<Tr> <Th> Gender </Th> <Td> male </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Occupation </Th> <Td> High School Science Teacher Scoutmaster College professor </Td> </Tr> <P> Roy Hinkley, referred to as the Professor, is one of the seven castaways from the television series Gilligan's Island (1964--67); he was played by Russell Johnson . The character was originally played by John Gabriel in the pilot episode, but the network thought he looked too young to have all the degrees attributed to the Professor . </P> <P> The Professor's backstory identifies him as Roy Hinkley (though his actual name is rarely mentioned during the series), 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) used 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, brief remarks are made on his past: in the pilot he is described as a research scientist and "well - known scoutmaster"; in another when a big game hunter comes to the island and asks the Professor what sports he took, the answer is "chess"; after kissing Ginger for a prolonged period (during filming of a silent movie), he claims to be a "scuba diver"; in another, when the castaways try to recreate who killed "Randolph Blake", the Professor threatens to "...cancel his subscription to the Science Quarterly". Also, in the episode "Will the Real Mr. Howell Please Stand Up?", the Professor states that he does "...hold a Masters Degree in Psychology". </P>

What was the professor's name on gilligan's island