Jaws actress Susan Backlinie has died on the age of 77.
The actress and stuntwoman is finest remembered for portraying the younger girl goes for a late-night ocean swim solely to be eaten by a shark within the opening scene of the 1975 thriller however she handed away on Saturday at her residence in California, her agent Matthew Templeton has confirmed.
He informed The Every day Jaws: “It’s with heartfelt remorse to verify our beloved Susan handed away this morning. We want to thank everybody for his or her condolences at the moment. Please respect the household’s privateness throughout this tough time.”
For her transient however memorable look as Chrissie Watkins within the Steven Spielberg-directed epic – which was based mostly on the e book by Peter Benchley and follows three males as they attempt to hunt and kill the shark that’s terrorizing and killing residents of a small New England city – Susan, a nationally-ranked swimmer, spent three days on set and was secured right into a harness to movie the scene through which her character is eaten alive.
Jeffrey Kramer – who performed Deputy Lee Hendricks within the movie – was one of many first to pay tribute to his co-star.
He stated: “Susan was a sort, soul and loving soul and will probably be sorely missed by the Jaws neighborhood. She has a particular place in our hearts!”
Susan – who’s survived by her husband Harvey Swindall – later made appearances in The Grizzly and the Treasure, 1941 and Day of the Animals, however has not appeared on display since she appeared in an episode of The Fall Man in 1982.
After making her display debut in Jaws, she posed bare for the duvet of Mayfair in 1977 and spent her years after retiring from the highlight showing at fan conventions devoted to the cult basic.
Final yr, Steven Spielberg recalled that he was extra inclined to place a skilled stuntwoman into the position as a result of he wanted somebody who may endure the “violent shaking” that may be required on set.
Within the e book Spielberg: The First Ten Years, he stated: “I didn’t need an actor to do it. I needed a stuntperson as a result of I wanted someone who was nice within the water, who knew water ballet and knew endure what I imagined was going to be a complete lot of violent shaking.
“So, I went to stunts to search out her, and Susan was as much as the problem.”
Watch the Opening Scene from ‘Jaws’
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Gallery Credit score: Allison Rapp
