Bill Bixby was born on 22 January 1934. He died at the age of 59 from prostate cancer. But you’d never know it based on the amount of work he left.
Like many actors, Bixby started his career making industrial film. From there, he broke into TV. And he worked in TV almost exclusively, although there are a handful of notable exceptions.
We know him primarily from four TV series:
- My Favorite Martian (1963-1966 — 107 episodes): A great example of the amazing being that the world cannot know about. Other examples are Mr Ed, Small Wonder, ALF, Harry and the Hendersons. Of course, Ray Walston gets all the best lines.
- The Courtship of Eddie’s Father (1969-1972 — 73 episodes): This is a sweet comedy that I liked a lot as a child. Everyone loves the openings with father and son talking. I’m a total sucker for father-son stories!
- The Magician (1973-1974 — 22 episodes): During the first half of the series, he lived in a converted (and working) jet airplane. The hour-long mysteries aren’t bad. Bixby gets to do a little magic now and then.
- The Incredible Hulk (1977-1982 — 82 episodes): This is a surprisingly compelling story. It’s basically the same as Kung Fu: a peaceful man on a mission who has to go badass two times per episode. “The Lonely Man” theme song is perfect for it. It’s a more serious show than you’d think.
And, of course, he starred in three Hulk films from 1988 through 1990.
One thing I only just learned is that Bill Bixby was a very successful TV director. I could make a case that I might highlight him here simply as a director and producer. It wouldn’t be terribly strong. He did direct a lot of psychotronic TV. But it is mostly piecemeal. Still, he did far more as a director than I would normally think possible given his productivity as an actor.
There is so much we could watch to celebrate Bill Bixby’s birthday. Most of it can easly be found online. But let’s watch the pilot for The Incredible Hulk.
Bill Bixby vis Wikimedia. It is in the public domain.
