Birth Name
Wilfred Bailey Bixby

Date of birth
22 January 1934
San Francisco, California, USA

Date of death
21 November 1993
Century City, California, USA. (prostate cancer)

Height
5' 9"
 


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


Son:
Christopher (died in 1978)
 

 

Prior to his first TV appearance on a 1961 episode of Dobie Gillis, Berkeley graduate Bill Bixby had been a lifeguard, a male model, and a regional stock-company actor. Bixby went on to play small roles in films like Lonely Are the Brave and Irma La Douce, and was featured in the Broadway comedy Under the Yum Yum Tree. In 1963, he graduated to TV stardom with the role of Tim O'Hara on the popular sci-fi sitcom My Favorite Martian. Anxious to change his "wholesome" image after Martian ended its three-year run in 1966, Bixby accepted a small but flashy role as a cowardly villain in the big-screen Western Ride Beyond Vengeance (1966).
 
 
Like it or not, however, Bixby's future lay in sympathetic parts on episodic television. In each of his subsequent starring series -- The Courtship of Eddie's Father (1969-1972), The Magician (1973), The Incredible Hulk (1978-1982), True Confessions (1984), and Goodnight Beantown (1983) -- Bixby frequently did double-duty as actor and director. He also directed such made-for-TV movies as Barbary Coast (1974), Another Pair of Aces: Three of a Kind (1991), and the Roseanne/Tom Arnold vehicle The Woman Who Loved Elvis (1993).
 

Long one of Hollywood's most eligible bachelors, Bixby finally took the marital plunge with actress Brenda Benet; the union ended tragically when Benet, distraught over the death of her son, Christopher, committed suicide. Bixby's second wife was Judith Kliban, daughter of magazine cartoonist B. Kliban. At the time of his death from prostate cancer, Bill Bixby was principal director of the TV series Blossom.
 
Bixby was the second actor next to Michael Landon to appear in 3 popular television series; each of which ran for 3 years or more starting with, "My Favorite Martian," (1963-1966) on CBS, "The Courtship of Eddie's Father," (1969-1972) on ABC, and "The Incredible Hulk," (1978-1982) on CBS.
When "The Incredible Hulk" debuted, he was worried that his son Christopher would be scared to see his own father turning into a green creature. Therefore, he wouldn't let the boy watch the show.
 

On receiving the script for the "Hulk" 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."

 


