Jim Backus
- Known For
- Acting
- Born
- February 25, 1913 in Cleveland, Ohio, USA
- Died
- July 3, 1989
- Active Years
- 1948–2022 (75 Years)
- Total Credits
- 238 credits in database
Acting Born Feb 25, 1913 Died Jul 3, 1989 Cleveland, Ohio, USA 238 credits
Biography
Jim Backus was a radio, television, film, and voice actor. Born on February 25, 1913, in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, he was active in the entertainment industry. His known credits include The Alan Young Radio Show, I Married Joan, Gilligan's Island, and Rebel Without a Cause, as well as his own show The Jim Backus Show. Backus appeared in a total of 232 credits throughout his career. He passed away on July 3, 1989, at the age of 76. Backus is also known by the alias James Gilmore B.
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Career overview
Jim Backus was a radio, television, film, and voice actor. He had a diverse career with various notable credits. Backus appeared on the radio show The Alan Young Radio Show. He also starred in the television series I Married Joan.
In addition to his work in radio and television, Backus had a presence in film. He appeared in the movie Rebel Without a Cause. Backus also starred in his own television show, The Jim Backus Show. His acting credits span multiple mediums, showcasing his versatility as a performer.
Throughout his career, Backus accumulated a significant number of acting credits. He is known for his work in various roles across radio, television, and film.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
The Unknown Story
Rebel Without a Cause: Defiant Innocents
Hollywood's Hidden Secrets
The Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show
Prince Jack
Slapstick of Another KindGilligan's PlanetNatalie - A Tribute to a Very Special Lady
Hill Street BluesThe Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island
The Gossip ColumnistThere Goes The Bride
$weepstake$EischiedThe RebelsAngels' BrigadeC.H.O.M.P.S.
Fantasy IslandFlying HighGood Guys Wear BlackRescue from Gilligan's Island
The Love BoatThe Love BoatCHiPsPete's DragonWhat's New, Mr. Magoo?
Charlie's Angels
Ellery QueenJoe ForresterMobile OneFriday FosterCrazy Mama
Harry OKolchak: The Night StalkerChico and the ManThe New Adventures of GilliganYes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus
Police StoryPolice StoryThe Girl Most Likely To...Miracle on 34th Street
Now You See Him, Now You Don'tGetting Away from It AllMagic CarpetOf Thee I Sing
Alias Smith and JonesMooch Goes to HollywoodMooch Goes to Hollywood · Writer
Nanny and the ProfessorMyra BreckinridgeThe Cockeyed Cowboys of Calico CountyUncle Sam Magoo
Love, American StyleMarcus Welby, M.D.Medical CenterThe Brady BunchThe Barbara McNair Show
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-InThe Mod SquadThe Good GuysBlondieWhere Were You When the Lights Went Out?
The Smothers Brothers Comedy HourAccidental FamilyHurry SundownDon't Make WavesDamn Yankees
Continental Showcase
The Wild Wild WestI Dream of JeannieBillieJohn Goldfarb, Please Come Home!Fluffy
Daniel BooneGilligan's IslandThe Famous Adventures of Mr. MagooAdvance to the RearRendezvous in Space
Burke's LawBurke's LawBurke's LawArrest and TrialEspionage
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny CarsonThe Merv Griffin ShowThe Beverly HillbilliesBoys' Night OutThe Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm
The Mike Douglas ShowThe Mike Douglas ShowCain's HundredThe Dick Powell ShowMagoo Meets Frankenstein
The Mr. Magoo ShowThe Jim Backus ShowIce PalaceI Was a Teenage MagooTom, Dick and Harriet
The UntouchablesAsk Any GirlBwana MagooMagoo's Lodge BrotherThe Wild and the Innocent
77 Sunset StripGumshoe MagooMagoo’s Three-Point LandingThe Explosive Mr. MagooMacabre
Full Filmography
238 titles- The Unknown Story (2022) as Self - archive footage
- Rebel Without a Cause: Defiant Innocents (2005) as Himself (uncredited)
- Hollywood's Hidden Secrets (1987) as Self
- The Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show (1986)
- Prince Jack (1985) as Dealy
- Slapstick of Another Kind (1982) as President of the U.S.
