Jim Robinson (Neighbours)
| Jim Robinson | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Neighbours character | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Portrayed by | Alan Dale | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Duration | 1985–1993 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| First appearance | 18 March 1985 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | 29 April 1993 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Created by | Reg Watson | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Introduced by | Reg Watson | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Profile | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Engineer | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Family | Robinson |
|---|---|
| Father | James Robinson |
| Mother | Bess Robinson |
| Wife | Anne Daniels (1963–75) Beverly Marshall (1988–91) |
| Sons |
Paul Robinson Glen Donnelly Scott Robinson |
| Daughters | Lucy Robinson |
| Adoptive daughters | Julie Martin |
| Grandsons |
David Tanaka Leo Tanaka Cameron Robinson Robert Robinson Andrew Robinson Michael Martin Daniel Robinson |
| Granddaughters |
Amy Williams Elle Robinson Madison Robinson Debbie Martin Hannah Martin Annie Robinson-Pappas |
| Grandfathers | Sam Robinson |
| First cousins | Hilary Robinson |
| Other relatives | Matt Robinson |
James "Jim" Robinson is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Alan Dale. Jim was created by Reg Watson as one of Neighbours' twelve original characters. He made his on-screen debut in the soap's first episode, which was broadcast on 18 March 1985. Jim was the patriarch of the Robinson family. Dale departed the show in 1993 after falling out with the producers over pay and his character was killed-off on 29 April 1993. He appeared in 1064 episodes, and was the most featured male character in the 1980s.
Jim is one of the twelve original characters conceived by the creator and then executive producer of Neighbours, Reg Watson. Actor Robin Harrison was originally cast in the role and had already shot some scenes when contract negotiations broke down. The role was then offered to actor Alan Dale and the scenes featuring Harrison were reshot. Dale had been out of work for a few weeks following the cancellation of Possession, when he was offered the part by producer John Holmes. The character had intrigued Dale, who thought that parts of Jim's life echoed his own life at the time. He explained "It's like it was written for me. It's a great role and naturally it's one I can really relate to. You have to be fairly similar to a character you play, otherwise you'd go insane."
In his 1988 book Neighbours: Behind the Scenes, James Oram wrote that the role of Jim was vital to Neighbours and described him as an anchor, in the same way Leslie Grantham's role of Den Watts was to British soap opera EastEnders. In his fictional backstory, Jim was a widowed father of four, who lived in Ramsay Street with his mother-in-law Helen (Anne Haddy). Helen moved in with Jim after her daughter, Anne, died during childbirth. Helen's husband Bill had also recently died and she was happy to come and help care for her grandchildren: Paul (Stefan Dennis), Julie (Vikki Blanche; Julie Mullins), Scott (Darius Perkins; Jason Donovan) and Lucy (Kylie Flinker; Sasha Close; Melissa Bell).
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