though. In the episode "The Big Gold Strike", which involves both the finding of the S.S. Minnow's life raft and repairing of it, along with the discovery of gold on the island, the Professor warns the castaways to not bring gold on the raft due to weight concerns, but every castaway brings a personal item with them to smuggle gold, with an alternate excuse as to why (including

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540-499: Is often chided by the Skipper for interrupting, on more than one occasion, Gilligan's seemingly random nonsense actually triggers the Professor to remember a useful fact or suggest a course of action. In some episodes, he attempts to make an important suggestion, but is interrupted by the Skipper or another castaway, who tells him to be quiet until the discussion is practically over, when he is able to tell them. Examples of this include

585-474: Is overshadowing his research work at the university. The Professor also signs the insurance statement while the foreign spies continually attempt to secure the disk from Gilligan. The Skipper and Gilligan next go to see the Howells. They sign the insurance statement after ejecting snobbish friends from their house when they overhear them making disparaging remarks about Gilligan and Skipper. The spies, hidden among

630-500: Is specified. The character of Gilligan is noted for physical comedy , often with his friend the Skipper in the role of a comic foil . Recurring gags of the show include Gilligan's seduction by Ginger , eating Mary Ann 's coconut cream pies, joking about the Skipper's weight, and inadvertently undermining any attempts and efforts of the castaways to get off the island. He often interjects discussions with pointless anecdotes about his childhood or with seemingly useless advice. Though he

675-975: The 1959–1963 series The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis and Gilligan on the 1964–1967 television series Gilligan's Island . Denver was born on January 9, 1935, in New Rochelle, New York , and raised in Brownwood, Texas . He graduated in 1953 from David Starr Jordan High School in Long Beach, California . He graduated from Loyola University in Los Angeles, California, with a degree in political science. He acted in college productions at Loyola and met fellow student Dwayne Hickman , with whom he later co-starred in The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis . After graduation, he coached physical education and taught mathematics and history at Corpus Christi School,

720-465: The 1980s and 1992, he reprised the character of Gilligan for numerous cameo appearances, including episodes of ALF , Meego and Baywatch , and played a bartender in the film Back to the Beach (1987). After Gilligan's Island , Denver went on to star on other TV comedy series, including The Good Guys (1968–1970), Dusty's Trail (1973–1974) (a show similar to Gilligan's Island , involving

765-406: The Howells' servant; duties include golf caddy, chauffeur for the castaways' pedal-powered car, and waiter at the "Howell Private Country Club". Gilligan also makes several discoveries, but they often have disastrous results, and he is usually faced with big decisions. Often, Thurston Howell III attempts to bribe him with money, or Ginger with seduction or fake crying. Examples include whom to give

810-435: The Professor and the Skipper), causing the raft to sink in the lagoon and for them to lose both the raft and gold. After they all confess to bringing a bag of gold on the raft, they all turn and look at Gilligan, who realizes he is the only one who actually obeyed the Professor's warning, causing him to laugh and say, "That's a switch. Usually, I'm the one left holding the bag." Ultimately, Gilligan's ineptitude ends up rescuing

855-444: The Skipper to sail in the wrong direction. The group lands on a beach and realize they are on their old island after finding a piece of wood from the original Minnow . Tina Louise declined to appear in the movie, claiming that she was not going to reprise the role that she felt had devastated her career. Reportedly she asked for a prohibitively large sum of money. Judith Baldwin , a substantially younger actress who resembled Louise,

900-532: The Truth ...", also featured Barbara Eden and Ken Berry . Between the end of Dobie Gillis and the beginning of Gilligan's Island , Denver appeared in an episode of The Farmer's Daughter and in the final episode of The Danny Thomas Show . He also had a one-episode role replacing the actor who played Dudley A. "Dud" Wash, the fiancé of Charlene Darling of the Darlings , on The Andy Griffith Show which

945-510: The barometer, the Professor deduces that a huge storm is coming and the tsunami it produces could destroy the island. To survive the deadly wave and potentially effect a rescue, the castaways build a raft by tying their huts together. The next morning, the castaways awaken and realize they were swept off the island on the makeshift raft. When Gilligan accidentally sets the raft on fire, the United States Coast Guard spots

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990-631: The beach film For Those Who Think Young (1964) with Tina Louise prior to the development of Gilligan's Island . Other films in which Denver appeared include Who's Minding the Mint? (1967), The Sweet Ride (1968), Did You Hear the One About the Traveling Saleslady? (1968) with Phyllis Diller , and The Wackiest Wagon Train in the West (1976). In 1983, he appeared in the television movie High School U.S. . His final role

