The Professor (Gilligan's Island)
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Roy Hinkley(Martin), usually referred to as The Professor, B.A., B.S., M.A., Ph.D. (born in Cleveland, Ohio [1]) is one of the seven castaways from the television series Gilligan's Island. He was played by Russell Johnson.
The Professor was a high school science teacher, and he devised many ways for the castaways to live more comfortably on the island. Many of his inventions (including a method for recharging the batteries in the ubiquitous radio) 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 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 (during filming of a silent movie) 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.
The Professor was portrayed as the most neutral and level-headed character. He usually displayed more patience with Gilligan than the other castaways, and was often called upon to settle disputes. As a result, he often serves as the leader of the castaways. The others also defer to him because of his great store of knowledge.
For unexplained reasons, the egg-headed Professor brought a large number of books on diverse subjects such as Chemistry and Anthropology of the South Sea Islanders on a three hour pleasure-cruise in Hawai'i. On many occasions, he magically pulls out a book which has exactly the facts needed to fix or explain a particular problem they are having.
A running joke about the Professor was his ability to build anything from coconuts and bamboo, yet he was somehow unable to create a raft or other means to leave the island. This was parodied in sitcom Roseanne, when one of the characters playing The Professor stated after they crashed, "This hole on the boat defies all of my advanced knowledge. To fix it would be impossible...now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go create explosive fillings out of sand."
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