Editing Bill Bixby (section)

==Career==
===Beginning acting===
In 1961, Bixby was in the musical ''[[The Boy Friend (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]]''. He became a highly regarded [[character actor]] and guest-starred in many television series, including ''[[Ben Casey]]'', ''[[The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)|The Twilight Zone]]'', ''[[The Andy Griffith Show]]'', ''[[Dr. Kildare (TV series)|Dr. Kildare]]'', ''[[Straightaway (TV series)|Straightaway]]'', and ''[[Hennesey]]''. He joined the cast of ''[[The Joey Bishop Show (TV series)|The Joey Bishop Show]]'' in 1962, which he later described as his first big break."<ref name=TrialBio/> In 1963, he played a sailor with a Napoleon tattoo in the movie ''[[Irma La Douce]]'', a romantic comedy starring Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine, directed by Billy Wilder based on the 1956 French musical. During the 1970s, he made guest appearances on television series such as ''[[Ironside (TV series)|Ironside]]'', ''[[Insight (American TV series)|Insight]]'', ''[[Barbary Coast (TV series)|Barbary Coast]]'', ''[[The Love Boat]]'', ''[[Medical Center (TV series)|Medical Center]]'', four episodes of ''[[Love, American Style]]'', ''[[Fantasy Island]]'', and two episodes each of ''[[The Streets of San Francisco]]'' and [[Rod Serling]]'s ''[[Night Gallery]]''.

While working on other [[Danny Thomas]] productions, Bixby would watch rehearsals for ''[[The Dick Van Dyke Show]]'', which inspired him to want to be a director as well.<ref name=TrialBio/>

===''My Favorite Martian'' and other early roles===
[[File:Bill Bixby My Favorite Martian 1965.JPG|thumb|upright|Bixby as Tim O'Hara in ''[[My Favorite Martian]]'', when an accident turns Uncle Martin back into a baby (season 2, episode 28)]]
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]]. The series was hugely popular.<ref name=TrialBio/> By 1966, though, high production costs forced the series to come to an end after 107 episodes. After its cancellation, Bixby starred in four movies: ''[[Ride Beyond Vengeance]]'', ''[[Doctor, You've Got to Be Kidding!]]'', and two of [[Elvis Presley]]'s movies, ''[[Clambake (film)|Clambake]]'' and ''[[Speedway (1968 film)|Speedway]]''.<ref name=TrialBio/> He 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.

===''The Courtship of Eddie's Father''===
In 1969, Bixby starred in his second high-profile television role, as Tom Corbett in ''[[The Courtship of Eddie's Father (TV series)|The Courtship of Eddie's Father]]'', a [[comedy drama]] on ABC. The series concerned a widowed father raising a young son, managing a major syndicated magazine, and at the same time trying to re-enter the dating scene. This series was in the vein of other 1960s and 1970s sitcoms that dealt with [[widower]]hood, such as ''[[The Andy Griffith Show]]'' and ''[[My Three Sons]]''. Eddie was played by novice actor [[Brandon Cruz]]. Cruz and Bixby developed a close rapport that translated to an off-camera friendship, as well. According to Bixby, "The amazing thing is that when we're working in a scene together there's never a thought of conscious acting. Our natural affection for one another is what appeals to the audience."<ref name=TrialBio/> The core cast was rounded out by [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]]-winning actress [[Miyoshi Umeki]], who played the role of Tom's housekeeper, Mrs. Livingston, [[James Komack]] (one of the series' producers) as Norman Tinker, Tom's pseudo-hippie, quirky photographer, and actress Kristina Holland as Tom's secretary, Tina. One episode of the series co-starred Bixby's future wife, [[Brenda Benet]], as one of Tom's girlfriends.

[[File:Courtship of Eddies Father 1969.JPG|thumb|left|upright|With ''The Courtship of Eddie's Father'' co-stars, [[Brandon Cruz]] and [[Miyoshi Umeki]]]]
Bixby was nominated for the [[Emmy Award]] for Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in 1971. The following year, he won the Parents Without Partners Exemplary Service Award for 1972.

Bixby made his directorial debut on the sitcom in 1970, directing eight episodes. ABC cancelled the sitcom in 1972 at the end of season three.

