Peter Benchley, Author of “Jaws”
“Jaws,” published in 1974 (Doubleday), was Peter Benchley’s first novel. The book became a breakout bestseller and the source material for the film that forever changed the movie industry and ocean swimming. Benchley, who co-wrote the screenplay with Carl Gottlieb, later spent decades raising awareness about the important role sharks play in the ocean’s ecosystem and lamented in a 2015 interview that “there was a spasm of macho lunacy after ‘Jaws’ came out.” Peter Benchley died in 2006.
Verna Fields, Film editor
Veteran film editor Verna Fields won the Academy Award for editing “Jaws” in 1975. It was a particularly good year for films, and other nominees included “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” and “Dog Day Afternoon.” Verna Fields died in 1982.
Edith “Edie” Blake, Still photographer
Most of the great photographs from the filming of “Jaws” came from Edie Blake’s camera. After meeting the filmmakers and warning them off against filming on Chappaquiddick, she was given exclusive access to the set. Her book “On Location … in Martha’s Vineyard (the Making of the Movie ‘Jaws’)” was published in 1975. Edith Blake died in 2023.
Roy Scheider, Actor, Amity’s Chief of Police Martin Brody
According to “Jaws” lore, the much-quoted quip “You’re going to need a bigger boat” became a catchphrase during the problem-plagued production of the film and was not written in the script. While shooting, Roy Scheider improvised and used the line; director Steven Spielberg kept it in the film, and the rest is cinema history. Roy Scheider died in 2008.
Robert Shaw & Craig Kingsbury, Quint & his inspiration
Shaw was a refined, Oscar-nominated British actor; Kingsbury was the larger-than-life local fisherman hired to be his role model. “[Craig] was the purest version of who, in my mind, Quint really was,” Spielberg said. He requested that Shaw spend every possible moment with Kingsbury; clearly it paid off. Kingsbury also had a small role as a doomed shark-hunter –– his rolling head is one of the film’s famous shock moments. Shaw died in 1978; Kingsbury, in 2002.
Lee Fierro, Mrs. Kintner
Fierro, a former New York actress, had moved to Martha’s Vineyard to raise her family a few years before “Jaws” was filmed. Her role as Alex Kintner’s mother required her to famously slap Roy Scheider across the face; she was also supposed to swear at him, but begged out of using foul language. Lee remained an instrumental part of Island Theatre Workshop as a teacher, actor, and director until a few years before her death. She died in 2020.
Robert “Doc” Nevin, Medical examiner
A beloved Edgartown native, Nevin was a dyed-in-the-wool country doctor who made house calls right up until the month before he died. He was the real-life medical examiner when Mary Jo Kopechne died (although he was on vacation and his deputy was on call that night). Doc, as he was known to nearly everyone, was known for both his poker-faced (and often risqué) humor and his deep empathy and generosity toward his patients, accepting payment in barter when cash was tight. He died in 1997.
Barbara Nevin, Production secretary
“Bobbie,” Dr. Robert Nevin’s wife, was coaxed into the position of production secretary and enjoyed casually introducing the film’s celebrity leads to her friends and family. A larger-than-life Island citizen herself, Nevin had a knack for hosting social events that brought together Islanders from up and down the socioeconomic ladder. She went on to open a high-end real estate agency. She wrote an (unpublished) novel, Enisled, based loosely on her experience working on “Jaws.” Nevin died in 2002.
Susan Backlinie, Chrissie, the shark’s first victim
In response to a casting request for strong swimmers willing to work nude, Backlinie submitted her photo; Spielberg hired her for the iconic, terrifying scene of the shark’s first attack –– famously effective because it never shows the shark. Wearing cut-off jeans with ropes attached, she was actually being hauled through open water by two groups of men –– a dangerous stunt that she often spoke of with relish in interviews. Backlinie died in 2024.
Murray Hamilton, Mayor Vaughn of Amity
Hamilton had been a versatile and successful character actor for decades before being cast in his career-defining role in Jaws. His Broadway acting career included a Tony nomination; his TV credits ranged from Golden Girls to The Twilight Zone, and his movie career included four Oscar-nominated films including The Graduate, in which he played Anne Bancroft’s husband. He reprised his role as mayor for “Jaws 2.” Hamilton died in 1986.
Chris Rebello, Michael Brody –– Chief Brody’s son
Chris Rebello was in Priscilla Sylvia’s fifth grade class at the Oak Bluffs School when he got cast in “Jaws.” Filming began in May, and his class got to walk to East Chop to visit him on the set and see his trailer. After Chris shot a scene in one take, Steven Spielberg was said to have commented, “I wish Robert Shaw had seen that.” Chris Robello died in 2000.
Richard D. Zanuck and David Brown, Producers
The team of Zanuck/Brown, fresh off the success of their Academy Award–winning film “The Sting,” bought the rights to Peter Benchley’s debut novel for $250,000, hired a young Steven Spielberg to direct, and in 1975 released what became the first summer blockbuster film. Amazing, yes, but it wasn’t easy. During filming, Zanuck and Brown had to contend with an uncooperative mechanical shark named Bruce, significant budget overrides, and the complaints of cast and crew who were stuck filming on the Vineyard for months in often inhospitable weather. Richard D. Zanuck died in 2012, David Brown in 2010.
Roger Kastel, Book cover and poster artist
Kastel painted the shark and designed the cover for the paperback edition of “Jaws”; the cover of the hardcover edition was designed by Paul Bacon, who passed away in 2015. Bantam Books gave Universal Studios the rights to use Kastel’s image on what became one of the most iconic movie posters ever created. Roger Kastel died in 2023.
