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 theater 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" , Bill Bixby died at his home after a two-year battle with cancer at age 59. 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.
Born at 11:20 p.m. 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" debuted, he was worried that his son Christopher would be scared to see his father turning into a green creature. Therefore, he wouldnt let the boy watch the show.
Member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity.
Son of Wilfred Bailey Everett Jr. and Jane Bixby; he was their only child.
Was an accomplished artist.
Was a contestant on "The Dating Game" three times, but never won a date.
Was three credits shy of graduating from college at the University of California-Berkeley.
Before he was a successful actor and director, he worked as a lifeguard and a bellhop.
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" .
Tom Corbett, Bixbys character on "The Courtship of Eddies Father" , was ranked #15 in TV Guides 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" . Before he died, she saw him regularly only when he was visiting "Nurses" .
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; 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.
Appeared with fellow comedian Richard Dawson on several game shows: the pilot of a trashy 1970s game show, Cop Out! , "Password" , and "Masquerade Party" , which Dawson hosted.
He appeared in three popular television shows that ran for at least three years: "My Favorite Martian" , "The Courtship of Eddies Father" , and "The Incredible Hulk" .
Starred in a pilot with Barbara Feldon that has never been aired.
Before he was a successful actor and director, 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 Eddies Father" .
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 of whom worked with him on "The Incredible Hulk" .
Graduated from Lowell High School in San Francisco, California, in 1952.
His father, Wilfred Bailey Everett Jr., died on June 4, 1971, just 4 weeks before Bill and Brenda Benet were married.
Remained good friends with Brandon Cruz during and after "The Courtship of Eddies Father" . The friendship became that much stronger after the death of Bixbys son Christopher in 1981.
Appeared as a character named Banner twice: Harry Banner on "That Girl" and Dr. David Bruce Banner on "The Incredible Hulk" .
Of English descent.
Was very good friends with: Shirley Jones , Miyoshi Umeki , Kristina Holland , Jack Colvin , Michael Landon , Chuck Norris , Michele Lee , Lee Meriwether , Larry Manetti , Don Knotts , Bob Newhart , Kenneth Johnson , Quinn Martin , Suzanne Pleshette , Danny Thomas , Karl Malden , Gavin MacLeod , Bernie Kopell , James Garner , Mariette Hartley , Abby Dalton , Yvonne Craig , Connie Stevens , Ruta Lee , Ray Walston , Pamela Britton , Richard Dawson , William Shatner , Dale Robertson , Denny Miller , Dennis Weaver , Raymond Burr , David White , Robert Alda , Frank Price , Charles Napier , Mike Connors , Dick Martin , Mayim Bialik , Don Reo , Elvis Presley , Alan Hale Jr. and Paul Williams.
In The Incredible Hulk , Bixby can be seen in an episode of "The Courtship of Eddies Father" 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 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" attended his funeral, with the exception of Mayim Bialik , who was on vacation with her family.
Collapsed on the "Blossom" set before he died.
Was very disappointed when "The Incredible Hulk" was canceled, 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 didnt 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. In the middle of the lobby at one of the hotels where he used to dance in San Francisco, he once burst into an imitation of Jerry Lewis.
According to Dick Martin , Bixby hadnt been seeing Martins 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" .
Was very disappointed when "The Courtship of Eddies Father" was canceled at the end of the third season, allegedly because of his feuding with producer James Komack.
Best remembered by the public for his role as Tim OHara on "My Favorite Martian" and for his starring role as Dr. David Banner on "The Incredible Hulk" .
Was a spokesperson for the Leukemia Society of America in the late 1970s.
Was raised in the same city as Barbara Eden.
Actors, weather forecasters, and game show announcers Nicolas Cage , Whoopi Goldberg , Drew Carey , Pat Finn , Rich Fields and Randy West , all said Bixby was one of their childhood television heroes.
Was a self-described libertarian.
His "The Incredible Hulk" co-star, Lou Ferrigno , stated on his own website that Bixby was one of his acting teachers.
His former co-star on "The Courtship of Eddies Father" , Brandon Cruz , was reunited with Bixby on an episode of Bixbys "The Incredible Hulk" . Cruz played a teenage boy who happened to know a lot about planes before Dr. Banner landed the plane.
Was a heavy smoker.
Was a die-hard fan of the music of Elvis Presley , who co-starred in two of his movies, Clambake and Speedway . Long after Presleys death, he hosted two of the specials in Las Vegas called "Is Elvis Alive?".
15 years after his death, his mother, Jane, died on November 23, 2008. She lived to be 97.
His parents were opposed to his decision to take acting classes at San Francisco City College.