1035-406: The castaways. In the 1978 film Rescue from Gilligan's Island the group escapes certain death when a tsunami hits the island by merging their huts into a makeshift boat. They are now off the island, but still adrift on the high seas. Gilligan lights a fire which is immediately extinguished and he is scolded by the other castaways for such a harebrained activity. A US Coast Guard helicopter notices

1080-464: The cleverest one of them all. Today, Gilligan is widely recognized as an American popular culture icon; he ranked at 122nd place in the July 2003 list of 200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons compiled by VH-1 and People magazine. Gilligan's full name has been a subject of debate among fans of the series for decades. On the 2004 DVD release of season one, Gilligan's Island – The Complete First Season ,

1125-425: The episode where he discovers waterproof glue that turns out to be temporary and that the boat will sink. His warning is ignored until the point when the boat's boards come undone. When a butterfly collector comes to the island and refused to signal until he got what he came for, the castaways argue among themselves about the collector's recalcitrance and ignore Gilligan, until he gets in the last word by saying he stole

1170-400: The first Minnow unless all their former passengers sign a statement testifying that the Skipper was not responsible for the shipwreck. They first visit Ginger, who has been cast in a movie, though she is dismayed by how much film industry standards have changed. She agrees to sign the statement. Gilligan and the Skipper then reconnect with the Professor who has found that his castaway celebrity

1215-414: The guests, are also ejected. The two then go to see Mary Ann, who is about to marry her old fiancé, Herbert. She no longer loves him but feels obligated to go through with the wedding. To spare Mary Ann from an unhappy union, Skipper and Gilligan deliberately disrupt the ceremony where the foreign spies are among the guests. Mary Ann is relieved to learn that Herbert actually loves someone else and she signs

1260-541: The insurance statement. The insurance company finally pays for the first Minnow and the former castaways gather for a reunion cruise aboard the Minnow II . The spies make one last attempt to obtain the disc, but are thwarted by the FBI , who secure the disc from Gilligan. During the cruise, the Minnow II is caught in a storm. Gilligan unknowingly rendered the compass useless by removing its magnet when cleaning it, causing

1305-528: The island, his fellow castaways (the Skipper included) ultimately harbor affection for him. When Gilligan is bitten by a potentially fatal insect, everyone tries to find a cure, only to get bitten themselves (the insect is later found to be harmless). Upon hearing this, Ginger and Mary Ann burst into tears and the Skipper attempts to cheer them up by having them envision everyone getting off the island. This temporarily works until Mary Ann says, "Except for Gilligan", before Ginger and she start crying again. Gilligan

1350-399: The last orange on the island, or whom to give hot water from a hole in the ground (which the Professor later discovers to be an active volcano). On one occasion, Gilligan finds seeds that give people the ability to read minds , but when the seeds prove to have disastrous results, he gathers up the bush and all the seeds on the island and burns them. Despite frequently ruining plans to get off

1395-408: The man's flare gun. Despite his bumbling nature, Gilligan has an innate innocence of character that causes the others to forgive his mistakes. He occasionally saves the others when an escape plan goes awry. He performs virtually all manual labor on the island, mostly without complaint; the Skipper notes that Gilligan can "run as fast as a rabbit [and] climb a tree like a monkey". Gilligan often acts as

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1440-423: The original shipwreck, the seven castaways are still stranded on the island. Meanwhile, in a Soviet Union -type country, military scientists destroy an orbiting satellite that has a disc containing top-secret information to prevent the satellite from crashing to Earth. The metal disc survives and lands on the island. The Professor realizes the disc has a unique alloy that can be used to make a new barometer . Using

1485-528: The role and left teaching the following year to become a regular on the series. From 1959 to 1963, he appeared on the series as Maynard G. Krebs , the teenaged beatnik best friend of Dobie Gillis, played by Dwayne Hickman . After filming the first three episodes, Denver received his draft notice , and was briefly written out of the script and replaced, but he was designated 4-F due to an old neck injury and returned to Dobie Gillis having missed only one episode. Denver later reprised his Maynard G. Krebs role in

1530-417: The series' publicity with Tina Louise . A decade after the series was canceled, Denver played Gilligan in the made-for-TV reunion movies Rescue from Gilligan's Island (1978), The Castaways on Gilligan's Island (1979), and The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island (1981). He also lent his voice to the animated series The New Adventures of Gilligan and its sequel Gilligan's Planet . During

