BOB DENVER
Name: Robert Osbourne Denver
Born: 9 January 1935 New Rochelle, New York, USA
Died: 2 September 2005 Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Robert Osbourne "Bob" Denver (January 9, 1935 – September 2, 2005) was an
American comedic actor best known for his role as Gilligan on the television
series Gilligan's Island. Prior to Gilligan's Island, he took on the role of
Maynard G. Krebs, a beatnik on the 1959-1963 TV series The Many Loves of Dobie
Gillis. This character had a strong resemblance to the character of Gilligan he
would later play.
Denver was born in New Rochelle, New York, and reared in Brownwood in central
Texas. He graduated from Loyola University (predecessor to today's Loyola
Marymount University) in Los Angeles, California. He first found work as a
mailman. He would later coach physical education and teach mathematics at Corpus
Christi School, a Roman Catholic elementary school in Pacific Palisades.
He costarred with Dwayne Hickman on The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis in 1959.
Denver played the role of Maynard G. Krebs, while Hickman played Dobie Gills.
Hickman was also a Loyola graduate. Also in the series was Steven Franken, who
played the dilettante playboy Chatsworth Osborne, Jr.
Credited as "Robert Denver," he landed a small role in the 1963 Jimmy Stewart
film, Take Her, She's Mine, playing a beatnik poet working at a coffee shop
named "The Sleeping Pill." Denver appeared in the 1964 beach movie For Those Who
Think Young with Tina Louise prior to the development of Gilligan's Island.
Though remembered primarily as a comic actor, Denver appeared in one 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 Handle the
Truth" also featured Barbara Eden and Ken Berry.
When Dobie Gillis ended in 1963, Denver landed the role of Gilligan on Gilligan's
Island.
After the conclusion of Gilligan's Island, he performed in other shows such as
The Good Guys (1968–1970), Love American Style and Dusty's Trail (1973) (a
facsimile of Gilligan's Island, with the basis of a lost wagon train). He also
starred in a children's program, Far Out Space Nuts (1975), which was
essentially Gilligan in space. Although appreciated by Bob Denver fans, none of
these shows matched the wider audience success of his earlier roles.
In 1998, Denver was arrested for having a parcel of marijuana delivered to his
home. He originally said that the parcel had come from Dawn Wells (who had
played "Mary Ann" on Gilligan's Island) but later refused to name her in court,
and testified that "some crazy fan must have sent it". The police reportedly
found more of the drug and related paraphernalia in Denver's home. He pleaded no
contest and received six months probation.
Later on in his life, Denver returned to his adopted home of Princeton, West
Virginia. He became an FM radio personality. Along with his wife Dreama, they
ran a small "oldies format" station, WGAG-LP. He also earned a small income
making public appearances, often costumed as Gilligan.
In May 2005, Denver underwent quadruple heart bypass surgery, and was
subsequently diagnosed with throat cancer. He died September 2, from pneumonia
and squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx at Wake Forest University Baptist
Hospital in Winston-Salem, North Carolina at the age of 70, surrounded by his
family — his last wife (of 28 years), the former Dreama Peery; and his children
of 4 different marriages; Patrick, Megan, Emily, and Colin.
Name: Robert Osbourne Denver
Born: 9 January 1935 New Rochelle, New York, USA
Died: 2 September 2005 Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Robert Osbourne "Bob" Denver (January 9, 1935 – September 2, 2005) was an
American comedic actor best known for his role as Gilligan on the television
series Gilligan's Island. Prior to Gilligan's Island, he took on the role of
Maynard G. Krebs, a beatnik on the 1959-1963 TV series The Many Loves of Dobie
Gillis. This character had a strong resemblance to the character of Gilligan he
would later play.
Denver was born in New Rochelle, New York, and reared in Brownwood in central
Texas. He graduated from Loyola University (predecessor to today's Loyola
Marymount University) in Los Angeles, California. He first found work as a
mailman. He would later coach physical education and teach mathematics at Corpus
Christi School, a Roman Catholic elementary school in Pacific Palisades.
He costarred with Dwayne Hickman on The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis in 1959.
Denver played the role of Maynard G. Krebs, while Hickman played Dobie Gills.
Hickman was also a Loyola graduate. Also in the series was Steven Franken, who
played the dilettante playboy Chatsworth Osborne, Jr.
Credited as "Robert Denver," he landed a small role in the 1963 Jimmy Stewart
film, Take Her, She's Mine, playing a beatnik poet working at a coffee shop
named "The Sleeping Pill." Denver appeared in the 1964 beach movie For Those Who
Think Young with Tina Louise prior to the development of Gilligan's Island.
Though remembered primarily as a comic actor, Denver appeared in one 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 Handle the
Truth" also featured Barbara Eden and Ken Berry.
When Dobie Gillis ended in 1963, Denver landed the role of Gilligan on Gilligan's
Island.
After the conclusion of Gilligan's Island, he performed in other shows such as
The Good Guys (1968–1970), Love American Style and Dusty's Trail (1973) (a
facsimile of Gilligan's Island, with the basis of a lost wagon train). He also
starred in a children's program, Far Out Space Nuts (1975), which was
essentially Gilligan in space. Although appreciated by Bob Denver fans, none of
these shows matched the wider audience success of his earlier roles.
In 1998, Denver was arrested for having a parcel of marijuana delivered to his
home. He originally said that the parcel had come from Dawn Wells (who had
played "Mary Ann" on Gilligan's Island) but later refused to name her in court,
and testified that "some crazy fan must have sent it". The police reportedly
found more of the drug and related paraphernalia in Denver's home. He pleaded no
contest and received six months probation.
Later on in his life, Denver returned to his adopted home of Princeton, West
Virginia. He became an FM radio personality. Along with his wife Dreama, they
ran a small "oldies format" station, WGAG-LP. He also earned a small income
making public appearances, often costumed as Gilligan.
In May 2005, Denver underwent quadruple heart bypass surgery, and was
subsequently diagnosed with throat cancer. He died September 2, from pneumonia
and squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx at Wake Forest University Baptist
Hospital in Winston-Salem, North Carolina at the age of 70, surrounded by his
family — his last wife (of 28 years), the former Dreama Peery; and his children
of 4 different marriages; Patrick, Megan, Emily, and Colin.