As of 2012, 30 years after the cancellation of "The Incredible Hulk" , and more than 20 years after The Death of the Incredible Hulk , he is still the only actor to have played Dr. Banner in more than one film. Eric Bana ( Hulk ), Edward Norton ( The Incredible Hulk , and Mark Ruffalo ( The Avengers have each played the role one time each. Even if Ruffalo plays the role a second time, Bixby has several years on the television series, and four television movies to his credit.
Was diagnosed with cancer at the same time as actor Michael Landon. Coincidentally, both Landon and Bixby were at the same hospital [5 April 1991].
Acting mentor and friend of Brandon Cruz and Lou Ferrigno.
Acting mentor was Ray Walston.
Was first choice for the lead role of Dr. David Banner of "The Incredible Hulk" . At first, he was uneasy about the role, but after reading some comic books, he auditioned and won the role.
With the encouragement of his aunt Helen Schubert, Bixby entered into acting.
Bob Newhart and Mike Connors attended his funeral.
His father, Wilfred Bailey Bixby II, was a store clerk, and his mother, Jane MacFarland Bixby, was the manager of the department store.
Missed only 1 episode of "The Incredible Hulk" , because Bixby was going through a divorce with Brenda Benet. They used clips to feature his character.
Had worked with ex-classmate Lee Meriwether on an episode of "Barnaby Jones" .
Had worked with first wife Brenda Benet in episodes of four series: "The Courtship of Eddies Father" , "The Magician" , "The Love Boat" and "The Incredible Hulk" .
Had turned down the role of Marlo Thomas s boyfriend in "That Girl" , though he later guest starred on the show.
When Bixby was age 8, his father was enlisted in the U.S. Navy during World War II and traveled to the South Pacific.
Longtime friend of Danny Thomas.
Bill Bixby passed away on November 21, 1993. Almost 2 years before his death, he made his final guest appearance on the debut pilot episode of "Diagnosis Murder" with Dick Van Dyke.
Was James Komack s first choice for the lead role of Tom Corbett in "The Courtship of Eddies Father" .
Had guest-starred in episodes of both series that hailed his hometown of San Francisco: "Ironside" and "The Streets of San Francisco" .
Began directing at age 36.
He was widely known to be a very private person.
Knew Chuck Norris very well.
Was a respected member of the Hollywood magic community, belonging to The Magic Castle, an exclusive club for magicians. During the shows popular, although short-lived production, Bixby as always, invited a few old friends along to co-star such as Pamela Britton , Kristina Holland and Ralph OHara.
An average student at Lowell High School, he primarily excelled in both Speech and Drama, and was a member of the Lowell Forensic Society. He also competed in high school speech tournaments regionally.
When asked if he would want his son, Christopher, to become an actor, that he would support his son in anything he wanted to pursue. Sadly his son, Christopher, died of a rare throat infection in early 1981.
Before he was a successful actor and director, he worked as a model and did commercial work for General Motors and Chrysler, in Detroit, Michigan.
Used to play golf with James Garner.
Attended Mayim Bialik s high school graduation party.
Susan Sullivan was the primary guest star on the very first episode of "The Incredible Hulk" . Through much of the 1980s, Bill Bixby and Susan Sullivan were considered the king or queen, respectively, of quality television movies, series and mini-series of that period.
Was forced to wear contact lenses for his role on "The Incredible Hulk" for the White Eyes sequences. He found them uncomfortable.
While starring in "The Incredible Hulk" , Bixby was allergic to the makeup used for the scenes in which his character transformed into the Hulk. Location shoots and extensive special effects scenes meant that Bixby spent a lot of time on the set.
Met Laura Jane Michaels while working on The Trial of the Incredible Hulk , in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, after he took over the directorial duties from Korea.
Was in a relationship with Yvonne Craig.
His ex- "The Courtship of Eddies Father" co-star Brandon Cruz said in an interview that he came from a broken home and Bixby took him in.
Frequently had drinks with James Garner.
When "The Incredible Hulk" was on the air, Bixby was very careful never to be photographed with his co-star, Lou Ferrigno in his Hulk makeup because he felt for photos to get out of the two of them together would destroy the illusion to children and fans of the show that they were not the same person. The tabloids of that era were always trying to get a picture of David Banner and the Hulk creature together but were unable to do so.
Acting ran in his family.
Served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1952 - 56.
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.
[In 1969]: Comedy fathers usually turn out to be dummies, while mothers,are portrayed as being great. . . And why are fathers always older men on,television? Many of my friends are young fathers with young children. I,want to play the contemporary father.
