Take a look at this pic from the Season 2 intro, and a Gilligan's Island episode.

I know eh? I used to have a huge crush on him as a kid, but when I saw him recently - WOW! Almost looks as though he's had some sort of stroke. Poor guy.

I think he looks better on the Season Introduction than on the E True Hollywood Story by a lot. He is also 80 years old

I think he's doing just fine! He's survived the death of his first wife and his oldest son and he's still sharp as a tack and his sense of humor is cutting edge!

I agree with you,Sheri!He's been through alot in his life!He's the oldest of the originale cast now.Give him a break,please.To me,he always will be the intelligent and handsome professor :)

LOL, well I guess nobody stays very pretty as they get older.

He's like 81... I mean... he seems pretty ok for an eighty+ manwho is a war vet and not senile. He definetely got a lot heavier and that makes his face droop more but um... has anyone seen pictures of Bob Denver these days? He looks like crap.

People get old. let's just be glad that Russell Johnson is lucky enough to be aging gracefully with his faculties intact and without severe illness. Look at poor James Doohan - he wasn't so pretty at 81 either, and he had parkinsons, altheimers, and diabetes.


I didn't know that Russell's son had died although... I suppose I am not shocked. Shame though.

The person in my family who was really shocked when she saw RJ in the Season 2 intro, was my mother. She had a huge crush on him, but when she saw the recent interview, she thought it wasn't the same guy.

Oh I had that reaction when I saw him on Space Ghost Coast to Coast a few years ago. I just had to tell myself "he's as old as Granpa and Granpa didn't live that long and didn't look *that* good" (Granpa was actually the same age and had a similar war record so its a valid comparison.) I also had to keep repeating " this show was on the air the year my parents married and seven years before you were born".

A lot of whats disconcerting is that his eyebrows appear non-existent in the older pics and that makes his face look very different. Add the pounds on and yeah, he doesn't look too hot. Still... 81 years old....

Besides, seriously, Bob Denver wins the "looks scary as hell" prize.

Oh I had that reaction when I saw him on Space Ghost Coast to Coast a few years ago. I just had to tell myself "he's as old as Granpa and Granpa didn't live that long and didn't look *that* good" (Granpa was actually the same age and had a similar war record so its a valid comparison.) I also had to keep repeating " this show was on the air the year my parents married and seven years before you were born".

A lot of whats disconcerting is that his eyebrows appear non-existent in the older pics and that makes his face look very different. Add the pounds on and yeah, he doesn't look too hot. Still... 81 years old....

Besides, seriously, Bob Denver wins the "looks scary as hell" prize.
I agree with Celine and Rap! Bob Denver looks VERY scary and not like Gilligan at all, but he's smoked a lot of *ahem* and that pulls your face down a lot.

I doubt Russell still smokes after his wife dying of cancer, but who knows. I hope he doesn't smoke anymore.

Hugs!

Here's Bob and Dawn a few years ago at a Casino.

http://media.igt.com/images/G2E2003_BobDenverDawnWells_HiRes.jpg

Yeah thats scary scary. Dawn still looks good.

I just don't get it. I DON'T see anything "scary" or abnormal about Bob or RJ. Dawn does look great, and the others look just fine too. They are probably concerned with more important matters such as health and family than wrinkles and loose skin. My mother, now deceased, had Alzheimer's disease and hardly any wrinkles (a prettly woman), but she would have traded places with wrinkles etc. anyday vs. the disease she had.

Remember as we grow older, we will get them too.

I don't mean to offend anyone.

Here's Bob and Dawn a few years ago at a Casino.

http://media.igt.com/images/G2E2003_BobDenverDawnWells_HiRes.jpg

what year was that from?

The thing Dawn is wearing around her neck says "Spotlight 2003." :)

It isn't entirely fair to say RJ has gone downhill. Those pictures were taken 40 years apart. He has obviously packed on a great deal of weight.

I'm sorry, but Bob Denver looks very bad. He's 70 but looks 85. Smoking dope all those years didn't help. Even Jim Backus in his last years looked better.

It's funny that outside of Dawn Wells the castaway that held up the best was Natalie Schaffer. Even in her 90th year she was still radiant and hadn't seemed to age all that much.

Honestly, the only one who has really aged well, would be Dawn Wells, all the rest really look/looked bad in their old age.

But that's just my opinion.

