Biography for
Bill Bixby (I) More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

22 January 1934, San Francisco, California, USA

Date of Death

21 November 1993, Century City, California, USA (prostate cancer)

Birth Name

Wilfred Bailey Bixby

Height

5' 9" (1.75 m)

Mini Biography

The son of a sales clerk and a department store owner, Bill Bixby was the sixth-generation Californian born as Wilfred Bailey Bixby, on January 22, 1934, in San Francisco, California. An only child growing up in the 1940s and 1950s, he attended schools in the same area, took ballroom dance lessons, before attending Lowell High School, where he excelled in drama. After his graduation from high school, he attended San Francisco City College where he majored in drama. He transferred to the University of California-Berkeley, where he majored in the pre-law program, but never stopped falling in love with his interest in acting. After almost graduating, he left his native San Francisco, to travel to Los Angeles, where he became a lifeguard and a bellhop. Two years later, in 1959, two executives noticed him and hired him immediately for commercial work and modeling, in Detroit, Michigan. At the same time, he auditioned for theatre roles. He joined the Detroit Civic Theatre Company and made his professional stage debut in the musical, The Boy Friend. Long after his trip to Michigan, he continued doing commercial work and made numerous guest appearances on popular TV sitcoms. He made his TV debut in an episode of "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis" (1959). He also did many other roles, most notably as Charles Raymond in "The Joey Bishop Show" (1961). After many guest and recurring roles, he landed a co-starring role opposite Ray Walston in "My Favorite Martian" (1963), in which he portrayed a newspaper reporter playing host to a visitor from another planet. After the first season, it became a hit and Bixby became a household name to millions of fans who liked the show. The show was going well until its cancellation in 1966, which left Bixby in the dark, for the time being. However, he finally got the chance to go onto the big screen. The first of the four post-"Martian" 60s movies he played in was the Western, Ride Beyond Vengeance (1966). The following year, he played Dick Bender in _Doctor, You've Got to Be Kidding (1967)_, and soon after, he was approached by Elvis Presley to appear in both Clambake (1967), and Speedway (1968). Afterwards he once again returned to series television, this time playing widowed father, Tom Corbett, on "The Courtship of Eddie's Father" (1969), based on the popular 1963 movie. After its first season, it became a much bigger hit than his first show and Bixby, heretofore one of Hollywod's most confirmed bachelors, changed his views on marriage and family, subsequently taking actress Brenda Benet as his bride and fathering a son. He also tried his hand at directing an episode of the series, called "Gifts Are For Giving", about Norman's highly treasured gift. After completing its second season, Bixby received an Emmy nomination for Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, but didn't win. By its third season in 1972, the show had bad scripts and ABC decided to pull the plug. Once again, he was not long out of work and was offered a chance to star in a lead role as Anthony Dorian/Anthony Blake, on his first and only NBC dramatic series called, _"Magician, The" (1973/II)_. The show focused on Anthony performing magic tricks which helped people who were in trouble, and in real-life, Bill became a fine magician, performing to both children and adults. But sadly, the show was cancelled after one season due to its expensive costs. After a seven year absence from the big screen, he co-starred in another western opposite Don Knotts and Tim Conway in The Apple Dumpling Gang (1975). Like most of the theatrical movies he did, it was not a blockbuster at the box office, but was still an average hit. In late 1977, he was offered the role of Dr. David Bruce Banner, in a 2-hour pilot called, The Incredible Hulk (1977) (TV). About a physician/scientist who turned into a green monster whenever he became angry, the idea appealed to CBS, and several months later, they premiered a new science fiction-dramatic series, called, "The Incredible Hulk" (1978). When it debuted as a mid-season replacement, it became the #1 show in the United States, and in many other countries. His character became famous for ripping up shirts each time he turned into the Hulk, played by bodybuilder Lou Ferrigno. Bixby had wanted to direct some episodes, but the time he had to spend in the make-up chair for the transformation sequences made that problematical, and he managed to helm only one segment, "Bring Me the Head of the Hulk," in the fourth season. It was cancelled in 1981 (although the last few episodes didn't air until 1982). He once again, came back to series television, acting in, producing, and directing his last sitcom, "Goodnight, Beantown" (1983), on which he played Matt Cassidy. Chosen for the role of Jennifer Barnes, was one of Bixby's old friends, Mariette Hartley, who had won an Emmy for her guest appearance in "The Incredible Hulk" as Banner's second wife. The two played co-anchor newscasters of a Boston television station whose sparring on and off the air developed into friendship and respect. Discounting a brief, inconsequential return to the network's schedule in the summer of 1984, the series lasted for less than a year, from April 1983 to January 1984. Bixby now decided to concentrate on directing and worked on "Wizards and Warriors" (1983), "Goodnight, Beantown" (1983) and "Sledge Hammer!" (1986). He also directed the pilot for a New York spy series, Rockhopper. He also appeared in front of the camera as the host of the daytime anthology series, "True Confessions" (1985) , which dealt with real-life crises of everyday people. Bixby additionally served as host for two shows targeting younger viewers: "Against the Odds," a series of biographies of prominent people, frequently from history, for the Nickelodeon cable channel; and "Once Upon a Classic," a collection of British TV adaptations of literary classics on PBS. He came back to reprise his role of Dr. David Banner from "The Incredible Hulk" by acting in, producing, and directing the three spin-off movies: The Incredible Hulk Returns (1988) (TV), The Trial of the Incredible Hulk (1989) (TV) and The Death of the Incredible Hulk (1990) (TV). He also directed TV movies such as Baby of the Bride (1991) (TV) and Another Pair of Aces: Three of a Kind (1991) (TV). In April 1991, while directing one of his last movies, he became very ill and was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He underwent surgery and his cancer seemed to be in remission, so he came back to guest star as Nick Osborne in a 2 hour TV movie/pilot called, Diagnosis Murder (1992) (TV). When his cancer continued to be in remission, he returned to work to direct the popular NBC sitcom, "Blossom" (1991), where he became the main director of the show. At first, he hid his illness from the cast and crew, until one of the producers found out, and then he announced publicly that he wanted to continue working until he could no longer do so. Prior to going public with his illness, he directed a TV movie starring Roseanne and Tom Arnold, The Woman Who Loved Elvis (1993) (TV), which was his final directing project. The cancer returned and on November 21, 1993, six days after leaving the set of "Blossom" (1991), he died after a long battle. For over 30 years he was in great demand and his big roles and directing credits have been a personal testimony to his fans. His life is gone, but his legacy lives on for years to come.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Gary Richard Collins II

