Bob Denver Biography

Fast Facts

• Raised by family in Brownwood, Texas, where he earned a high school diploma before his family moved to California
• Quote: "(Regarding his Gilligan character) "People thank me for giving them a break from life․""
• Quote: "(Regarding "Gilligan's Island") "It's silly, yes, but children laugh and adults can if they want to․ It's aimed at the vast everybody․""
• Denver wore Gilligan's trademark white fishing cap frequently in real life
• His Gilligan character's rarely-mentioned first name was Willy
• The city of Denver, Colo․, was named after his great-great grandfather James William Denver, territorial governor of Kansas
• Born just one day after famous rock and roll musician Elvis Presley
• Performed role as protagonist in Woody Allen's 1970 Broadway play "Play It Again, Sam," replacing Allen, who was originally going to play the role himself
• Reportedly was paid $250 an episode for his work on the show "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis․"
• Worked as a postman for U․S․ Postal Service, and was a high school teacher
• In 1956, Denver broke his neck, which prevented him from being drafted into the U․S․ Army