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Roy Hinkley, M.A., B.S., Ph.D., usually referred to as The Professor, is one of the seven castaways...

Roy Hinkley, M.A., B.S., Ph.D., usually referred to as The Professor, is one of the seven castaways from the television series Gilligan's Island. He was played by Russell Johnson. The Professor's backstory identifies him as a high school science teacher who was born in Cleveland, Ohio. His principal expertise was as a botanist, whose purpose in joining the ill-fated voyage that stranded the castaways was to write a book to be titled Fun With Ferns. His main function on the show was to devise 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 law, literature, social sciences, and the arts. Besides a list of degrees from various schools (including USC, UCLA, SMU, and TCU) 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