1575-409: The smoke and rescues them. Once back in modern society, the castaways are initially confused by how different everything is. After much media hype, the group reunites at Christmas aboard the S.S. Minnow II . Foreign spies have discovered that Gilligan has their lost disc and set out to recover it. Meanwhile, Skipper and Gilligan learn that the insurance company refuses to issue a settlement payment for

1620-649: The smoke plume and investigates, positively identifying the lost castaways from the SS Minnow and remarks that the using a fire to signal was smart thinking, else they would have remained lost at sea and unnoticed. In the Season 2 episode " Nyet, Nyet -- Not Yet " a pair of Soviet cosmonauts encounter the castaways, and make the following observation of Gilligan's intelligence: Cosmonaut Igor: These Americans. They think they can fool us. Cosmonaut Ivan: Especially Gilligan. He acts too stupid to be stupid. Igor: Must be

1665-464: The television pilot The Invisible Woman as the bumbling mad scientist uncle of the title character. Denver's first feature film appearance was in the service farce, A Private's Affair (1959), with Sal Mineo . Credited as Robert Denver, he had a small role in the Jimmy Stewart film, Take Her, She's Mine (1963), playing a beatnik poet working at a coffee shop. Denver also appeared in

1710-521: The television sequels Whatever Happened to Dobie Gillis? (1977) and Bring Me the Head of Dobie Gillis (1988). During his time on Dobie Gillis , Denver appeared on the NBC interview program, Here's Hollywood . In 1963, Denver played his only major dramatic role on television, as a physician (Dr. Paul Garrett) in one episode of Dr. Kildare , telecast on October 10, 1963; the episode, "If You Can't Believe

1755-522: Was "Willy". In 2015, the Canadian university Université de Montréal launched a defamation lawsuit against its student union for having portrayed an "insulting" comparison of the Gilligan character with the members of the board of directors. Bob Denver Robert Osbourne Denver (January 9, 1935 – September 2, 2005) was an American comedic actor who portrayed beatnik Maynard G. Krebs on

1800-534: Was a small part in the Frankie Avalon - Annette Funicello comedy Back to the Beach (1987). In 1970, Denver replaced Woody Allen in the original Broadway production of Allen's comedy Play It Again, Sam , earning praise from The New York Times critic Clive Barnes for conveying "a genuine clown-like wistfulness" that Barnes had found lacking in Allen's own performance in the starring role. Denver

1845-444: Was aired March 30, 1964. This was done by the network to promote Denver's face and make him more familiar to the viewing audience since Gilligan's Island was about to go on air. Following the cancellation of Dobie Gillis , Denver landed the title role on the sitcom Gilligan's Island , which ran for three seasons (1964–67) on CBS , and became a staple of later syndication. His role as the well-meaning but bumbling first mate among

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1890-527: Was cast in her place. The following year, Baldwin would go on to play Ginger again in The Castaways on Gilligan's Island . Cassandra Peterson also auditioned for the part of Ginger, shortly before KHJ-TV offered her the horror-host position as 'Elvira, Mistress of the Dark'. Rescue from Gilligan's Island aired in two parts on NBC on October 14 and 21, 1978. The first part garnered a 30.2 rating and

1935-529: Was married four times. With his first wife he had a son and a daughter. He was later married to Jean Webber (1967–1970) and Carole Abrahams (1972–1975), and with the latter fathered a daughter, Emily. His last wife was Dreama Perry, to whom he was married until his death and with whom he fathered a son, Colin. On February 7, 1971, Denver was arrested in Anderson, California for possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia in his car and pleaded no contest for

1980-556: Was that the term "Gilligan" was once mariner's slang for an unlucky or jinxed member of a ship's crew. Bob Denver, on various television/radio interviews ( The Pat Sajak Show , KDKA radio), said that "Gil Egan" was his choice. The actor reasoned that because everyone yelled at the first mate, it ran together as "Gilligan". On the May 18, 1988, episode of the Late Show on Fox , Denver said that Sherwood Schwartz told him Gilligan's first name

2025-581: Was the guide for "The Lost Battalion" in World War One), possibly a sister, his cousin Rudolph, his father (who wore glasses and a mustache and was short), his grandmother, whose advice he imparts to Ginger during the episode "Don't Bug The Mosquitoes", Aunt Sarah, who had a "sneaky disease", and an Uncle John who was apparently illiterate. He once mentions he was born in Pennsylvania , but no city

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