Actress Susan Backlinie who starred as first victim in Jaws dies aged 77

Susan Backlinie, the swimmer who portrayed the first victim in the 1975 blockbuster Jaws, has passed away.

The stuntperson and actress died at the age of 77 in her California home, as confirmed by her agent after it was initially reported by The Daily Jaws website.

In the iconic opening scene of Steven Spielberg's classic film, Ms. Backlinie's character, Chrissie Watkins, is seen running along the beach before diving into the water for a skinny dip.

Suddenly, she is pulled underwater and screams as she is violently attacked by an unseen great white shark.

Contrary to popular belief, her screams of terror in the opening scene were not caused by any injuries from the harness that moved her back and forth.

Instead, the screams stemmed from the fact that neither director Steven Spielberg nor anyone on the production team informed her about when she would be pulled underwater, resulting in her genuine reaction during filming.

Speaking to the The Palm Beach Post in 2017, Ms. Backlinie, who had been a champion swimmer when cast in the film, revealed that Spielberg told her he wanted the scene to be memorable for cinema goers.

She recalled: "When your scene is done, I want everyone under the seats with the popcorn and bubblegum.

“I think we did that.”

In the documentary, Jaws: The Inside Story, Spielberg called Ms Backlinie's sequence "one of the most dangerous" stunts he's ever directed.

"She was actually being tugged left and right by 10 men on one rope and 10 men on the other back to the shore, and that's what caused her to move like that," the filmmaker shared.

After Jaws, Ms. Backlinie collaborated with Spielberg once more in the 1979 parody war film 1941 where she humorously reprised her role from the sea-based thriller.

Backlinie also featured in Two-Minute Warning, A Stranger in the Forest, and Day of the Animals, where she also worked as an animal trainer.

Additionally, she appeared in 1981’s The Great Muppet Caper and a 1982 episode of The Fall Guy before retiring from stunt work.