Actor - Filmography

Diagnosis Murder (1992) (TV) .... Nick Osborne
Death of the Incredible Hulk, The (1990) (TV) .... Dr. David Bruce Banner
Trial of the Incredible Hulk, The (1989) (TV) .... Dr. David Bruce Banner
Incredible Hulk Returns, The (1988) (TV) .... Dr. David Bruce Banner
Sin of Innocence (1986) (TV) .... David McGary
"True Confessions" (1985) TV Series .... Host
International Airport (1985/I) (TV) .... Harvey Jameson
"Goodnight, Beantown" (1983) TV Series .... Matt Cassidy
"Book of Lists, The" (1982) TV Series .... Host
Murder Is Easy (1982) (TV) .... Luke Williams
Hanna-Barbera Hall of Fame: Yabba Dabba Doo II, The (1979) (TV) .... Host
Magic of David Copperfield II, The (1979) (TV) .... Himself
Television Annual: 1978/1979, The (1979) (TV)
How to Survive the 70s and Maybe Even Bump Into Happiness (1978) (TV)
NBC Salutes the 25th Anniversary of the Wonderful World of Disney (1978) (TV) .... Himself
Incredible Hulk: Married, The (1978) (TV) .... Dr. David Bruce Banner
Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, A (1978) (TV) .... Host
"Incredible Hulk, The" (1978) TV Series .... Dr. David Bruce Banner
Incredible Hulk: Death in the Family, The (1977) (TV) .... Dr. David Bruce Banner
Kentucky Fried Movie, The (1977) .... Himself
Incredible Hulk, The (1977) (TV) .... Dr. David Bruce Banner
Black Market Baby (1977) (TV) .... Herbert Freemont
Fantasy Island (1977) (TV) .... Arnold Greenwood
"Once Upon a Classic" (1976) TV Series .... Host
Great Houdini, The (1976) (TV) .... Reverend Arthur Ford
Invasion of Johnson County, The (1976) (TV) .... Sam Lowell
"Rich Man, Poor Man" (1976) (mini) TV Series .... Willie Abbott
Apple Dumpling Gang, The (1975) .... Mr. Russel Donovan
Barbary Coast (1975) (TV) .... Philippe Despard
Rex Harrison Presents Stories of Love (1974) (TV)
"Masquerade Party" (1974) TV Series .... Himself/panelist
Shirts/Skins (1973) (TV) .... Teddy Bush
"Magician, The" (1973) TV Series .... Anthony Blake/Anthony Dorian (pilot only)
Steambath (1973) (TV) .... Tandy
Magician, The (1973) (TV) .... Anthony Dorian
Couple Takes a Wife, The (1972) (TV) .... Jeff Hamilton
Congratulations, It's a Boy! (1971) (TV) .... Johnny Gaines
"Courtship of Eddie's Father, The" (1969) TV Series .... Tom Corbett
Speedway (1968) .... Kenny Donford
Clambake (1967) .... James J. Jamison III
Doctor, You've Got to Be Kidding (1967) .... Dick Bender
Ride Beyond Vengeance (1966) .... Johnsy Boy Hood
Under the Yum Yum Tree (1963) .... Track Team Coach
"My Favorite Martian" (1963) TV Series .... Tim O'Hara
Irma la Douce (1963) .... Tattooed Sailor
"Joey Bishop Show, The" (1961) TV Series .... Charles Raymond (1962)
Lonely Are the Brave (1962)(uncredited) .... Airman in helicopter


Director - filmography

Woman Who Loved Elvis, The (1993) (TV)
Baby of the Bride (1991) (TV)
Another Pair of Aces: Three of a Kind (1991) (TV)
"Blossom" (1991) TV Series(1992-1993)
"Ferris Bueller" (1990) TV Series
Death of the Incredible Hulk, The (1990) (TV)
Trial of the Incredible Hulk, The (1989) (TV)
"Murphy's Law" (1988) TV Series
Incredible Hulk Returns, The (1988) (TV)
"Sledge Hammer!" (1986) TV Series
W*A*L*T*E*R (1984) (TV)
"Goodnight, Beantown" (1983) TV Series
"Best of Times, The" (1983) TV Series
"Wizards and Warriors" (1983) TV Series
"Herbie, the Love Bug" (1982) TV Series
"Mr. Merlin" (1981) TV Series

"Incredible Hulk, The" (1978) TV Series
Three on a Date (1978) (TV)
"Charlie's Angels" (1976) TV Series
"Bert D'Angelo/Superstar" (1976) TV Series
"Rich Man, Poor Man" (1976) (mini) TV Series
"Barbary Coast" (1975) TV Series
Barbary Coast (1975) (TV)
"Magician, The" (1973) TV Series
"Courtship of Eddie's Father, The" (1969) TV Series
"Mannix" (1967) TV Series



Producer - filmography

Death of the Incredible Hulk, The (1990) (TV) (producer)
Trial of the Incredible Hulk, The (1989) (TV) (producer)
Incredible Hulk Returns, The (1988) (TV) (executive producer) (producer)
"Goodnight, Beantown" (1983) TV Series (producer)

