35 Facts About Bill Bixby

Wilfred Bailey Everett "Bill" Bixby III was an American actor, director, producer, and frequent game-show panellist.

Bill Bixby is known for his 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 the NBC crime drama series The Magician as stage Illusionist Anthony Blake, and the CBS science-fiction drama series The Incredible Hulk as Dr David Banner.

Bill Bixby's father, Wilfred Bailey Everett Bixby II, was a store clerk.

In 1942, when Bill Bixby was eight years old, his father enlisted in the Navy during World War II and traveled to the South Pacific.

Rather than report to the United States Army, Bill Bixby joined the United States Marine Corps Reserve.

Bill Bixby served primarily in personnel management with Marine Attack Squadron 141 at Naval Air Station Oakland, and attained the rank of private first class before his 1956 discharge.

Bill Bixby then moved to Hollywood, California, where he had a string of odd jobs that included bellhop and lifeguard.

Bill Bixby organized shows at a resort in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and in 1959 was hired to work as a model and to do commercial work for General Motors and Chrysler.

In 1961, Bill Bixby was in the musical The Boy Friend at the Detroit Civic Theater, returning to Hollywood to make his television debut on an episode of The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis.

Bill Bixby became a highly regarded character actor and guest-starred in many television series, including Ben Casey, The Twilight Zone, The Andy Griffith Show, Dr Kildare, Straightaway, and Hennesey.

Bill Bixby joined the cast of The Joey Bishop Show in 1962.

Bill Bixby took the role of young reporter Tim O'Hara in the 1963 CBS sitcom, My Favorite Martian, in which he co-starred with Ray Walston.

Bill Bixby turned down the role as Marlo Thomas's boyfriend in the successful That Girl, though he later guest-starred in the show, and starred in two failed pilots.

In 1969, Bill Bixby starred in his second high-profile television role, as Tom Corbett in The Courtship of Eddie's Father, a comedy drama on ABC.

Bill Bixby was nominated for the Emmy Award for Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in 1971.

Bill Bixby made his directorial debut on the sitcom in 1970, directing eight episodes.

Bill Bixby made sure that we had a lot of time together, just so he could kinda crawl inside my head and see what actually made a kid tick.

Bill Bixby became a popular game-show panelist, appearing mostly on Password and The Hollywood Squares.

Bill Bixby was a panelist on the 1974 revival of Masquerade Party, which was hosted by Richard Dawson.

Bill Bixby had appeared with Dawson on Cop-Out, an unsold 1972 pilot produced by Chuck Barris, and on the 1972 revival of I've Got a Secret.

Bill Bixby played a daredevil stunt pilot in an episode of the short-lived 1976 CBS adventure series Spencer's Pilots, starring Gene Evans.

Bill Bixby hosted Once Upon a Classic on PBS from 1976 to 1980.

Bill Bixby starred in the role of Dr David Banner in the pilot movie, The Incredible Hulk, based on the Stan Lee and Jack Kirby Marvel characters.

Kenneth Johnson, the creator, director, and writer, said that Bill Bixby was his only choice to play the part.

Bill Bixby worked on the series with his friend, movie actress Mariette Hartley, who later starred with Bixby in his final series, Goodnight, Beantown, in 1983.

Bill Bixby directed one episode of the series, "Bring Me the Head of the Hulk", in 1980.

Bill Bixby was executive producer and co-star of the short-lived sitcom Goodnight, Beantown.

Bill Bixby hosted two specials regarding Elvis conspiracy theories and his alleged sightings: The Elvis Files and The Elvis Conspiracy.

Bill Bixby made his last acting appearance in 1992, guest-starring in the television movie Diagnosis Murder: Diagnosis of Murder.

Bill Bixby finished his career by directing 30 episodes of the NBC sitcom Blossom.

Bill Bixby went into cardiac arrest after doctors inserted a breathing tube when he suffered acute epiglottitis.

Bill Bixby met Laura Michaels, who had worked on the set of one of his Hulk movies, in 1989.

Bill Bixby married her in October 1993, just six weeks before he collapsed on the set of Blossom.

In early 1993, after rumors began circulating about his health, Bill Bixby went public with his illness, making several appearances on shows such as Entertainment Tonight, Today, and Good Morning America, among others.

On November 21,1993, seven days after his final assignment on Blossom, Bill Bixby died of complications from prostate cancer in Century City, Los Angeles, California.