The Professor Video | TV Show clips & Character Interview

Roy Hinkley, B.S., M.A., Ph.D., referred to as The Professor, is one of the seven castaways from the television series Gilligan's Island; he was played by Russell Johnson. The Professor's backstory identifies him as a high school science teacher who was born in Cleveland, Ohio. His principal expertise was as a botanist, whose purpose in joining the ill-fated voyage that stranded the castaways...  MORE

Roy Hinkley, B.S., M.A., Ph.D., referred to as The Professor, is one of the seven castaways from the television series Gilligan's Island; he was played by Russell Johnson. The Professor's backstory identifies him as a high school science teacher who was born in Cleveland, Ohio. His principal expertise was as a botanist, whose purpose in joining the ill-fated voyage that stranded the castaways was to write a book to be titled Fun With Ferns. His main function on the show was to devise many ways for the castaways to live more comfortably on the island. Many of his inventions utilized coconuts and bamboo, both of which were in plentiful supply. Aside from his proficiency in science, he was also adept and well-versed in law, literature, social sciences, and the arts. Besides a list of degrees from various schools he provides in one episode, little was ever learned about his past and nothing was ever learned about his family. In several episodes there are brief remarks on his past: in the pilot he is described as a "well-known scoutmaster"; in another when a big game hunter comes to the Island and asks the Professor what sports he took, the answer is "chess club"; after kissing Ginger for a prolonged period he claims to be a "scuba diver"; in another when the castaways try to recreate who killed "Randolph Blake", the Professor threatens to expose the cheating Blake to a science council. LESS