Spouse

Judith Kliban	(3 October 1993 - 21 November 1993) (his death)
Laura Jane Michaels	(18 December 1991 - 25 June 1992) (divorced)
Brenda Benet	(4 July 1971 - September 1979) (divorced) 1 child

Trade Mark

Thick horned-rimmed glasses.

Trivia

Born at 11:20pm-PST

Cremated and ashes scattered over the Pacific Ocean in Hawaii, USA.

After he filed for a divorce from his first wife (Brenda Benet) his 6 year-old son died of a rare infection and, a year later, his ex-wife took her own life.

After graduating from Lowell High School, he attended San Francisco College to pursue a major in acting. He was asked to go to the University of California-Berkeley to major in pre-law, but dropped out.

Classmate of Lee Meriwether

Actor Brandon Cruz's son Lincoln Bixby Cruz was named after him.

When "The Incredible Hulk" (1978) debuted, he was worried that his son Christopher would be scared to see his father turning into a green creature. Therefore, he wouldn't let the boy watch the show.

Member of the Phi Delta Theta Fraternity.

Son of Wilfrid Everett and Jane Bixby, he was their only child.

Was an accomplished artist.

Was a contestant on "The Dating Game" (1965) three times, and never won a date.

Was three credits shy of graduating from college at the University of California-Berkeley.

Was a lifeguard and a bellhop before becoming an actor.

Met his third and final wife, Judith Kliban, in Hawaii, just before his 59th birthday. [1993]

Was a professional magician.

Appeared frequently as a panelist on "The Hollywood Squares" (1965).

Tom Corbett, Bixby's character on "The Courtship of Eddie's Father" (1969), was ranked #15 in TV Guide's list of the "50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time" [20 June 2004 issue].

Loni Anderson, a close friend of his, wrote a tribute in her book about his final days, prior to working on the set of "Blossom" (1991). Before he died, she saw him regularly only when he was visiting "Nurses" (1991).

His grandfather, Wilfred Everett, was a physician and surgeon, and was a University of California-Davis graduate in 1907.

He had 12 hobbies: painting, magic, sailing, hiking, fishing, swimming, farming, jogging, golfing, photography, cooking and carpentry.

Five days after his 18th birthday, he signed up for the Marine Corps Reserve; while he was a senior in high school. He was honorably discharged on April 8, 1957.

As a teenager, he was a member of the quartet "Uncalled Four".

Shared the same birthday as actress Piper Laurie, and was two-years younger than her.

Appeared with fellow comedian Richard Dawson on two game shows. One was the pilot of a trashy 1970s game show, "Cop-Out", and the other was on "Password All-Stars" and "Masquerade Party" (1974), which his friend had hosted.

He appeared in three popular television shows that ran for at least three years: "My Favorite Martian" (1963), "The Courtship of Eddie's Father" (1969) and "The Incredible Hulk" (1978).

Starred in a pilot with Barbara Feldon that has never been aired.

Before he became an actor, he organized shows at a resort in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

1972: Won the Parents Without Partners: Exemplary Service Award for his role on "The Courtship of Eddie's Father" (1969).

