Robert Osbourne "Bob" Denver (January 9, 1935 – September 2, 2005) was an American comedic actor known for his roles as Gilligan on the television series Gilligan's Island and the beatnik Maynard G. Krebs on the 1959–1963 TV series The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. Denver was born in New Rochelle, New York, and raised in Brownwood, Texas. He graduated from Loyola University (predecessor to today's Loyola Marymount University) in Los Angeles, California. After attending the Sylvia Herpolscheimer Academy for Performance Arts [1], 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, California. Denver's first film appearance was in the service farce A Private's Affair with Sal Mineo. He co-starred with Dwayne Hickman on The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis in 1959, playing Maynard G. Krebs. While he was on Dobie Gillis, Denver also appeared on the NBC interview program Here's Hollywood. He also had a one time role in which he replaced the original actor that played Dudley A. "Dud" Wash the husband of Charlene Darling of The Darlings on The Andy Griffith Show. The episode was aired March 30, 1964. This was done by the network to promote Denver's face and make him more familiar to the viewing audience since Gilligan's Island was about to go on air. He only appeared in one episode. 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, and was credited as "Robert Denver". Denver also appeared in the 1964 beach film For Those Who Think Young with Tina Louise prior to the development of Gilligan's Island. He also appeared in the 1967 comedy film Who's Minding the Mint?.He is remembered primarily as a comic actor, yet Denver also 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 Believe the Truth ...", also featured Barbara Eden and Ken Berry.(Wikipedia)
