Dick Young: The JAWS Fisherman Behind “A WHAT?!”
Some of the most memorable moments in JAWS belong not to its three leading men, but to the colourful characters who populate the fictional island of Amity.
From the eccentric fishermen to the increasingly anxious townspeople, Steven Spielberg's 1975 masterpiece is filled with faces and personalities that make Amity feel like a real, lived-in community.
And few are more memorable than the fisherman who reacts to Matt Hooper's identification of a captured shark with two gloriously incredulous words:
"A WHAT?!"
The man responsible for that unforgettable moment was Dick Young (1937–2009), a real-life fisherman, United States Marine veteran and longtime Cape Cod resident who played the character Pratt in JAWS.
Although his appearance lasts only a matter of moments, his performance has been making audiences laugh for more than half a century.
The man behind the fisherman
Born on February 28, 1937, Dick Young lived a life far removed from the glamour of Hollywood.
According to his IMDb biography, Young served in the United States Marine Corps between 1954 and 1960, completing six years of military service before eventually settling in Falmouth, Massachusetts.
He married, raised three sons and spent many years working for the Steamship Authority, the ferry operator connecting mainland Massachusetts with Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket.
Young was also an avid fisherman, a pastime that would prove particularly appropriate when Hollywood came calling.
When Spielberg and his production team arrived on Martha's Vineyard in 1974 to film JAWS, they needed more than professional actors to bring the fictional community of Amity Island to life.
The film's authenticity depended heavily on the people inhabiting its beaches, streets, harbours and fishing boats.
Many of those appearing in the background were local residents, and their presence gave JAWS a distinctive character that would have been difficult to replicate on a Hollywood soundstage.
Young was one of those performers whose real-life background made him a natural fit for the world Spielberg was creating.
"It's a tiger shark." "A WHAT?!"
Young's moment arrives during one of the film's most memorable sequences.
Following the deaths of Chrissie Watkins and young Alex Kintner, Amity's fishermen have captured what they believe to be the shark responsible for terrorising the island.
The enormous tiger shark is hauled onto the dock, attracting a crowd of excited townspeople, reporters and local officials.
For Mayor Larry Vaughn, the capture represents the perfect opportunity to declare the beaches safe and restore confidence in Amity's lucrative summer tourist season.
But marine biologist Matt Hooper, played by Richard Dreyfuss, isn't convinced.
Examining the dead shark, Hooper identifies it as a tiger shark rather than the great white he believes is responsible for the attacks.
Pratt, one of the fishermen involved in the catch, responds with a brilliantly exaggerated expression of disbelief.
"A WHAT?!"
It's a tiny moment, but Young's delivery is so unexpected, so perfectly timed and so wonderfully expressive that it has become one of the film's most quotable exchanges.
Pratt isn't simply there for comic relief, however.
When Hooper questions whether the captured animal is the killer, the fisherman becomes defensive, threatening to put Hooper's head inside its mouth to determine whether it is a man-eater.
The exchange perfectly captures the clash between Hooper's scientific knowledge and the pride of the local fishermen.
For Pratt and his companions, the catch represents a triumph. They have done what the authorities couldn't, caught a dangerous shark and potentially saved their community.
Hooper's scepticism threatens to undermine that achievement.
And yet, for all Pratt's confidence, Hooper is right.
The real killer is still out there.
Photo via ‘JAWS: Memories of Martha’s Vineyard’
An unlikely star of JAWS
Unlike Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw or Richard Dreyfuss, Dick Young wasn't a professional Hollywood actor.
In fact, JAWS is his only listed feature-film acting credit.
Yet his brief appearance has continued to attract attention and affection from fans.
In a retrospective published by entertainment website Daily Grindhouse, writer Jon Abrams singled out Young as one of the film's finest supporting performers, celebrating the extraordinary comic timing of his famous reaction.
What makes the moment so effective is that Pratt doesn't appear to be trying to make anyone laugh.
He's a proud fisherman, genuinely affronted by the suggestion that his impressive catch might not be the shark everyone is looking for.
Young plays the moment with complete conviction, allowing the humour to emerge naturally from the character.
It's a wonderful example of Spielberg's instinct for finding humour within moments of tension.
And it helps explain why JAWS remains so endlessly rewatchable.
Even after dozens of viewings, there are small performances, reactions and exchanges that continue to entertain.
A life beyond Amity Island
For Young, JAWS was only a brief chapter in a much larger life.
After his appearance in the film, he continued living in the Cape Cod area, working for the Steamship Authority until his retirement.
His IMDb biography states that he was particularly proud of playing Pratt and of the enduring popularity of his famous line.
It's easy to understand why.
While most film extras remain anonymous, Young achieved something remarkable: he created a character that audiences would remember long after the credits rolled, despite appearing in only a single sequence.
His association with the film also extended to the documentary The Shark Is Still Working: The Impact & Legacy of JAWS (2007), in which he is credited as himself.
The documentary explores the extraordinary cultural impact of Spielberg's film and the people who helped bring it to the screen.
Dick Young died on October 3, 2009, in the Cape Cod area of Massachusetts. He was 72 years old.
The people who made Amity Island real
One of the enduring pleasures of JAWS is the extraordinary collection of supporting characters who populate the film.
Spielberg's decision to shoot on Martha's Vineyard, using real locations and numerous local residents, helped establish an authenticity that remains one of the film's greatest strengths.
The townspeople don't feel like anonymous extras waiting for their moment in front of the camera.
They feel like people with their own histories, occupations, friendships and grievances.
Pratt is a perfect example.
We know almost nothing about his life within the fictional world of Amity, yet within seconds we understand exactly the sort of man he is.
He's proud, stubborn, outspoken and fiercely protective of his catch.
And because Dick Young was himself an experienced fisherman, there is an added authenticity to his performance.
It's these little details that make Amity Island feel like somewhere we could actually visit.
Two words. Fifty years of laughter.
When JAWS was released in June 1975, nobody could have predicted quite how profoundly it would change cinema.
Nor could Dick Young have known that his brief appearance would continue to entertain audiences more than 50 years later.
He wasn't one of the film's stars. His name didn't appear among the principal cast, and his character was never central to the story.
But for one glorious moment, he stole the scene from Richard Dreyfuss.
And in doing so, he earned himself a permanent place in the hearts of JAWS fans everywhere.
Dick Young may have only needed two words to make his mark on movie history, but what a moment it was.
Here's to Dick Young, the real-life fisherman who became one of Amity Island's most unforgettable residents.
"A WHAT?!"
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