Notable TV Guest Appearances
"Blossom" (1991) playing "Cop" (voice) in episode: "Blossom's Dilemma" (episode # 4.8) 18 October 1993
"Out of Control" (1984) playing "Himself" 1984
"CBS Festival of Lively Arts for Young People, The" (1973) playing "Host" in episode: "Bill Bixby and the Adventures of a Young Magician" 5 May 1981
"Incredible Hulk, The" (1978) playing "Michael Cassidy" (uncredited) in episode: "Broken Image" (episode # 3.12) 4 January 1980
"Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" (1966) playing "Himself" 1979
"Oregon Trail, The" (1977) in episode: "The Scarlet Ribbon" (episode # 1.6) 30 November 1977
"Love Boat, The" (1977) playing "John Ballard" in episode: "Message for Maureen/The Acapulco Connection/Gotcha" (episode # 1.4) 15 October 1977
"Streets of San Francisco, The" (1972) playing "Eric Doyle" in episode: "Police Buff" (episode # 4.15) 8 January 1976
"Mannix" (1967) in episode: "The Empty Tower" (episode # 8.17) 16 February 1975
"Ironside" (1967) in episode: "Raise the Devil (Part 2)" (episode # 8.2) 19 September 1974
"Ironside" (1967) in episode: "Raise the Devil (Part 1)" (episode # 8.1) 12 September 1974
"Streets of San Francisco, The" (1972) playing "Jerry Schilling/Charles Pine" in episode: "Target: Red" (episode # 3.3) 1974
"Barnaby Jones" (1973) playing "Alex Chandler" in episode: "To Denise, With Love and Murder" 22 April 1973
"Medical Center" (1969) in episode: "Pressure Point" (episode # 4.15) 3 January 1973
"Night Gallery" (1970) playing "Noel Evans" in episode: "The Return of the Sorcerer" (episode # 3.1) 24 September 1972
"Night Gallery" (1970) playing "Bruce Farraday" in episode: "Last Rites for a Dead Druid" (episode # 2.52) 26 January 1972
"Hollywood Squares, The" (1966) playing "Guest Panelist" 1972
"Love, American Style" (1969) in episode: "Love and the Rug" (episode # 2.20b) 12 February 1971
"Hollywood Squares, The" (1966) playing "Guest Panelist" 1971
"Hollywood Squares, The" (1966) playing "Guest Panelist" 1970
"Hollywood Squares, The" (1966) playing "Guest Panelist" 1969
"Insight" (1960) in episode: "The Poker Game" 1969
"It Takes a Thief" (1968) in episode: "To Steal a Battleship" (episode # 1.11) 26 March 1968
"Hollywood Squares, The" (1966) playing "Guest Panelist" 1968
"That Girl" (1966) playing "Himself" in episode: "The Apartment" (episode # 2.11) 5 December 1967
"Iron Horse, The" (1966) in episode: "Appointment with an Epitaph" (episode # 1.23) 13 February 1967
"Hollywood Squares, The" (1966) playing "Guest Panelist" 1967
"Combat!" (1962) playing "Kline" in episode: "The Losers" (episode # 5.2) 20 September 1966
"Hollywood Squares, The" (1966) playing "Guest Panelist" 1966
"Dr. Kildare" (1961) playing "Ben Mollenhauer" in episode: "The Balance and the Crucible" (episode # 2.29) 2 May 1963
"Twilight Zone, The" (1959) playing "OOD" in episode: "The Thirty-Fathom Grave" (episode # 4.2) 10 January 1963
"Lieutenant, The" (1963)
"Dr. Kildare" (1961) playing "Dr Grant" in episode: "The Soul Killer" (episode # 2.9) 22 November 1962
"Andy Griffith Show, The" (1960) playing "Ronald Bailey" in episode: "Bailey's Bad Boy" (episode # 2.15) 15 January 1962
"Checkmate" (1960) in episode: "To the Best on My Recollection" (episode # 2.11) 27 December 1961
"Bachelor Father" (1957) in episode: "The Law and Kelly Gregg" (episode # 5.14) 26 December 1961
"Ben Casey" (1961) in episode: "A Few Brief Lines For Dave" (episode # 1.7) 13 November 1961
"Hennesey" (1959) playing "Intern" in episode: "Welcome Home, Dr. Blair" 9 October 1961
"Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, The" (1959) playing "Himself" in episode: "The Gigolo" (episode # 3.2) 22 September 1961

 

 

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