- The stuntwoman and movie star was best known for her role in ‘Jaws’
- She played the skinny Chrissie Watkins, the first death in the 1975 film.
- Backlinie’s booking agent confirmed his death Sunday at his home in California.
Actress and stuntwoman Susan Backlinie, perhaps best known as the first shark attack victim in ‘Jaws,’ has died.
Backlinie, 77, died at his home in Ventura, California, his booking agent Matthew Templeton confirmed. The cause of death has not been determined.
In addition to her big screen career, Backlinie was a nationally ranked professional swimmer and diver.
Before joining ‘Jaws’ at age 28, she worked as an animal trainer and performed as a mermaid.
She played Chrissie Watkins in Steven Spielberg’s iconic 1975 film and spent three days rehearsing the opening scene, in which she is struck by a great white shark before disappearing beneath the waves.
Actress Susan Backlinine, perhaps best known for her appearance in ‘Jaws,’ died Sunday at age 77.
She played Chrissie Watkins in Steven Spielberg’s 1975 film and is remembered as the first victim of a shark attack whose death shocked millions of people to the core.
Backlinie (pictured on the set of ‘Two-Minute Warning’ in 1976), died at his home in Ventura, California, his booking agent confirmed.
She worked as an animal trainer and performed as a mermaid before landing her first film role.
She later appeared in Spielberg’s ‘1941’ to parody the scene that launched her to stardom. This time, instead of When she is eaten by a shark, she is picked up by a Japanese submarine.
Some of his other credits include ‘Two Minute Warning’, The Great Muppet Caper, ‘Animal Day’ and the television series ‘The Fall Guy’.
Speaking at a Canadian fan convention held in 2017, Backlinie recalled how he landed his role in ‘Jaws.’
She shared how she submitted a naked photo of herself in her application, as she assumed the film would require her to get naked. To her relief, that didn’t turn out to be necessary.
“I do about five (conventions) a year, it’s fun to go out and meet all the fans,” Backlinie told the interviewer at the time.
“They all have the same thing to say and the main thing they say all the time is, ‘You’ve kept me above water.’
Backlinie and her family moved to West Palm Beach, Florida, when she was 10 years old.
While attending Forest Hill High School, she was a cheerleader and a state swimming champion who won the Class A 500-yard freestyle title in 1962, according to records files.
The following year, he participated on the 200-yard medley team that clinched the Class 2A state title for the Falcons.
After graduating in 1964, she attended nursing school for a year.
Backlinie is survived by her husband, Harvey. The couple lived together on a houseboat off the coast of Ventura.
“We are with all our hearts sorry to confirm that our beloved Susan passed away this morning,” Templeton said in a statement to The daily jawsa fan site dedicated to the film.
‘We would like to thank everyone for their condolences at this time. “Please respect the family’s privacy during this difficult time.”