JAWS Cast
The strength of JAWS is its cast, especially the "big three" of Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, and Richard Dreyfuss. The supporting players also have great performances, especially Murray Hamilton as Mayor Vaughn. And who can forget the shark, played by "Bruce". Click the thumbnails below to go to the sections for each character.
Full Cast and Crew
"Bruce" as The Shark
The shark was "played" by a combination of real shark footage and footage
of mechanical sharks created for
JAWS. The mechanical sharks were collectively nicknamed "Bruce", and
were created by Robert Mattey. According to producer David Brown,
"Bruce" was named after Spielberg's lawyer, Bruce Ramer. (thanks to
Andrew Burrows!)
Each "Bruce" cost $150,000 to build and weighed 1 1/2 tons. Each "Bruce"
was used for different shots;
one for left-right movements, one for right-left movements, and one for
underwater scenes.
"Bruce" was attached to a steel platform which had been sunk to ocean
floor. Technicians operated the
controls for "Bruce" while wearing scuba equipment.
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Murray Hamilton as Vaughn
Character actor Murray Hamilton played Amity's Mayor Vaughn. Mr. Hamilton's last film was Steven Spielberg's 1941 (1979).
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Lorraine Gary as Ellen
Lorraine Gary played Ellen Brody, wife of Chief Brody.
Ms. Gary has also starred for Steven Spielberg in 1941 (1979). She also appeared again as Ellen Brody in JAWS 2 (1978), and JAWS: The Revenge (1987).
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Susan Backlinie as Chrissie
Stuntwoman Susan Backlinie played Chrissie, the first victim of the shark in JAWS. She lampooned the role in Steven Spielberg's 1941 (1979).
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