It’s a sad day for horror fans. Susan Backlinie, who played in Jaws, has died at the age of 77 year old. The actor featured in the classic blockbuster by Steven Spielberg.
According to The Daily Jaws, Backlinie passed away in Ventura, California. She worked in Hollywood as both an actor and a stuntwoman. Besides Jaws, she also appeared in Day of The Animals, The Great Muppet Caper, and The Fall Guy. In Jaws, she famously played the opening kill to the movie. Backlinie’s character is stalked and attacked in the water by the shark, setting the stage for what was to come in the film.
Backlinie once opened up about what it was like to star in the film. She enjoyed her early demise on screen.
“When people find out I was the first girl to get eaten, they’re amazed,” Backlinie told Inside Edition in 2015. “I realize the scene I did terrified everybody. And the one comment I get from everybody is, ‘You know, you kept me out of the water.’ And some of them even say I kept them out of the tub.”
Susan Backlinie On Role
Meanwhile, Spielberg once explained how he settled on Backlinie to play the role.
“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 said in Laurent Bouzereau’s 2023 book, Spielberg: The First Ten Years. “So, I went to stunts to find her, and Susan was up to the challenge.”
Backlinie also opened up about the director.
“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 told The Palm Beach Post in a 2017 interview.
After the film, Backlinie retired to become an accountant. Author Jeremy Wagner posted on Instagram a tribute to the actor and her legacy in film. “Sorry to hear of the passing of Susan Backlinie—best known for her unforgettable role as Chrissie Watkins, the very first shark attack victim in JAWS,” he wrote. “Glad I got to meet her once. She was super-cool and let me pick her brain all about her experience filming one of the most terrifying scenes in cinema history. Legend to this kid.”