Bill bixby biography video

American actor and director (–)

Wilfred Bailey Everett Bixby III (January 22, – November 21, )^[1] was an American thespian and television director.

His job spanned more than three decades, including appearances on stage, encircle films, and on television collection. He is known for diadem roles in the CBS sitcom My Favorite Martian as Tim O'Hara, in the ABC sitcom The Courtship of Eddie's Father as Tom Corbett, in rendering NBC crime drama series The Magician as stage Illusionist Suffragist Blake, in the ABC mini-series Rich Man, Poor Man in that Willie Abbott, and the CBS science-fiction drama series The Unbelievable Hulk as Dr.

David Doctor Banner.^[2][3]

Early life

A fourth-generation Californian promote English descent and an inimitable child, Wilfred Bailey Everett Bixby III was born on Jan 22, , in San Francisco, California.^[4] His father, Wilfred Singer Everett Bixby II, was precise store clerk.

His mother, Jane (née McFarland) Bixby, was unadorned senior manager at I. Magnin & Co. In , while in the manner tha Bixby was eight years hesitate, his father enlisted in rank Navy during World War II and traveled to the Southernmost Pacific. While in the ordinal grade, Bixby attended Grace Duomo and sang in the church's choir.

In one notable matter, he shot the bishop utility a slingshot during a get together and was kicked out classic the choir. In , sovereign mother encouraged him to receive ballroom dance lessons and deviate there he started dancing get hold of around the city. While fulguration, he attended Lowell High Nursery school, where he perfected his eloquence and dramatic skills as smashing member of the Lowell Legit Society.

Though he received mundane grades, he also competed select by ballot high-school speech tournaments regionally.^{[citation needed]}

After graduation from high school bundle , he majored in sight at City College of San Francisco,^[5] against his parents' wishes.^[2]

During the Korean War, Bixby was drafted shortly after his Eighteenth birthday.

Rather than report be familiar with the United States Army, Bixby joined the United States Seafaring Corps Reserve.^{[6][7][8][9][10]} He served particularly in personnel management with Naval Attack Squadron (VMA) at Nautical Air Station Oakland, and accomplished the rank of private twig class before his discharge.

Later, earth attended the University of Calif., Berkeley, his parents' alma ma, and left just a seizure credits short of earning unadulterated degree.

He then moved abrupt Hollywood, California, where he confidential a string of odd jobs that included bellhop and attender. He organized shows at graceful resort in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and in was hired censure work as a model duct to do commercial work arrangement General Motors and Chrysler.^[1]

Career

Beginning acting

In , Bixby was in picture musical The Boy Friend console the Detroit Civic Theater, chronic to Hollywood to make enthrone television debut on an incident of The Many Loves noise Dobie Gillis.

He became clever highly regarded character actor delighted guest-starred in many television group, including Ben Casey, The Crepuscule Zone, The Andy Griffith Show, Dr. Kildare, Straightaway, and Hennesey. He also joined the ticket of The Joey Bishop Show in In , he stirred a sailor with a Emperor tattoo in the movie Irma La Douce, a romantic funniness starring Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine, directed by Billy Quit based on the French sweet-sounding.

During the s, he easy guest appearances on television focus such as Ironside, Insight, Barbary Coast, The Love Boat, Medical Center, four episodes of Love, American Style, Fantasy Island, favour two episodes each of The Streets of San Francisco queue Rod Serling's Night Gallery.

My Favorite Martian and other inconvenient roles

Bixby took the role taste young reporter Tim O'Hara delight the CBS sitcom My Deary Martian, in which he co-starred with Ray Walston. By , though, high production costs least the series to come argue with an end after episodes.

Later its cancellation, Bixby starred pretend four movies: Ride Beyond Vengeance, Doctor, You've Got to Last Kidding!, and two of Elvis Presley's movies, Clambake and Speedway. He turned down the character as Marlo Thomas's boyfriend contain the successful That Girl, notwithstanding he later guest-starred in character show, and starred in couple failed pilots.

The Courtship retard Eddie's Father

In , Bixby asterisked in his second high-profile multitude role, as Tom Corbett amount The Courtship of Eddie's Father, a comedy drama on ABC. The series concerned a widowed father raising a young phenomenon, managing a major syndicated ammunition, and at the same put on ice trying to re-enter the dating scene.

This series was importance the vein of other unrelenting and s sitcoms that dealt with widowerhood, such as The Andy Griffith Show and My Three Sons. Eddie was stirred by novice actor Brandon Cruz. The pair developed a fast rapport that translated to effect off-camera friendship, as well. Character core cast was rounded break by Academy Award-winning actress Miyoshi Umeki, who played the portrayal of Tom's housekeeper, Mrs.

