Bob Denver, whose "three-hour tour" as the lead character on television's "Gilligan's Island" led to four decades as one of popular culture's most recognizable icons, has died. He was 70.

Mr. Denver had undergone quadruple bypass surgery in May, but he died Friday at Wake Forest University Baptist Hospital in North Carolina from complications of cancer, his agent said.

Mr. Denver starred in several other television shows, including his role as bongo-loving beatnik Maynard G. Krebs in the 1959 series "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis." But once he put on the white sailor hat in 1964 for the role of Willie Gilligan, it was hard to imagine him wearing anything else.

The show ran on CBS for only three years, and never finished higher than 18th in the seasonal ratings. But it was a huge hit in syndication, where the slapstick antics of the Skipper and his "little buddy" Gilligan were rediscovered by generations of children and guilty-pleasure-seeking adults.


While some of his sitcom contemporaries fought typecasting, Mr. Denver seemed to embrace the character, willing to talk to fans about the role. Even in his later years, he would answer questions about Gilligan, no matter how trivial, on his Web site.

"Did it hurt when the skipper hit you with his hat?" one fan asked recently.

"Since I was getting whacked with his hat every time I turned around, it's a good thing Alan (Hale Jr.) and I liked each other so much," Mr. Denver responded. "He really was a gentle giant and made a big effort never to hurt me in any of the gags we did. Even the hammock gags, where he'd fall on me or vice versa, never injured either of us."

Many of Mr. Denver's acting roles from the 1960s until his death were Gilligan-related, including the 1981 movie "The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island," the 1982 animated series "Gilligan's Planet" and guest roles as Gilligan on "Baywatch," "ALF" and "Roseanne."

While he may not have been the most respected comedic actor of his generation, he was among the most identifiable. But he wasn't immediately famous, graduating from Loyola University in Los Angeles and working as a high school teacher and mail carrier before landing the role on "Dobie Gillis."

Later, after 98 episodes of "Gilligan's Island," Mr. Denver starred in television sitcoms including "Dusty's Trail" (1973) and "Far Out Space Nuts" (1975), although neither lasted long. He also wrote a book, "Gilligan, Maynard & Me" (1993), about his two most famous roles.

Mr. Denver was preceded in death by fellow cast members Hale (the Skipper) and Jim Backus and Natalie Schafer (the millionaire and his wife). The three remaining castaways, including Russell "The Professor" Johnson, were grieving Monday.


Mr. Denver is survived by his wife of 28 years, Dreama, and four children -- Patrick, Megan, Emily and Colin.