Bill Bixby

Willfred Bailey Bixby III (January 22, 1934–November 21, 1993), better known as Bill Bailey, was an American actor, director and frequent game show panelist who starred in a number of popular American television series, most notably as Tom Corbett, the title role in The Courtship of Eddie's Father (1969–1972); as Dr. David Banner in The Incredible Hulk (1978–1982) with Lou Ferrigno; as Tim O'Hara in My Favorite Martian (1963–1966); and in The Magician (1973). He also starred in a short-lived comedy, Goodnight Beantown with Mariette Hartley in 1984.

Related Topics:
January 22 - 1934 - November 21 - 1993 - American actor - Director - Frequent game show panelist - The Courtship of Eddie's Father - 1969 - 1972 - The Incredible Hulk - 1978 - 1982 - Lou Ferrigno - My Favorite Martian - 1963 - 1966 - The Magician - 1973 - Goodnight Beantown - Mariette Hartley

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He was born and raised in San Francisco, California, where Bixby's father, Wilfred Everett Bixby II, was a store clerk and his mother Jane was a department store owner. He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley. Bixby was also a very acclaimed director and achieved this success behind the camera only after the cancellation of The Incredible Hulk. He directed many television episodes and motion pictures, including one episode of Hulk and two of the three TV movie revivals (which he produced), and prior to his death was the lead director of the TV sitcom Blossom.

Related Topics:
San Francisco, California - University of California, Berkeley - Blossom

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In 1957, after he graduated from college, he left his native San Francisco to travel to Hollywood, that he had a string of odd jobs which included that of a bellhop, to a lifeguard organizing shows at a resort. A couple of years after, two lifeguards noticed the promising lifeguard and future actor to do commercial work, he was off to Detroit, Michigan, where he would do a stage play in the musical, ?The Boyfriend,? at the Detroit Civic Theater. After his stay in Detroit in 1961, he would comeback to Hollywood where he made his acting debut on an episode of The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, and as a character actor, as his name became popular, he guest-starred in many other sitcoms and TV series such as Ben Casey, The Twilight Zone, The Andy Griffith Show, Dr. Kildare, Hennessey, among many others. He also joined the cast on The Joey Bishop Show, 1 year before he would audition for a new sitcom, My Favorite Martian, on CBS, where he received a co-starring role as young news reporter, Tim O?Hara, who befriended an alien from another planet played by the late Ray Walston. After its first season in 1963, the show became a much quieter hit, as his name was becoming to be extremely popular than ever. At the same time that he was starring on Martian, he met and fell in love with young actress Brenda Benet, who was a dancer and a former student. After 3 seasons in 1966, My Favorite Martian, was running out of steam, which led to its series cancellation that year, and Bixby knew that he wasn?t out of work, for good.

Related Topics:
1957 - Detroit, Michigan - 1961 - Acting - Character actor - Ray Walston - Brenda Benet

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After the cancellation of Martian, he would then star in 4 box-office movies from 1966-1968 which were a smash, from Ride Beyond Vengeance (1966), on which he played the evil, Johnsy Boy Hood, to You?ve Got to Be Kidding (1967). Also, he gained even more fame landing on 2 of Elvis Presley?s movies, Clambake (1967), and Speedway (1968).

Related Topics:
1966-1968 - Ride Beyond Vengeance - 1966 - You?ve Got to Be Kidding - 1967 - Elvis Presley - Clambake - Speedway - 1968

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After turning down the role as Marlo Thomas?s boyfriend in That Girl, and starring in 2 failed pilots, just before 1969, he once again found greater fame, playing widowed father, Tom Corbett , on another sitcom, this one called, The Courtship of Eddie?s Father for ABC, based on the popular 1963 movie, starring Glenn Ford as: Tom, and Ron Howard as: Eddie. Unlike Martian, his second series became a hit, and Bixby became one of the most eligible bachelors. His co-star on the show was Brandon Cruz, who in real-life was 7-years-old as his character, Eddie suggested that he should be 7, too. The chemistry of both Bixby & Cruz got connected and they would be able to spend more time with each other, on and off the set. While he continued his role with Courtship, he made his directorial debut on the show, though he was very good at this, and would occasionally be very frustrated, if orders don?t follow through. But despite of the feud that Bixby had with the show?s producers, he was Nominated for a Emmy Award for Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, but didn?t win, and the following year, he won the Parents Without Partners: Exemplary Service Award for his in 1972. By its final season, the storylines became very bad, the producers were moving on to other things, and the series took a nose dive in the ratings, and ABC has decided to cancel the series after 3 seasons, and 78 episodes, and Bixby was not pleased to hear about this, because he wanted to proceed for a fourth season of the show.

Related Topics:
Marlo Thomas - 1969 - Brandon Cruz

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After his comedic roles between Martian and Courtship, he would then star in another series in 1973. Made for NBC, he starred in The Magician, playing Anthony Dorian on which he does magic professionally, and would perform them, on-screen and off. In real-life, Bixby was a magician himself and he would bring more talent on television for his character to prepare which was good. But sadly, Bixby received word that this series was pulling the plug after 1 year due to expensive rising costs.

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As a game show panelist, he appeared mostly on Password and The Hollywood Squares. An accomplished amateur magician, Bixby also hosted several specials in the mid-1970s that featured other amateur magicians.

Related Topics:
Password - The Hollywood Squares

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After years of working on so many comedy roles, Bixby was about to take yet a risky move, when in late 1977, that he was about to star in a 2 hour pilot movie called, The Incredible Hulk. Though he was about to turn the role down that made him famous, he went ahead with it anyways, after reading the entire script, and the producers convinced CBS to turn that into a weekly science-fiction series beginning in early 1978, called The Incredible Hulk. Compared to his other shows, Martian and Courtship, Hulk was also a ratings winner and the show became #1, throughout the entire country, as his character, Dr. David Banner, who was a mad scientist/physician turned into a green monster played by Lou Ferrigno when he became angry. While working on the set on The Incredible Hulk, his real-life marriage to Brenda Benet was on the rock, as Bixby demanded to work longer hours on the set, which caused more friction. Both he & Benet were divorced in 1980, but didn?t reward son Christopher with any custody. After almost canceling the show in 1981, he came back to the show, and went back to directing some episodes of the show, which made Bixby more tiring. And he had trouble wearing the makeup and the contact lenses, which made him pretty irritating. In 1982, CBS has finally decided to cancel the Hulk, after an amazing 5 seasons due to low ratings and excessively high rising costs, those issues on which Bixby wasn?t pleased to hear again, because he wanted to do the appropriate series finale in which he would?ve made the hulk go away, but the episode was too expensive and it was dropped from the schedule.

Related Topics:
The Incredible Hulk - Lou Ferrigno - Brenda Benet

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Bixby experienced tremendous personal tragedy as well. In 1981, Bixby's six year old son Christopher died suddenly after an accident at the actor's Brentwood, Los Angeles, CA home. Shortly afterwards Bixby's wife, actress Brenda Benet, committed suicide. In late-1992, Bixby was diagnosed with prostate cancer and underwent treatment for the disease. The disease unfortunately recurred and was diagnosed as inoperable. Nonetheless, Bixby continued working until November 1993, when he was too ill to continue.

Related Topics:
Brentwood, Los Angeles, CA - Prostate cancer

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Six days after his final assignment, directing an episode of Blossom, Bill Bixby passed away from complications arising from prostate cancer in Century City, California on November 21, 1993. He was only 59 years old.

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