Well, Dawn has "aged well," but to me it looks like she's had some work done. And the fact that she's still a brunette at her age is mighty suspicious. lol.

But yeah, people get old. Not everyone looks good when they're old. It's a simple truth of life. It's sad, but our beloved characters won't stay the same forever.

In the real world, Rap is a darkbrown brunette herself with scary white skin (illeducated people have accused Rap of being an albino which she is NOT) and there a smattering of gray hair at 33. Dawn is obviously dying her hair.

On topic? Russell and Bob look about the same age. how sad is that?

Hi, Russ did in fact suffer a slight stroke last year, but it was not that serious and Russ did not want to make a big deal of it. So what you are seeing coming across his face was from that, but other than that, he is doing fine making appearances from time to time including being a good sport and taking part in the new interviews for the new DVD sets when the rest of the remaining cast refused to be a part of unless they got a huge payoff. It goes to show you that Russ does care about making the GI fans happy. It really is a shame that the rest of the cast could not care less about the GI fans because the DVD may have been the last time that we could have seen them all together for one last time on the DVD to last us a lifetime. And sadly Jim Backus in his last days did not look good at all. Just look at him on The Late Show Reunion. The man was very sick & frail and on his very last leg. In his last days, his wife had to take care of him while he laid sick in bed for a very long time...

Aw, I was wrong, it wasn't just the weight gain. :( well, could be worse, his speech didn't seem affected at all. Glad to know he's doing ok.

opps wrong reply ..lol :lol:

wow! he does look much older! I had a huge crush on him when he was on Gilligan's Island. Was he ever in anything else?

He was in a show before Gilligan called Black Saddle and he also guest stared on many westerns and was in some science fiction movies such as Attack of the Crab Monster. After Gilligan just like the others he became typecast. He did appear on other sitcoms as well. Here is the IMDB page on him for a complete list http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0426157/

I'm sorry, but Bob Denver looks very bad. He's 70 but looks 85. Smoking dope all those years didn't help. Even Jim Backus in his last years looked better.


Hi, I'm new :wave: and I just can't let this go by unanswered. My name is Cynthia and am one of the biggest Bob Denver devotees you will ever meet. I even have gone so far as to call him the "American Beatle" (even though he wasn't a singer) because he looked like a mix of Paul, George and Ringo (not John though). Bob was very slim (which I like), had gorgeous dark hair, bright blue eyes, a sweet smile, sexy hands with *loooong* fingers (he really should have played the guitar or the piano), was the only person in the world who could get away with wearing that Gilligan costume, etc, etc, etc. Truly one of the most underrated actors of all time, I wish he was in a ton of high quality films/TV playing a wide variety of different characters.

That said, I think Bobby still looks like a handsome man. Just a white haired, older man, that's all. He's still thin, has most of his hair (albeit "scary" white), usually dresses well, and in that photo with Dawn the first thing I noticed was Bob's beautiful blue eyes. What more do you want? :confused:

Cynthia Marie

welcome to SO GingerGilligan. I hope you have as much fun here as we do.

Thank you gilligan fanatic! (Are you male or female? I'm imagining you as a girl, but if I'm wrong please correct me.) I usually post at http://movies.groups.yahoo.com/group/Bob-Denver-Fans-Meet-Here which is a Yahoo group all about BD (everything he did, not just Gilligan). There's also http://tv.groups.yahoo.com/group/truegilligansislandfan which I read, but haven't posted to much. These are both run by JoAndra Van Dowell, a great lady and fellow GI/BD devotee. :) I've also posted in the board on the gilligansisle.com site, although there are a lot of trolls there. :(

Cynthia or Ginger (you can call me either). ;)

Thank you gilligan fanatic! (Are you male or female? I'm imagining you as a girl, but if I'm wrong please correct me.) I usually post at http://movies.groups.yahoo.com/group/Bob-Denver-Fans-Meet-Here which is a Yahoo group all about BD (everything he did, not just Gilligan). There's also http://tv.groups.yahoo.com/group/truegilligansislandfan which I read, but haven't posted to much. These are both run by JoAndra Van Dowell, a great lady and fellow GI/BD devotee. :) I've also posted in the board on the gilligansisle.com site, although there are a lot of trolls there. :(

Cynthia or Ginger (you can call me either). ;)

I'm a guy. I will have to check thoes sites out.