Cast & Crew
Celia Kaye Milius
Celia got her big break appearing on the popular CBS series “The New Lorretta Young Show”. The industry quickly took notice and Universal Pictures gave her a two picture deal. The first was the lead role of Karana in “Island of the Blue Dolphins” in 1964, for which she won a Golden Globe for “New Star of the Year”. The second was the lead as Daphne in the 1965 film, “Wild Seed”, starring opposite Michael Parks. She continued doing television and film, and was later married to legendary screenwriter/director John Milius. She made brief appearances in two of his films – “Big Wednesday” and “Conan the Barbarian”. Celia was last seen in the 2015 web series “Class”.
Ramo
Larry Domasin
Larry was a busy child actor in the 1960’s, first starring opposite Elvis Presley in “Fun in Acapulco” in 1963. That led to being cast as Karana’s younger brother Ramo in “Island of the Blue Dolphins”. He went on to appear in “And Should We Die” in 1966 and “The Rare Breed” with Jimmy Stewart in 1966.
Tutok
Ann Daniel
There is no information available about Ann Daniel, who plays the mysterious Tutok in “Island of the Blue Dolphins”. Although she appears in film very briefly, her performance is unforgettable.
Cheif Chowig
Carlos Romero
(February 15, 1927 – June 21, 2007)
Like Ann Daniel, Carlos also had a small but memorable role in “Island of the Blue Dolphins” as Karana’s father, Chief Chowig. During his career Carlos appeared a lot in television, with credits including “Rawhide”, “Perry Mason”, “The F.B.I.” and “Falcon Crest”. He also appeared in the cult classic “Soylent Green” with Charlton Heston.
Aleut Captain
George Kennedy
(February 18, 1925 – February 28, 2016)
George Kennedy was early in his career when he appeared as the Aleut Captain in “Island of the Blue Dolphins”. Three years later he would win the Academy Award for his performance in “Cool Hand Luke” opposite Paul Newman. He went on to become one of the most prolific supporting actors in Hollywood, appearing in over 180 films. His credits include such hits as “Airplane”, “The Eiger Sanction”, “Earthquake”, and “The Naked Gun”.
Writer (Author)
Scott O’Dell
(May 23, 1898 – October 15, 1989)
Following World War I, Scott first began working in Hollywood as a set dresser, and would later become a novel writer and book editor. In 1960 he wrote the book “Island of the Blue Dolphins” as a way to make a statement about an issue that was important to him. “The story began in anger, anger at the hunters who invade the mountains where I live and who slaughter everything that creeps or walks or flies.” Following it’s huge success, the remainder of his writing would become geared toward a younger audience.
Director
James B. Clark
(May 14, 1908 – July 19, 2000)
James got his start in Hollywood as a successful film editor. He eventually moved onto directing film and television, and co-directed a number of episodes of “The Twilight Zone”. Like “Island of the Blue Dolphins”, his most popular and well-received films also involved people’s relationships with animals, including “A Dog of Flanders”, “The Sad Horse”, “Misty”, “Flipper”, and “My Side of the Mountain”.
Cinematography
Leo Tover
(December 6, 1902 – December 30, 1964)
Leo was one of the most prominent cinematographers of the 20th century, with over 120 credits in a career spanning four decades. In addtion to his outstanding work in “Island of the Blue Dolphins”, other credits include “The Heiress”, “The Day the Earth Stood Still”, “Sunday in New York”, and “Journey to the Center of the Earth”.
Composer
Paul Sawtell
(February 3, 1906 – August 1, 1971)
Polish-born film score composer Paul Sawtell got his start at RKO Pictures and evenually joined Universal. He worked on many western and horror films between the mid-40’s and 1971. He composed many scores with Bert Shefter, and some of their most notable scores include “A Dog of Flanders”, “The Fly”, and “Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea”. He is the sole composer on “Island of the Blue Dolphins” and his contribution plays a key role in what makes the film so special.
Producer
Robert B. Radnitz
(August 9, 1924 – June 6, 2010)
Robert initially got his start as a script consultant at 20th Century Fox. He would later become known as the producer of high quality family entertainment througout the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. In addition to “Island of the Blue Dolphins”, he also collaborated with director James B. Clark on “A Dog of Flanders”, “Misty” and “My Side of the Mountain”. Other credits include “Sounder”, “Where the Lillies Bloom”, “A Hero Ain’t Nothin’ But a Sandwich” and “Cross Creek”.