According to Bixby, his experiences on ''The Courtship of Eddie's Father'' helped make him ready for marriage and fatherhood.<ref name=TrialBio/>

After the show was cancelled, Bixby and Cruz remained in contact, with Cruz making a guest appearance on Bixby's later series ''[[The Incredible Hulk (1978 TV series)|The Incredible Hulk]]''. The death of Bixby's only child, in 1981, drew Bixby and Cruz closer still. The two remained in contact until Bixby's death in 1993.{{cn|date=April 2025}} In 1995, Cruz named his own son Lincoln Bixby Cruz.<ref name=TrialBio/>

Brandon Cruz said of the show that developed a professional father-son relationship, compared to that of ''The Andy Griffith Show'', "We dealt with issues that were talked about, but were never brought up on television. Bill wasn't the first actor to portray a single widowed father, but he became one of the popular ones, because of his easy-going way of this crazy little kid." Prior to Bixby's promotion to director, Cruz said, "He was looking for the best dolly grip, along with the boom operator that if something was called specifically and failed, Bill could be easily angry." On the kind of relationship Bixby had wanted with his co-star, Cruz also said, "Bill would never speak down to me. Bill treated me as an equal. He 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." Upon the death of Bixby's real-life father in 1971, Cruz stated, "He had that type of mentality that the show must go on, thinking it was just a great TV show, after he broke down weeping."<ref>{{cite web | title=Bill Bixby biography| url=http://www.biography.com/people/bill-bixby-9542610 | work=A+E Networks Digital| access-date=January 27, 2013}}</ref>

In a 2011 interview with Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith about how Bill Bixby's fame was supposed to posthumously honor him for a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Cruz said, "When I found out they were putting this out, I thought, 'It's about time.' Bill Bixby had an amazing body of work, not only ''Courtship of Eddie's Father,'' but ''My Favorite Martian,'' ''The Magician,'' ''The Incredible Hulk'', and so many other things, as an actor, as a director — and he never got an Emmy. He's never been recognized posthumously by the Academy. And he doesn't have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. That is criminal.... There are people who have stars that, not to be blunt, but I wouldn't bother spitting on their stars. Bill's talent would take a couple of blocks of stars compared to them. It really demeans the whole thing that Bill is not included."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://becksmithhollywood.com/2011/10/brandon-cruz-angry-over-hollywood-forgetting-bill-bixby/comment-page-1|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130820202743/http://becksmithhollywood.com/2011/10/brandon-cruz-angry-over-hollywood-forgetting-bill-bixby/comment-page-1/|url-status=usurped|archive-date=August 20, 2013|title=Brandon Cruz Angry Over Hollywood Forgetting Bill Bixby|publisher=BeckSmithHollywood.com|date=October 18, 2011 |access-date=March 7, 2018}}</ref>

===1973 to 1977===
In 1973, Bixby starred in ''[[The Magician (American TV series)|The Magician]]''. The series was well liked, but lasted for only one season. An accomplished amateur magician himself, he hosted several TV specials in the mid-1970s which featured other amateur magicians, and was a respected member of the Hollywood magic community, belonging to [[The Magic Castle]], an exclusive club for magicians. During the show's popular, although short-lived, production, Bixby invited a few old friends along to co-star such as [[Pamela Britton]] (in her final role), [[Kristina Holland]], and Ralph O'Hara.

Also in 1973, he starred in ''[[Steambath (play)|Steambath]]'', a play by author [[Bruce Jay Friedman]], on [[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]] with [[Valerie Perrine]] and Jose Perez.

Bixby became a popular game-show panelist, appearing mostly on ''[[Password (American game show)|Password]]'' and ''[[The Hollywood Squares]]''. He was also a panelist on the 1974 revival of ''[[Masquerade Party]]'', which was hosted by [[Richard Dawson]]. He had also 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]]''. In 1974–1975, he directed four episodes of the eighth season of ''[[Mannix]]'', guest-starring as Mannix's friend-turned-villain in one of the episodes.

In 1975, he co-starred with [[Tim Conway]] and [[Don Knotts]] in the Disney movie ''[[The Apple Dumpling Gang (film)|The Apple Dumpling Gang]]'', which was well received by the public.

