{"id":2246549,"date":"2024-05-16T23:54:02","date_gmt":"2024-05-17T03:54:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/susan-backlinie-1946-2024\/"},"modified":"2024-05-16T23:57:19","modified_gmt":"2024-05-17T03:57:19","slug":"susan-backlinie-1946-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/susan-backlinie-1946-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"Susan Backlinie (1946-2024)"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">6<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fsusan-backlinie-1946-2024%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2246549&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Susan Backlinie\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bbc-apologizes-to-royal-family-for-explosive-princess-diana-interview\/\" title=\"BBC Apologizes To Royal Family For Explosive Princess Diana Interview\">career-defining moment<\/a> in Steven Spielberg&#8217;s &#8220;Jaws&#8221; immortalized her as she portrayed\u2062 a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/tom-cruise-shares-incredible-behind-the-scenes-shots-from-mission-impossible-7%e2%80%b2\/\" title=\"Tom Cruise reveals amazing 'Mission: Impossible 7' BTS shots.\">thrilling scene<\/a> \u2063by the Atlantic. Despite her limited filmography, her iconic shock expression lives on in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/steven-spielberg-ends-war-with-netflix-signs-deal-with-streaming-platform-instead\/\" title=\"Steven Spielberg Ends War With Netflix, Signs Deal With Streaming Platform Instead\">cinematic history<\/a>. Born in Washington, D.C., her athletic prowess and dedication\u200d to her craft made her\u2062 a\u200b memorable figure in the film industry.\u200b Susan Backlinie left an indelible mark in cinematic history with her unforgettable performance in Steven Spielberg&#8217;s &#8220;Jaws.&#8221; Her iconic portrayal\u2062 in the thrilling Atlantic scene immortalized her in the film industry. \u2064Despite a modest \u200cfilmography, her athletic abilities and commitment to her \u2064craft solidified \u200bher as a memorable figure in the \u200dworld of cinema.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Many famous movie actors are associated with a particularly punchy line or memorable monologue; some are even synonymous with a single spectacular shot. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/entertainment\/3001243\/susan-backlinie-dead-jaws-star-dies-at-77\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Susan Backlinie<\/a> won herself a spot in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/film\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>film<\/a> history largely on the strength of a single yelp of surprise: At the beginning of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/steven-spielberg\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Steven Spielberg<\/a>\u2019s classic thriller <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/586377\/actor-richard-dreyfuss-of-jaws-says-inclusion-standards-make-me-vomit\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Jaws<\/a><\/em>, after the character played by Backlinie ill-advisedly goes on an after-dark skinny-dipping jaunt just off the coast of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/atlantic-ocean\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>the Atlantic<\/a>, Backlinie gasps as she is tugged on by an unseen <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/shark\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>shark<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>So terrifying is this moment \u2014 and so identified has it become with the film that surrounds it \u2014 that when Turner Classic Movies asked filmmaker Chuck Workman to assemble a montage of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/movie\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/defense-sec-austin-wont-lose-one-minute-of-sleep-on-china-putin\/\" title=\"Defense Sec. Austin: Won't 'Lose One Minute of Sleep' on China, Putin\">great movies<\/a> <\/a>from the art form\u2019s first 100 years, he chose Backlinie\u2019s startling expression of shock as the moment that would stand in for the entirety of <em>Jaws<\/em>. We didn\u2019t need to see any scenes with the stars Richard Dreyfuss, Roy Scheider, or Robert Shaw; all that was required to identify the movie was Backlinie\u2019s iconic reaction to her sudden, shocking encounter with a shark. <\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>Susan Backlinie in a scene from the film \u2018Two-Minute Warning\u2019, 1976. (Photo by Universal\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Backlinie died on May 11 at age 77. Even allowing for the relative slimness of her resume, it seems obvious that Backlinie may not have had the acting pedigree of the best thespians of the age. Yet it is to her credit that she achieved cinematic immortality thanks to a relatively fleeting scene defined by shock and awe.<\/p>\n<p>Not that Backlinie had spent her early days dreaming of a future career in show business. Born in 1946 in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/washington-dc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Washington, D.C.