‘Jaws’ Actress in Iconic Scene Dead at 77: Susan Backlinie’s Rep Confirms Her Passing

Susan Backlinie, the iconic first victim of the shark from Jaws and an accomplished stunt performer, has died. According to Deadline, her agent, Matthew Templeton, confirmed the death with no cause revealed yet.

“It is with heartfelt regret to confirm our beloved Susan passed away this morning,” Templeton said. “We would like to thank everyone for their condolences at this time. Please respect the family’s privacy during this difficult time.”

Backlinie’s first role also turned out to be one of the most iconic in cinema back in 1975. She portrayed the skinny-dipping girl from the start of the film, Chrissie Watkins. Her decision to go take a swim in the middle of the night fueled nightmares for years, with her muffled screams swiftly cut short under the dark waves by the unseen shark.

She’d re-team with Spielberg to spoof the moment in 1941, his ill-fated World War II-era comedy ensemble film. In the movie, instead of being eaten by a shark, she is thrust out of the water by a Japanese submarine after night swimming once again.

Apart from her iconic scream-queen moment from Jaws, Backlinie also had appearances in The Great Muppet Caper, Day of the Animals, and the television version of The Fall Guy starring Lee Majors.

As shared by TV Insider, Spielberg talked about the iconic role in his 2023 memoir and how he ended up finding Backlinie for 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 [who] knew how to endure what I imagined was going to be a whole lot of violent shaking,” he wrote. “So, I went to stunts to find her, and Susan was up to the challenge.”

“She had a harness on,” he continued, explaining the actual stunt. “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. … 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.” Rest in peace.