Returning to television, Bixby worked with [[Susan Blakely]] on ''[[Rich Man, Poor Man (miniseries)|Rich Man, Poor Man]]'', a highly successful television miniseries in 1976. He played a daredevil stunt pilot in an episode of the short-lived 1976 [[CBS]] adventure series ''[[Spencer's Pilots]]'', starring [[Gene Evans]]. In 1977, he co-starred in the pilot for the television series ''[[Fantasy Island]]''; starred in "No Way Out", the final episode of the NBC anthology series ''[[Quinn Martin's Tales of the Unexpected]]'' (known in the [[United Kingdom]] as ''Twist in the Tale'');<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ctva.biz/US/Anthology/TalesOfTheUnexpected.htm|title=CTVA US Anthology – "Tales of the Unexpected" (Quinn Martin/NBC)(1977)|website=ctva.biz|access-date=August 17, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140819083515/http://ctva.biz/US/Anthology/TalesOfTheUnexpected.htm|archive-date=August 19, 2014|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref> and appeared with [[Donna Mills]], [[Richard Jaeckel]], and [[William Shatner]] in the last episode, "The Scarlet Ribbon", of NBC's Western series ''[[The Oregon Trail (TV series)|The Oregon Trail]]'', starring [[Rod Taylor]] and [[Andrew Stevens]]. Bixby directed two episodes of ''The Oregon Trail''.

In 1976, he was honored with two [[Emmy Award]] nominations, one for Outstanding Lead Actor for a Single Appearance in Drama or Comedy for ''The Streets of San Francisco'' and the other for Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actor in Comedy or Drama Series for ''Rich Man, Poor Man''.<ref name=TrialBio/>

Bixby hosted ''[[Once Upon a Classic]]'' on [[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]] from 1976 to 1980.

===''The Incredible Hulk''===
[[File:Bill Bixby David Banner.jpg|thumb|upright|Bixby as Dr. David Bruce Banner in the 1977 pilot for the [[The Incredible Hulk (1978 TV series)|''Incredible Hulk'' television series]].]]
Bixby starred in the role of Dr. David Bruce Banner in the pilot movie ''[[The Incredible Hulk (1978 TV series)|The Incredible Hulk]]'', based on the [[Stan Lee]] and [[Jack Kirby]] [[Marvel Comics|Marvel]] characters. [[Kenneth Johnson (producer)|Kenneth Johnson]], the creator, director, and writer, said that Bixby was his only choice to play the part.<ref>{{cite web |last=Fary |first=Lisa |title=Interviews: Kenneth Johnson (Part 1 of 2) Pink Raygun.com |url=http://www.pinkraygun.com/2007/06/07/interviews-kenneth-johnson-part-1-of-2/ |website=archive.li |date=April 11, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130411172733/http://www.pinkraygun.com/2007/06/07/interviews-kenneth-johnson-part-1-of-2/ |archive-date=April 11, 2013 |df=mdy-all}}</ref> When Bixby was offered the role, he declined it – until he read the script and discussed it with Johnson.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Phillips |first1=Mark |last2=Garcia |first2=Frank |title=Science Fiction Television Series: Episode Guides, Histories, and Casts and Credits For 62 Prime Time Shows, 1959 Through 1989 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qXeNAwAAQBAJ&q=bixby |date=May 12, 2014 |publisher=McFarland |location=Jefferson, NC |isbn=978-1476610306}}</ref> The success of the pilot (coupled with some theatrical releases of the film in Europe) convinced CBS to turn it into a weekly series, which began airing in the spring of 1978. The pilot also starred [[Susan Sullivan]] as Dr. Elaina Marks, who tries to help the conflicted and widowed Dr. Banner overcome his "problem" and falls in love with him in the process. In a retrospective on ''The Incredible Hulk'', [[Glenn Greenberg]] declared Bixby's performance to be the series' "foremost" strength, elaborating that he "masterfully conveyed the profound loneliness and tragedy of Dr. Banner while also bringing to the role an abundance of warmth, intelligence, humor, nobility, likability, and above all else, humanity."<ref name="Back70">{{cite journal| last=Glenn| first=Greenberg| author-link=Glenn Greenberg| date=February 2014| title=The Televised Hulk| journal=[[Back Issue!]]| issue=70| pages=19–26| publisher=[[TwoMorrows Publishing]]}}</ref>

