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One of the most iconic movie scenes of all time is the terrifying opening of Steven Spielberg’s horror classic Jaws, wherein a young female swimmer is ruthlessly devoured by the film’s killer shark during a solo night swim. That swimmer was Susan Backlinie, forever immortalized on the silver screen as the ill-fated Chrissie Watkins in one of the greatest movies ever made.

We are saddened to learn that Susan Backlinie has passed away at the age of 77.

An actress and stuntwoman, Susan Backlinie appeared in a handful of movies in the wake of her unforgettable big screen debut in Jaws, including The Grizzly & the Treasure (1975), Two-Minute Warning (1976), A Stranger in My Forest (1976), Day of the Animals (1977), 1941 (1979), The Great Muppet Caper (1981), and Catalina C-Club (1982). She also appeared in episodes of “The Quest,” “Quark” and “The Fall Guy,” in addition to working as a stunt performer for the 1979 movie...

Susan Backlinie, who made her debut as Chrissie Watkins, the first victim in 1975’s Jaws, has passed away at the age of 77.

Susan Backlinie’s role in Jaws cannot be understated, setting the tone for what might be dubbed the “first girl”, the initial victim that establishes the terror that will come throughout the rest of the film. Out for a late night swim in the nude, things turned dire fast for Chrissie Watkins, thrashing about the pitch black waters by a virtually unseen force. Backed by John Williams’s score – which Backlinie’s performance undoubtedly helped enhance (and vice versa) – the opening scene of Jaws remains at the peak of cinematic horror. Something that adds to this is also something many fans may not know: Susan Backlinie was an accomplished swimmer, a little backstory that would outline that indeed nobody is safe in the water.

Backlinie’s short but...