Met Brenda Benet at a beauty pageant. At the time he was 29 and she was only 18.

At least two actresses name him as their favorite actor: Mariette Hartley and Loni Anderson, both having worked with him on "The Incredible Hulk" (1978).

Graduated from Lowell High School in San Francisco, California, in 1952.

His father, Wilfred Everett II, died on June 4, 1971, just 4 weeks before he & Brenda were married.

Remained good friends with Brandon Cruz during and after "The Courtship of Eddie's Father" (1969). The friendship became that much stronger after the death of Bixby's son Christopher in 1981.

Appeared as a character named Banner twice: Harry Banner on "That Girl" (1965) and Dr. David Bruce Banner on "The Incredible Hulk" (1978).

Of English descent.

Was very good friends with: Dennis Weaver, Dick Martin, Elvis Presley and Paul Williams.

In The Incredible Hulk (2008), Bixby can be seen in an episode of "The Courtship of Eddie's Father" (1969) as Dr. Banner (Edward Norton) flips through television channels. Bixby was also, of course, the original Dr. Banner.

Attended Grace Cathedral in the seventh grade. In one notable incident, while he continued singing in the choir, he shot the bishop using the slingshot during one service and was kicked out of the choir.

The entire cast of "Blossom" (1991) attended his funeral, with the exception of Mayim Bialik, who was on vacation with her family.

Collapsed on the "Blossom" (1991) set before he died.

Was very disappointed when "The Incredible Hulk" (1978) was cancelled, after the fifth season, because of high rising costs.

Before he graduated, his parents were so concerned about his only hope for his chance at becoming an actor, that they wanted him to become either a lawyer, dentist or even a doctor, because his parents didn't have the appropriate tools to cope with this.

When he was 12, he mother taught him some manners. She talked him into taking ballroom dance lessons. At one of the hotels he used to dance in San Francisco, in the middle of the hotel lobby, he once burst into an imitation of Jerry Lewis.

According to Dick Martin, Bixby hadn't been seeing Martin's proctologist for five years after Martin had been badgering him to visit their doctor. He agreed, but, at the very last minute, Bixby discovered he had a back problem. His prostate cancer had spread around his liver. He successfully underwent surgery twice, before it eventually came back.

Remained friends with Lou Ferrigno, during and after "The Incredible Hulk" (1978).

Was very disappointed when "The Courtship of Eddie's Father" (1969) was canceled at the end of the third season, allegedly because of his feuding with producer James Komack.

Best remembered for his starring roles as Tim O'Hara on "My Favorite Martian" (1963) and as Dr. David Banner on "The Incredible Hulk" (1978).

Personal Quotes

I have learned that there is no way to succeed in anything unless you are willing to try--and trying means you run the risk of failure.

Everyone fantasizes. We all want to be something we're not.

[On receiving the script for "The Incredible Hulk" (1978) pilot] I didn't even like the title. I wanted to make fun of it because of its name. I told my agent, "You've got to be kidding!" when he suggested I might be interested in it. He said, "Read it!" and so I took it home and thanks to his intelligence, I did read it. Right away I knew this could be done in the style of the monster pictures or the creature films of the 1940s. But one advantage we enjoy over the previous monster pictures is that the Hulk is not evil.

I'm a loner as a person, but then I always was, even as a child.

[On the cancellation of "The Courtship of Eddie's Father" (1969)]: I cannot tell you how disappointed I was. I wanted that series to go on to the point when it came to the teenage stage and we could deal with these problems in an honest contemporary way. But our time slot was changed so often we weren't given a fighting chance. You can't expect people to find you at home when you change your address so often.

[On returning to work after the death of his son Christopher]: Work really was a catalyst by which I was able to maintain a sense of balance, and coming back...I don't know that you come back. You go on, you endure.

[When he decided to become an actor]: I have to go off by myself to keep a balance. I can't always be, 'Bill the actor'. I must stop and gain perspective so as not to confuse my role and my person.

[On gaining popularity before sinking]: First you feel defenseless...totally defenseless...To read descriptions by 'parties close to...' -- that wonderful First Amendment right that gives them the privilege to damage everybody's else's life -- and to make any kind of assumptions they choose to make for the sake of selling their papers. One of the reporters I spoke to once, said, 'What else can I do? They pay us so much money.' Well, whatever happened in this country to our own morality? I wonder now. I wonder as I watch the news. It isn't just the tabloids. The tabloids are a great part of it - it's a personal, terrible, hurtful thing to do to anybody. But I worry about the conscience of our own country as I look around and see it, and how life is becoming more and more meaningless.

[About living his own life]: I'm willing to make mistakes and I'm also willing to face them myself. I prefer that than having to answer for someone else. I've made a lot myself, but hopefully I won't repeat them. If you go through life and you haven't made any, it simply means you haven't taken any chances, and your obligation to life is to live it and to go forward because life in a sense is a series of successes and failures.

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