During the series' run, Bixby invited two of his longtime friends, [[Ray Walston]] and [[Brandon Cruz]], to guest-star with him in different episodes of the series. He also worked on the series with his friend, movie actress [[Mariette Hartley]], who later starred with Bixby in his final series, ''[[Goodnight, Beantown]]'', in 1983. Hartley appears in the well-regarded double-length episode "Married",<ref name="Back70"/> and subsequently won an Emmy Award for her guest appearance. Future star [[Loni Anderson]] also guest-starred with Bixby during the first season. Bixby directed one episode of the series, "Bring Me the Head of the Hulk", in 1980 (original airdate: January 9, 1981). He had been scheduled to direct three episodes, but because playing the lead role in the series took up so much of his time (since ''The Incredible Hulk'' involved much more [[location shooting]] than Bixby's previous shows), he was forced to cut it down to just the one.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Bill (David Banner) Bixby Talks to Marvel |magazine=The Incredible Hulk! Winter Special |date=1982 |publisher=Marvel Comics Ltd. |pages=10-11}}</ref>

The series was cancelled after the following season, but leftover episodes aired as late as the next June. Bixby later executive-produced and reprised the role in three television movies – ''[[The Incredible Hulk Returns]]'', ''[[The Trial of the Incredible Hulk]]'', and ''[[The Death of the Incredible Hulk]]'' – the last two of which he also directed, and the first of which he has been said to have unofficially co-directed.<ref name="Back70"/> Bixby was proud of the series as one that parents and children could watch together, though he did not allow his own son to watch the show for fear that he would be frightened by the sight of his father transforming into a green monster.<ref name=TrialBio/>

===Later work===
Bixby was executive producer and co-star of the short-lived sitcom ''[[Goodnight, Beantown]]'' (1983–84). He also directed three episodes of the series. During the same time, Bixby directed several episodes of another short-lived television series, ''[[Wizards and Warriors (TV series)|Wizards and Warriors]]'', which aired in 1983. From 1982 to 1984, he hosted a documentary series for [[Nickelodeon]] entitled ''[[Against the Odds (TV series)|Against the Odds]]''. The series, which was cancelled after only two seasons, consists of short biographies of famous people throughout history. From 1986 to 1987, he hosted the syndicated weekday anthology series ''True Confessions''. In 1987, he directed eight episodes of the satirical police sitcom ''[[Sledge Hammer!]]'', including the episode "Hammer Hits the Rock" in season two, where he made an uncredited appearance as Zeke.

<!-- Bixby was executive producer of the three ''Hulk'' made-for-television sequel movies in the late 1980s and in 1990. He also directed the latter two. -->
Bixby hosted two specials regarding Elvis conspiracy theories and his [[Elvis sightings|alleged sightings]]: ''The Elvis Files'' (1991)<ref>{{cite news| last1=Kogan| first1=Rick| title=The Once And Future King| url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1991/08/13/the-once-and-future-king-2/| access-date=January 6, 2018| newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]| date=August 13, 1991| language=en}}</ref> and ''The Elvis Conspiracy'' (1992).<ref>{{cite news| last1=Kogan| first1=Rick| title='Anything But Love' Axed By Studio And ABC| url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1992/01/22/anything-but-love-axed-by-studio-and-abc/| access-date=January 6, 2018| work=Evening: Best on TV| date=January 22, 1992| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150417202447/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1992-01-22/features/9201070160_1_show-syndication-studio-and-abc| archive-date=April 17, 2015| url-status=live| language=en}}</ref>

Bixby made his last acting appearance in 1992, guest-starring in the television movie ''[[Diagnosis: Murder (film series)#TV films (1992–1993)|Diagnosis Murder: Diagnosis of Murder]]''.

He finished his career by directing 30 episodes (in seasons two and three) of the NBC sitcom ''[[Blossom (American TV series)|Blossom]]''.<ref name="tvcomappearances">{{cite web| url= http://www.tv.com/bill-bixby/person/1203/appearances.html| title=Bill Bixby: Credit Listings| access-date= March 10, 2010| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100206172840/http://www.tv.com/bill-bixby/person/1203/appearances.html| archive-date= February 6, 2010| url-status= dead| df= mdy-all}}</ref>