<\/a>, Backlinie was as athletic as she appears in <em>Jaws<\/em>, when, just before the attack, she is seen gracefully sprinting toward the beach while depositing articles of clothing for a male admirer who is straining to catch up to her. After relocating with her family at age 10 to West Palm Beach, Florida, Backlinie immersed herself in aquatics: As a high-schooler, she won the state freestyle swimming championship, and, in her 20s, she gained employment in live shows presented by the studio run by Ivan Tors, responsible for such wildlife-oriented programming as <em>Sea Hunt<\/em> and movies like <em>Flipper<\/em>. <\/p>\n<p>When she was up for the part in <em>Jaws<\/em>, Backlinie argued to Spielberg that there were advantages to having a single performer execute the scene in <em>Jaws<\/em>, rather than an actress for some shots and a stuntwoman for others. \u201cI said, \u2018If you use me, you could get close-ups during the stunt itself,\u2019\u201d Backlinie recalled to the <em>Palm Beach Post<\/em> in 2015. \u201c\u2018If you use an actress, she\u2019ll have to hide her face.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The scene in <em>Jaws <\/em>goes on, excruciatingly, beyond the moment when Backlinie first realizes she is under attack: The actress was seemingly being wrenched in every direction by the attacking shark \u2014 in reality, the work of stuntmen holding cables that were affixed to plates on Backlinie\u2019s jeans.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs I would feel my hips go to one side, I would just throw my arms in the opposite direction as hard as I could,\u201d Backlinie told the<em> Palm Beach Post<\/em>. \u201cI also had a pair of fins on because when they would pull me to one side, I would go under, so I had to kick with all my strength to stay above the water. It took a lot of energy, but I was in pretty good shape back then.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And so she remained: Four years after<em> Jaws<\/em>, Spielberg coaxed Backlinie to return to the water in the director\u2019s hugely unsuccessful (but greatly entertaining) World War II spoof, <em>1941<\/em>. In a delirious <em>Mad <\/em>magazine-style self-parody, Backlinie gallops out to sea, but, this time, her swim is interrupted not by a shark but by a Japanese submarine suspiciously surfacing in American waters. <\/p>\n<p>Her appearance in the still-underestimated <em>1941 <\/em>arguably represented the final minute of her 15 minutes of fame, but she had already made a modest career for herself both in front of, and behind, the camera. She turned up in such relatively undistinguished movies as <em>The Grizzly and the Treasure<\/em> (1975) and <em>Day of the Animals <\/em>(1977) and on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/tv\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>TV series<\/a> including <em>The Quest<\/em>, <em>Quark<\/em>, and <em>The Fall Guy<\/em>. She also accumulated credits as a stuntwoman and animal trainer. Perhaps her most apropos post-<em>Jaws<\/em> film appearance was as part of a water ballet in 1981\u2019s <em>The Great Muppet Caper<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><strong>CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Backlinie retained a healthy perspective (and sense of humor) about the role that came to define her life. \u201cI worked on dive boats many years, and some of the guys I worked with were a lot younger than me,\u201d she recalled in the documentary <em>The Shark Is Still Working<\/em>. \u201cThey would say to me, \u2018You know, you were the first woman I ever saw with no clothes on.\u2019 I just laugh. What do you say? \u2026 You hope it was a good view.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Because of its overwhelming box-office success, <em>Jaws <\/em>instantly became fodder for Hollywood\u2019s sequel machine, but the three spinoffs never came close to equaling the first film\u2019s imagination, intensity, and astonishing ability to petrify. Maybe that\u2019s partly because those movies were missing Susan Backlinie.<\/p>\n<p><em>Peter Tonguette is a contributing writer to the <\/em>Washington Examiner <em>magazine.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Susan Backlinie secured her place in film history with a single yelp of surprise in Steven Spielberg&#8217;s iconic thriller &#8220;Jaws.&#8221; Her memorable moment defined her legacy, showcasing the power of a single shot or line in cinema<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2691,"featured_media":2246550,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Obit_Susan-Backlinie-1024x591.jpg.optimal.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2246549","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Obit_Susan-Backlinie-1024x591.jpg.optimal.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2246549","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2691"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2246549"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2246549\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2246550"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2246549"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2246549"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2246549"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}