- Gilligan's Planet (1982) as Thurston Howell, III (voice)
- Natalie - A Tribute to a Very Special Lady (1982)
- Hill Street Blues (1981) as Mr. Magoo (archive footage) (uncredited)
- The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island (1981) as Thurston Howell III
- The Gossip Columnist (1980) as Jim Backus
- There Goes The Bride (1980) as Mr. Perkins
- $weepstake$ (1979) as Major Adams
- Eischied (1979)
- The Rebels (1979) as John Hancock
- Angels' Brigade (1979) as Cmdr. Lindsey March
- C.H.O.M.P.S. (1979) as Mr. Gibbs
- The Castaways on Gilligan's Island (1979) as Thurston Howell III
- Fantasy Island (1978) as Cap Truman
- Flying High (1978)
- Good Guys Wear Black (1978) as Albert, the Doorman
- Rescue from Gilligan's Island (1978) as Thurston Howell III
- The Love Boat (1977) as Marvin Waterman
- The Love Boat (1977) as Mr. Landers
- CHiPs (1977) as Weitzman
- Pete's Dragon (1977) as The Mayor
- What's New, Mr. Magoo? (1977) as Mr. Magoo (voice)
- Never Con a Killer (1977) as Stanley Bunch
- Have I Got a Christmas for You (1977) as Kevin Grady
- Charlie's Angels (1976) as Iggy
- Ellery Queen (1975) as Howard Biggers
- Joe Forrester (1975)
- Mobile One (1975) as Macklin
- Friday Foster (1975) as Enos Griffith
- Crazy Mama (1975) as Mr. Albertson
- Cop on the Beat (1975) as Jake Mandel
- Harry O (1974) as Ziggy
- Kolchak: The Night Stalker (1974)
- Chico and the Man (1974)
- The New Adventures of Gilligan (1974) as Thurston Howell III (voice)
- Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus (1974) as Narrator / Santa Claus (voice)
- Goodnight Jackie (1974) as Mr. Landry
- Police Story (1973)
- Police Story (1973) as Jake Mandel
- The Girl Most Likely To... (1973) as Prof. David Tilson
- Miracle on 34th Street (1973) as Shellhammer
- Now You See Him, Now You Don't (1972) as Timothy Forsythe
- Getting Away from It All (1972) as Mike Lorimar
- Magic Carpet (1972) as George Benson
- Of Thee I Sing (1972) as Senator Robert F. Lyons
- Alias Smith and Jones (1971)
- Mooch Goes to Hollywood (1971) as Jim Backus
- Mooch Goes to Hollywood (1971) Writer
- Nanny and the Professor (1970) as Dr. Charles Walters
- Myra Breckinridge (1970) as Doctor
- The Cockeyed Cowboys of Calico County (1970) as Staunch
- Uncle Sam Magoo (1970) as Mr. Magoo
- Love, American Style (1969) as Jerry Franks
- Marcus Welby, M.D. (1969) as Bill
- Medical Center (1969)
- The Brady Bunch (1969) as Zaccariah
- The Barbara McNair Show (1969) as Self
- Hello Down There (1969) as T.R. Hollister
- Wake Me When the War Is Over (1969) as Colonel
- Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1968) as Self (uncredited)
- The Mod Squad (1968) as Emile Wade
- The Good Guys (1968)
- Blondie (1968) as J.C. Dithers /Mr. Dithers
- Where Were You When the Lights Went Out? (1968) as Tru-Blue Lou
- The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (1967) as Self
- Accidental Family (1967)
- Hurry Sundown (1967) as Carter Sillens
- Don't Make Waves (1967) as Self (uncredited)
- Damn Yankees (1967) as Benny Van Buren
- Continental Showcase (1966) as Self - Host
- The Wild Wild West (1965) as Fabian Swanson
- I Dream of Jeannie (1965) as General Fitzhugh
- Billie (1965) as Howard G. Carol
- John Goldfarb, Please Come Home! (1965) as Whitepaper
- Fluffy (1965) as Sergeant
- Daniel Boone (1964) as Will Scataway
- Gilligan's Island (1964) as Thurston Howell, III
- The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo (1964) as Mr. Magoo (voice)
- Advance to the Rear (1964) as Gen. Willoughby
- Rendezvous in Space (1964) as Moon (voice)
- Mr. Magoo in Sherwood Forest (1964) as Mr. Magoo
- Mr. Magoo, Man of Mystery (1964) as Mr. Magoo
- Burke's Law (1963) as Harold Mason
- Burke's Law (1963) as Pork Pie Hannigan
- Burke's Law (1963) as Herkimer Witt
- Arrest and Trial (1963) as Sam Thayer
- Espionage (1963) as McAvoy
- It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) as Tyler Fitzgerald
- Johnny Cool (1963) as Louis Murphy
- Sunday in New York (1963) as Chief Pilot Drysdale
- A Child Is Waiting (1963) as Hot Dog Vendor (uncredited)
- The Wheeler Dealers (1963) as Bullard Bear
