The actress and stuntman Susan Backlinie, who famously played the first victim of a shark attack in the opening scene of” Jaws,” passed away. She was 77.
Susan’s partner, Harvey Swindall, told Fox she died at their California house on Saturday morning from a heart attack.
” It is with profound regret to ensure our favorite Susan passed away this morning”, Backlinie’s agreement agent, Matthew Templeton, said in a statement. We appreciate everyone’s apologies at this time. Please honor the family’s privacy during this difficult day”.
Backlinie made her acting debut in the Steven Spielberg summer vintage as Chrissy Watkins, a skinny- bucket who meets an unfortunate destruction in the 1975 blockbuster’s starting sequence.
According to fan page The Daily Jaws, team members removed cables from a pair of jeans Backlinie was wearing and did not notify her when she would be pulled under the ocean to arouse a more real effect.
She and Spielberg spoofed the iconic scene from” 1941 ,” in which she is instead terrorized by a Japanese submarine, several years later.
She continued to act into the early 1980s, appearing in Television shows and other films, like” The Great Muppet Caper”. After retiring from acting, she became a system officer, according to Variety. Nevertheless, she still constantly appeared at fan norms.
More than 40 years after” Jaws” was released, Backlinie was astonished by how much it also resonated with people.
She told the Palm Beach Post in 2017 about encountering enthusiasts,” One of the main responses I get from everyone is,” You know you kept me out of the ocean.”
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