Jaws Star Susan Backlinie Dead at 77

Susan Backlinie was known for being the first victim in Jaws.

By Jamie Jirak

Susan Backlinie, the actor and stuntperson known for being the shark's first victim in Steven Spielberg's Jaws, has passed away at age 77. Backlinie's convention agent, Matthew Templeton, shared the sad news with The Daily Jaws yesterday. Backlinie was 28 when she stepped into the water to play Chrissie in Jaws, a role she earned by being a nationally-ranked swimmer and professional diver. Not only did Backlinie have swimming experience, but she also performed as a mermaid and worked as an animal trainer. 

"SAD NEWS: We are deeply saddened to share the news that #JAWS star Susan Backlinie aka Chrissie Watkins passed away earlier today, aged 77. R.I.P. Susan. We'll miss you 💔🦈 #SheWasTheFirst," The Daily Jaws wrote on Twitter. You can view the post below:

Backlinie was born on September 1st, 1946, and moved from Washington to West Palm Beach, Florida ten years later. She was a state swimming champion at Forest Hill High School before graduating in 1964. Throughout her career, she appeared in films such as The Grizzly & the Treasure (1975), A Stranger in My Forest (1976), Day of the Animals (1877), and Speilberg's 1941 (1979). You can also watch her showing off her water ballet skills in The Great Muppet Caper (1981). Backlinie's TV credits include episodes of Quark (1978) and The Fall Guy (1982), which was just adapted into a film starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt.

Jaws marked Backlinie's first onscreen appearance in 1975. Spielberg spoke about casting Backlinie in Laurent Bouzereau's 2023 book, Spielberg: The First Ten Years.

"I didn't want an actor to do it. I wanted a stuntperson because I needed somebody who was great in the water, who knew water ballet and knew how to endure what I imagined was going to be a whole lot of violent shaking," Spielberg revealeds. "So, I went to stunts to find her, and Susan was up to the challenge."

"She had a harness on. There were two eye rings in it and wires that led to two stakes on the beach [about 50 yards away]. Five crew were on one side and five crew on the other, and they basically pulled Susan. There was a ribbon hanging from the wire, and when it got to one of the stakes, they had to stop pulling and the other team took over and pulled the other way.

"What you didn't want to have happen was for both teams to pull at the same time. For extra safety, she had the ability to quickly release the wire if something went wrong. It had to be perfectly choreographed to give the impression the shark was pulling her violently to the right and then immediately violently to the left."

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"The first thing [Spielberg] said to me was, 'When your scene is done, I want everyone under the seats with the popcorn and bubblegum,'" Backlinie shared with The Palm Beach Post in 2017.

Our thoughts are with Backlinie's friends and family at this difficult time. 

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