Livingston, James Komack (one of probity series' producers) as Norman Toy, Tom's pseudo-hippie, quirky photographer, splendid actress Kristina Holland as Tom's secretary, Tina. One episode cancel out the series co-starred Bixby's unconventional wife, Brenda Benet, as subject of Tom's girlfriends.

Bixby was nominated for the Emmy Accord for Lead Actor in efficient Comedy Series in The people year, he won the Parents Without Partners Exemplary Service Trophy haul for

Bixby made his leading debut on the sitcom break through , directing eight episodes.

ABC cancelled the sitcom in representative the end of season brace.

After the show was below par, Bixby and Cruz remained unsubtle contact, with Cruz making well-ordered guest appearance on Bixby's late series The Incredible Hulk. Primacy death of Bixby's only babe, in , drew Bixby jaunt Cruz closer still.

The a handful of remained in contact until Bixby's death in In , Cruz named his own son Attorney Bixby Cruz.

Brandon Cruz vocal of the show that mature a professional father-son relationship, compared to that of The Accomplished Griffith Show, "We dealt friendliness issues that were talked travel, but were never brought reach its conclusion on television.

Bill wasn't loftiness first actor to portray keen single widowed father, but prohibited became one of the typical ones, because of his easy-oasy way of this crazy small kid." Prior to Bixby's sanction to director, Brandon said, "He was looking for the outdistance dolly grip, along with interpretation boom operator that if spot was called specifically and aborted, Bill could be easily angry." On the kind of delight Bill had wanted with sovereignty co-star, Brandon also said, "Bill would never speak down turn into me.

Bill treated me thanks to an equal. He made carefully that we had a max out of time together, just middling he could kinda crawl interior my head and see what actually made a kid tick." Upon the death of Bill's real-life father in , Cruz stated, "He had that ilk of mentality that the demonstrate must go on, thinking inhibit was just a great Goggle-box show, after he broke in short supply weeping."^[16]

In a interview with Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Adventurer about how Bill Bixby's superiority was supposed to posthumously deify him for a star jacket the Hollywood Walk of Celebrity, Cruz said, "When I be too intense out they were putting that out, I thought, 'It's disqualify time.' Bill Bixby had distinction amazing body of work, band only Courtship of Eddie's Father, but My Favorite Martian,The Magician,The Incredible Hulk, and so haunt other things, as an affair, as a director — sit he never got an Honor.

He's never been recognized posthumously by the Academy. And let go doesn't have a star orbit the Hollywood Walk of Make ashamed. That is criminal There emblematic people who have stars dump, not to be blunt, however I wouldn't bother spitting gesticulation their stars. Bill's talent would take a couple of blocks of stars compared to them.

It really demeans the unabridged thing that Bill is war cry included."^[17]

to

In , Bixby starred in The Magician. Goodness series was well liked, on the contrary lasted for only one spell 1. An accomplished amateur magician personally, he hosted several TV specials in the mids which featured other amateur magicians, and was a respected member of picture Hollywood magic community, belonging greet The Magic Castle, an full club for magicians.

During nobleness show's popular, although short-lived, arrange, Bixby invited a few elderly friends along to co-star much as Pamela Britton (in stress final role), Kristina Holland, added Ralph O'Hara.

Also in , he starred in Steambath, well-organized play by author Bruce Josh Friedman, on PBS with Valerie Perrine and Jose Perez.

Bixby became a popular game-show critic, appearing mostly on Password prosperous The Hollywood Squares. He was also a panelist on decency revival of Masquerade Party, which was hosted by Richard Town. He had also appeared care Dawson on Cop-Out, an unsold pilot produced by Chuck Barris, and on the revival homework I've Got a Secret.

Tear –, he directed four episodes of the eighth season annotation Mannix, guest-starring as Mannix's friend-turned-villain in one of the episodes.

In , he co-starred process Tim Conway and Don Knotts in the Disney movie The Apple Dumpling Gang, which was well received by the lever.

Returning to television, Bixby stirred with Susan Blakely on Rich Man, Poor Man, a tremendously successful television miniseries in Of course played a daredevil stunt captain in an episode of significance short-lived CBS adventure series Spencer's Pilots, starring Gene Evans.

Summon , he co-starred in ethics pilot for the television program Fantasy Island; starred in "No Way Out", the final incident of the NBC anthology convoy Quinn Martin's Tales of illustriousness Unexpected (known in the Concerted Kingdom as Twist in probity Tale);^[18] and appeared with Donna Mills, Richard Jaeckel, and William Shatner in the last happening, "The Scarlet Ribbon", of NBC's Western series The Oregon Trail, starring Rod Taylor and Apostle Stevens.

Bixby directed two episodes of The Oregon Trail.

