Susan Backlinie, the stuntwoman and actress who, as a young beachgoer swimming at night off the coast of Amity Island, became the shark’s first victim in Steven Spielberg’s “Jaws,” has died has died at the age of 77.
Backlinie died last Saturday at his home in Ventura, California, according to what his convention agent, Matthew Templeton, told The Daily Jaws website.
Backlinie was a nationally ranked swimmer and professional diver who had performed as a mermaid and worked as an animal trainer when she was hired at age 28 to play Chrissie, the naked swimmer, in Universal’s “Jaws” (1975).
“It is with great sadness that we confirm that our beloved Susana passed away this morning. We would like to thank everyone for their condolences at this time and for the family’s privacy to be respected during this difficult time,” said Rep. Mateo Templeton.
“Spielberg: The First Ten Years,” Laurent Bouzereau’s book published in 2023, quotes Steven Spielberg as saying: “I didn’t want an actor to do it. He wanted a stunt person because he needed someone who was excellent in the water, who knew about water ballet and how to endure what I imagined would be a lot of violent shaking.”
“So I went stunt riding to find her, and Susan was up to the challenge. The first thing she told me was, ‘When your scene is over, I want everyone to be under the seats with the popcorn and gum,’” Backlinie told the Palm Beach Post in a 2017 interview.
For three days, Backlinie was working the scene on Martha’s Vineyard. “We filmed from 6 or 7 in the morning until 9, because of the light,” she said in an interview last year. “I’ll tell you, she was exhausted at the end of the day.”
His presence made people never dare to swim in the ocean again.
