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John Gabriel was 19 when he made his first brief film appearance in 1950. He went on to play nondescript secondary roles in such films as South Pacific (1958), finally attaining co-starring parts in the mid-'60s Westerns Stagecoach and El Dorado. He was far more successful on television, especially in the specialized world of the soap opera: He spent several fruitful years playing such daytime drama roles as Seneca Beaulac in Ryan's Hope and Zack Conway in Loving. John Gabriel harbors no regrets for the one plum role he didn't land: The Professor in Gilligan's Island (1964-1967), a part he essayed in the pilot episode before he was replaced by Russell Johnson.