Decades before superhero audiences had Edward Norton and Mark Ruffalo play live-action Hulk, Bill Bixby played Hulk’s humanoid alter ego Dr. David Banner (changed from the comic’s Dr. Bruce Banner). Since CGI quality wasn’t as good as it is today, two actors had to play Dr. David Banner and Hulk. Bixby first appeared as Dr. David Banner in the TV series The Incredible Hulk, reprising the role in three TV movies with better CGI effects.
Bixby was born Wilfred Bailey Everett Bixby III on January 22, 1934, in San Francisco, California. He was an actor, game-show panelist, director, and producer. Until his death on November 21, 1993, Bixby had an acting career that spanned 34 years. Bixby’s death was from complications from prostate cancer. Here are 9 things you didn’t know about The Incredible Hulk‘s Bill Bixby.
1. The TV Show You Know Bill Bixby From
Bill Bixby had an extensive and successful career in television. Before he was cast as Dr. David Banner, Bixby played Tim O’Hara in the CBS sitcom My Favorite Martian. As part of the top cast, Bixby appeared in all 107 episodes of the show from September 1963 to May 1966.
Bixby played a magazine editor and widower, Tom Corbett, in ABC’s sitcom The Courtship of Eddie’s Father. The show aired from September 1969 to March 1972, with 73 episodes spread across 3 seasons. By 1973, Bixby played the stage illusionist Anthony Blake in NBC’s TV series The Magician. The show aired for a single season with 21 episodes.
2. Bill Bixby’s First Experiences Of Acting
Bill Bixby attended Lowell High School in San Francisco and was a member of the Lowell Forensic Society. During his time at the Society, Bixby developed his dramatic and oratory skills. It was at this point he developed a passion for acting. Against his parents’ wishes, Bixby majored in drama at the City College of San Francisco.
3. Bill Bixby’s Life Before Becoming An Actor
Bixby was drafted into the Korean War in 1952 but chose to serve in the United States Marine Corps Reserve rather than with the United States Army. He was discharged four years later, in 1956, when he attained the rank of private first class. Although he later attended the University of California, Berkeley, he was a few credits short and left without a degree. Falling back to his passion for acting, Bixby moved to Hollywood. To survive, he worked odd jobs as a lifeguard and bellhop. He later got hired as a model and appeared in commercials for car brands like Chrysler and General Motors.
4. Bill Bixby Was Married Three Times
Bill Bixby married actress Brenda Benet in 1971. They had their first child and son, Christopher, in September 1974. After nine years of marriage, the couple divorced in 1980. Tragically, Bixby’s son, Christopher, died in March 1981. Consumed by grief, Bixby’s ex-wife, Benet, committed suicide in April 1982.
Bixby married his second wife, Laura Michaels, in 1990. Bixby and Michaels met on set, in 1989, during the production of one of Bixby’s Hulk movies. It was during his marriage to Michaels that Bixby was first diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1991. Bixby and Michaels’ marriage also ended in 1991. Bixby’s third wife was artist Judith Kliban, the widow of cartoonist B. Kliban. They met in 1992 after friends introduced them. The couple married in October 1993. Sadly, Bixby passed away six weeks after the wedding.
5. Bill Bixby Starred In More TV Films Than You Think
Before starring in The Incredible Hulk TV movies, Bill Bixby appeared in several TV movies. Bixby’s first TV movie was in 1971, where he played Ronnie Johnson in Big Fish, Little Fish. He appeared in another TV movie that same year, Congratulations, It’s a Boy!, as Johnny Gaines. Some of Bixby’s other TV movies include The Couple Takes a Wife (1972), The Great Houdini (1976), and International Airport (1985). In 1988, 1989, and 1990, Bixby played Dr. David Banner in The Incredible Hulk Returns, The Trial of the Incredible Hulk, and The Death of the Incredible Hulk, respectively.
6. Movies Bill Bixby Was In
Bill Bixby didn’t star in as many films as he did on television. Bixby made his film debut in 1962 in an uncredited role as an airman in a helicopter in David Miller’s Western film Lonely Are the Brave. Bixby starred in Ride Beyond Vengeance (1966) as Johnsy Boy Hood, Clambake (1967) as James J. Jamison III, and The Apple Dumpling Gang (1975) as Russel Donovan.
7. The Nominations & Awards Bill Bixby Has Received
Throughout his 34 years acting career, Bill Bixby received three Primetime Emmy Awards nominations. His first nomination came in 1971 for Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Comedy Series. He received nominations for his performance in The Courtship of Eddie’s Father (1969). Bill Bixby also received a nomination at the Daytime Emmy Awards for his work in Once Upon a Classic.
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