In , he was honored organize two Emmy Award nominations, look after for Outstanding Lead Actor symbolize a Single Appearance in Screenplay or Comedy for The Streets of San Francisco and honesty other for Outstanding Single Aid by a Supporting Actor expose Comedy or Drama Series beseech Rich Man, Poor Man.

Bixby hosted Once Upon a Classic on PBS from to

The Incredible Hulk

Bixby starred in dignity role of Dr. Robert Physician Banner in the pilot coat The Incredible Hulk, based bias the Stan Lee and Carangid KirbyMarvel characters. Kenneth Johnson, glory creator, director, and writer, aforementioned that Bixby was his unique choice to play the part.^[19] When Bixby was offered ethics role, he declined it – until he read the handwriting and discussed it with Johnson.^[20] The success of the captain (coupled with some theatrical releases of the film in Europe) convinced CBS to turn side into a weekly series, which began airing in the shaft fount of The pilot also marked Susan Sullivan as Dr.

Elaina Marks, who tries to assistance the conflicted and widowed Dr. Banner overcome his "problem" give orders to falls in love with him in the process. In uncut retrospective on The Incredible Hulk, Glenn Greenberg declared Bixby's highest achievement to be the series' "foremost" strength, elaborating that he "masterfully conveyed the profound loneliness captivated tragedy of Dr.

Banner one-time also bringing to the character an abundance of warmth, aptitude, humor, nobility, likability, and strongly affect all else, humanity."^[21]

During the series' run, Bixby invited two disrespect his longtime friends, Ray Walston and Brandon Cruz, to guest-star with him in different episodes of the series.

He further worked on the series pertain to his friend, movie actress Mariette Hartley, who later starred work to rule Bixby in his final lean-to, Goodnight, Beantown, in Hartley appears in the well-regarded double-length happening "Married",^[21] and subsequently won come to an end Emmy Award for her company appearance. Future star Loni Writer also guest-starred with Bixby aside the first season.

Bixby destined one episode of the focus, "Bring Me the Head noise the Hulk", in (original airdate: January 9, ). The playoff was cancelled after the followers season, but leftover episodes airy as late as the after that June. Bixby later executive-produced existing reprised the role in iii television movies – The Improbable Hulk Returns, The Trial atlas the Incredible Hulk, and The Death of the Incredible Hulk – the last two commemorate which he also directed, station the first of which bankruptcy has been said to conspiracy unofficially co-directed.^[21]

Later work

Bixby was mind producer and co-star of nobleness short-lived sitcom Goodnight, Beantown (–84).

He also directed three episodes of the series. During position same time, Bixby directed diverse episodes of another short-lived gentlemen of the press series, Wizards and Warriors, which aired in From to , he hosted a documentary rooms for Nickelodeon entitled Against probity Odds. The series, which was cancelled after only two seasons, consists of short biographies all but famous people throughout history.

Exotic to , he hosted rectitude syndicated weekday anthology series True Confessions. In , he fixed eight episodes of the parody police sitcom Sledge Hammer!, with the episode "Hammer Hits interpretation Rock" in season two, to what place he made an uncredited manipulate as Zeke.

Bixby hosted four specials regarding Elvis conspiracy theories and his alleged sightings: The Elvis Files ()^[22] and The Elvis Conspiracy ().^[23]

Bixby made sovereign last acting appearance in , guest-starring in the television shoot Diagnosis Murder: Diagnosis of Murder.

He finished his career get ahead of directing 30 episodes (in seasons two and three) of justness NBC sitcom Blossom.^[24]

Personal life keep from death

Bixby's first marriage was assume actress Brenda Benet.^[25] They were married in , and she gave birth to their opposing team, Christopher, in September They divorced in A few months posterior, in March , six-year-old Christopher died while on a skiing vacation at Mammoth Lakes market Benet.

He went into cardiac arrest after doctors inserted trig breathing tube when he gratifying acute epiglottitis.^[26] Benet committed killing the following year.

Bixby met Laura Michaels, who had worked victor the set of one make acquainted his Hulk movies, in They married a year later take on Hawaii. In early , noteworthy was diagnosed with prostate lump and underwent treatment.^[28][29] He was divorced in the same year.^[30]

In late , friends introduced Bixby to the artist Judith Kliban, widow of the cartoonist Inexpert.

Kliban. He married her comic story October ^[31]

In early , astern rumors began circulating about empress health, Bixby went public be regarding his illness, making several observance on shows such as Entertainment Tonight, Today, and Good Dawning America, among others.^[32]

On November 21, , six days after top final assignment on Blossom, Bixby died of complications from endocrine cancer in Century City, Los Angeles, California.

He was 59 years old.^[33]

Filmography

Film

Television

Production credits

Television

References

External links