- Critic's Choice (1963) as Dr. William Von Hagedorn
- Operation Bikini (1963) as Bosun's Mate Ed Fennelly
- My Six Loves (1963) as Sheriff
- The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962) as Self
- The Merv Griffin Show (1962) as Self
- The Beverly Hillbillies (1962) as Marty Van Ransohoff
- Boys' Night Out (1962) as Peter Bowers
- The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm (1962) as The King (segment "The Dancing Princess")
- The Horizontal Lieutenant (1962) as Cmdr. Jeremiah Hammerslag
- Zotz! (1962) as Horatio Kellgore
- Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol (1962) as Mr. Quincy Magoo / Ebenezer Scrooge (voice)
- The Mike Douglas Show (1961) as Self
- The Mike Douglas Show (1961) as Self - Co-Host
- Cain's Hundred (1961) as Karl Bigger
- The Dick Powell Show (1961) as Monte
- Magoo Meets Frankenstein (1961) as Mr. Magoo
- The Mr. Magoo Show (1960) as Mr Magoo (voice)
- The Jim Backus Show (1960)
- Ice Palace (1960) as Dave Husack
- I Was a Teenage Magoo (1960) as Mr. Magoo (voice)
- Tom, Dick and Harriet (1960) as James
- Inside Magoo (1960) as Mr. Magoo (voice) / Self
- The Untouchables (1959) as William Norbert
- Ask Any Girl (1959) as Mr. Maxwell
- Bwana Magoo (1959) as Mr. Magoo (voice)
- Magoo's Lodge Brother (1959) as Mr. Magoo (voice)
- The Wild and the Innocent (1959) as Mr. Forbes
- Magoo’s Homecoming (1959) as Mr. Magoo (voice)
- 1001 Arabian Nights (1959) as Uncle Abdul Azziz Magoo (voice)
- A Princess for Magoo (1959) as Narrator
- The Big Operator (1959) as Cliff Heldon
- A Private's Affair (1959) as Jim Gordon
- Merry Minstrel Magoo (1959) as Mr. Magoo (voice)
- Terror Faces Magoo (1959) as Mr. Magoo
- Magoo Meets Boing Boing (The Noise-Making Boy) (1959) as Mr. Magoo (voice)
- 77 Sunset Strip (1958) as Maury Samuels
- Gumshoe Magoo (1958) as Mr. Magoo (voice)
- Magoo’s Three-Point Landing (1958) as Mr. Magoo / Air Traffic Controller / Sully (voice)
- The Explosive Mr. Magoo (1958) as Mr Magoo (voice)
- Macabre (1958) as Sheriff Jim Tyloe
- The High Cost of Loving (1958) as Paul Mason
- Magoo's Young Manhood (1958) as Mr. Magoo (voice)
- Scoutmaster Magoo (1958) as Mr. Magoo (voice)
- Magoo’s Cruise (1958) as Mr. Magoo (voice)
- Love Comes to Magoo (1958) as Mr. Magoo (voice)
- Maverick (1957) as Joe Wheelwright
- Tonight Starring Jack Paar (1957) as Self
- Matador Magoo (1957) as Mr. Magoo (voice)
- Top Secret Affair (1957) as Col. Homer W. Gooch
- Man of a Thousand Faces (1957) as Clarence Locan
- The Pied Piper of Hamelin (1957) as King's Emissary
- Magoo Goes Overboard (1957) as Mr. Magoo (voice)
- Magoo Breaks Par (1957) as Mr. Magoo (voice)
- Eighteen and Anxious (1957) as Harvey Graham
- Magoo Saves the Bank (1957) as Mr. Magoo (voice)
- Rock Hound Magoo (1957) as Mr. Magoo (voice)
- Magoo's Private War (1957) as Mr. Magoo (voice)
- Magoo's Moose Hunt (1957) as Mr. Magoo (voice)
- Magoo's Masquerade (1957) as Mr. Magoo (voice)
- The Gale Storm Show (1956) as Arthur Hutchins
- Conflict (1956) as Dandy Summers
- The Opposite Sex (1956) as Psychiatrist
- You Can't Run Away from It (1956) as Danker
- Meet Mother Magoo (1956) as Mr. Magoo (voice)
- The Girl He Left Behind (1956) as Sgt. Hanna
- Meet Me in Las Vegas (1956) as Tom Culdane
- The Naked Hills (1956) as Willis Haver
- Magoo's Problem Child (1956) as Mr. Magoo (voice)
- Magoo's Canine Mutiny (1956) as Mr. Magoo (voice)
- The Great Man (1956) as Nick Cellantano
- Magoo's Puddle Jumper (1956) as Mr. Magoo (voice)
- Trailblazer Magoo (1956) as Mr. Magoo (voice)
- Magoo Goes West (1956) as Mr. Magoo (voice)
- Calling Doctor Magoo (1956) as Mr. Magoo (voice)
- Magoo Beats the Heat (1956) as Mr. Magoo(voice)
- Matinee Theater (1955)
- Gunsmoke (1955) as Reverend Sims
- The Millionaire (1955) as Henry Banning
- Rebel Without a Cause (1955) as Frank Stark
- Francis in the Navy (1955) as Commander Hutch
- The Square Jungle (1955) as Pat Quaid
- Magoo Express (1955) as Mr. Magoo
- Magoo Makes News (1955) as Mr. Magoo
- Madcap Magoo (1955) as Mr. Magoo
- Climax! (1954) as Detective Herman
- The George Gobel Show (1954) as Self
- Destination Magoo (1954) as Mr. Magoo (voice)
