Susan Backliny, famous for being the first victim in the 1975 film “Jaws,” has died, Fox News Digital has confirmed.
Her husband of 30 years, Harvey Swindoll, said her death was “very unexpected.” She died of a heart attack Saturday morning at her home in California. She was 77 years old.
”[She] He was the most wonderful person I have ever met in my life. And I’ve never loved anyone like her,” Swindoll said.
Susan Backliny, famous for being the first victim of “Jaws,” died Saturday morning at her home. (Everett Collection)
Back Linney won the role of Chrissy in Steven Spielberg’s film not only because of her enviable looks, but also because of her national ranking, where she worked as a mermaid and animal trainer after graduating from high school in 1964. Partly because he was a swimmer.
“I didn’t want an actor to do it. I wanted a stuntman, because I needed someone who was good at acting underwater, who knew water ballet, who knew how to withstand the violent shaking that I was imagining. “So I went on a stunt to find her,” Spielberg said in Laurent Bouzereau’s book Spielberg: The First Decade, according to The Hollywood Reporter. And Susan rose to the challenge.”
Susan Backliny, who was photographed on the set of the movie “Jaws,” was hired because of her swimming experience. (Getty Images)
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In a 2017 interview with the Palm Beach Post, Backliny talked about Spielberg’s vision for the now-iconic scene. “The first one [Spielberg] “They said, ‘When your scene is over, I want everyone to sit under the seats with popcorn and bubble gum,'” she said.
Susan Backliny was chosen for the role in part because of her excellent swimming skills. (Bobby Bank/Getty Images)
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During an appearance on “The Morning X with Barnes & Leslie” last year, Buckliny shared in his own words how he captured that moment underwater.
“What they did was they had some pilings about 50 yards from the beach and they ran a cable all the way from the beach to the pilings in two shifts, and then they put me between the two pilings and put me on the beach. , there are about five or six of them on each cable,” she explained. “We were marking lines on the beach and they pulled me to the edge of the frame on either side, and the players were just going back and forth from mark to mark.” she said of the Martha’s Vineyard set.
Backliny also refuted rumors that he broke a rib during filming, but admitted it was a very grueling process. “We were shooting from 6 to 7 in the morning until 9 because it was bright out…At the end of the day, we were home and exhausted.”
Susan Backliny attended the 2023 Chiller Theater Expo in New Jersey. (Bobby Bank/Getty Images)
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Backliny often appeared as a stunt performer in several films. She also appeared in several television shows.
