Zsa Zsa Gabor, Kurt Russell and More Household Names Who Guest Starred on ‘Gilligan’s Island’

Turns out that Gilligan’s Island wasn’t so deserted after all — outsiders seemed to drop in from time to time … and many of them were very familiar faces, especially to TV audiences in the ’60s. Here are some of the guest stars who popped in and then left without so much as a, “Howdy do, I’ll rescue you!”

Denny Miller

A guest on everything from Westerns to spy shows, Denny dropped in on Gilligan and the gang TWICE — as a Hawaiian surfer arriving on a tsunami wave, and as a Tarzan-like actor. He failed to send rescue teams both times.

Zsa Zsa Gabor

Playing a wealthy rival to Mrs. Howell, Zsa Zsa created all sorts of chaos as she contemplated buying the island, and then left, never to return, dahlings.

Phil Silvers

The legendary funnyman played obnoxious, overbearing Hollywood producer Harold Hecuba. The castaways put on a musical version of Hamlet to impress him, but Hecuba slipped away alone at night — and soon had his own smash hit … a musical version of Hamlet.

Kurt Russell

Before he made an Escape From New York, 13-year-old Kurt appeared as the Jungle Boy, who flies away on a balloon made by the Professor. But, he’s unable to tell officials about the island because his only words are, “boy boy, girl girl, no no!”

Nehemiah Persoff

The prolific Jerusalem-born actor played an exiled Latin American dictator who declared himself ruler of the island with Gilligan as his puppet leader before leaving the banana-loaded island for his banana republic.

Rory Calhoun

The famed TV Western star upgraded to a big game hunter who landed on the island … and decided to hunt Gilligan. Luckily, he was unsuccessful. He failed to report the castaways for obvious reasons.