- Destination Magoo (1954) Story
- Deep in My Heart (1954) as Ben Judson
- When Magoo Flew (1954) as Mr. Magoo/Pilot (voice)
- Geraldine (1953) as Jason Ambrose
- Above and Beyond (1953) as Gen. Curtis E. LeMay
- Angel Face (1953) as District Attorney Judson
- I Love Melvin (1953) as Mergo
- I Married Joan (1952) as Judge Bradley Stevens
- Don't Bother to Knock (1952) as Peter Jones
- Hotsy Footsy (1952) as Mr. Magoo (voice)
- Deadline - U.S.A. (1952) as Jim Cleary
- Androcles and the Lion (1952) as Centurion
- Here Come the Nelsons (1952) as Joe Randolph
- Pat and Mike (1952) as Charles Barry
- Pink and Blue Blues (1952) as Mr. Magoo (voice)
- The Rose Bowl Story (1952) as Michael "Iron Mike" Burke
- Pete Hothead (1952) as Lavery the Floorwalker/Mailman (uncredited)
- Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951) as Kevin Grady
- Bungled Bungalow (1951) as Mr. Magoo
- Half Angel (1951) as Michael Hogan
- Grizzly Golfer (1951) as Mr. Magoo
- The Man with a Cloak (1951) as Flaherty
- His Kind of Woman (1951) as Myron Winton
- Hollywood Story (1951) as Mitch Davis
- Bright Victory (1951) as Bill Grayson
- M (1951) as The Mayor
- I Want You (1951) as Harvey Landrum
- I'll See You in My Dreams (1951) as Sam Harris
- Barefaced Flatfoot (1951) as Mr. Magoo
- Plutopia (1951) as Milton the Cat
- Iron Man (1951) as Max Watkins
- Fuddy Duddy Buddy (1951) as Mr. Magoo (voice)
- Robert Montgomery Presents (1950) as Lucus Edgerton
- What's My Line? (1950) as Self
- The Colgate Comedy Hour (1950) as Self
- Lux Video Theatre (1950) as Harry
- Spellbound Hound (1950) as Mr. Magoo
- Trouble Indemnity (1950) as Mr. Magoo (voice)
- Ma and Pa Kettle Go to Town (1950) as Joseph "Little Joe" Rogers
- Emergency Wedding (1950) as Ed Hamley
- The Killer That Stalked New York (1950) as Willie Dennis (uncredited)
- Customs Agent (1950) as Shanghai Chief Agent Thomas Jacoby
- The Popcorn Story (1950) as Narrator
- Edgar Bergen with Charlie McCarthy (1950) as Magistrate Backus
- Ragtime Bear (1949) as Mr. Magoo (voice)
- A Dangerous Profession (1949) as Police Lt. Nick Ferrone / Narrator (voice)
- The Great Lover (1949) as Higgins
- Father Was a Fullback (1949) as Professor Sullivan
- Easy Living (1949) as Dr. Franklin
- One Last Fling (1949) as Howard Pritchard
- Studio One (1948) as Tim McTaggart
- A-Lad-in His Lamp (1948) as Smokey the Genie (voice) (uncredited)
- Where Will You Hide? (1948) as Narrator
- Animation Mavericks: The Forgotten Story of UPA as Self / Mr. Magoo (archive footage, audio)
Frequently Asked Questions
What movies or TV shows is Jim Backus best known for?
Jim Backus is widely recognized for notable roles and projects including The Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show (1986), The Hook Up Plan (2018), Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927), Hill Street Blues (1981).
When and where was Jim Backus born?
Jim Backus was born on February 25, 1913 in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. They passed away on July 3, 1989.
How many credits does Jim Backus have?
Jim Backus has accumulated over 238 film and television credits across a career spanning from 1948 to 2022.
What is Jim Backus's background in cinema and television?
Jim Backus was a radio, television, film, and voice actor. Born on February 25, 1913, in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, he was active in the entertainment industry. His known credits include The Alan Young Radio Show, I Married Joan, Gilligan's Island, and Rebel Without a Cause, as well as his own show The Jim Backus Show. Back...
Jim Backus by the numbers
238credits
164films
74TV series
1948–2022active years
Age in their best-rated roles
- Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951) as Kevin Grady — aged about 38
- Arrest and Trial (1963) as Sam Thayer — aged about 50
- The Untouchables (1959) as William Norbert — aged about 46
- The Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show (1986) — aged about 73
- I Dream of Jeannie (1965) as General Fitzhugh — aged about 52
- The George Gobel Show (1954) as Self — aged about 41
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