Home> Facts and Trivia > Stars > Bill Bixby
Bill Bixby Facts
| Sign | Aquarius |
| Born |
Jan 22, 1934 San Francisco, CA |
| Died |
Nov 21, 1993 Century City, CA |
| Age | Died at 59 |
| Total Facts | 59 |
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" (1990). Before he died, she saw him regularly only when he was visiting "Nurses" (1991).
15 years after his death, his mother, Jane, died on November 23, 2008. She lived to be 97.
1972: Won the Parents Without Partners: Exemplary Service Award for his role on "The Courtship of Eddie's Father" (1969).
According to Dick Martin, Bixby hadn't been seeing Martin's 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.
Actor Brandon Cruz's son Lincoln Bixby Cruz was named after him.
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.
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.
Appeared as "Harry Banner" on "That Girl" (1966) in the 60s and "Dr. David Bruce Banner" on "The Incredible Hulk" (1978) in the 70s.
Appeared as a character named Banner twice: Harry Banner on "That Girl" (1966) and Dr. David Bruce Banner on "The Incredible Hulk" (1978).
Appeared frequently as a panelist on "The Hollywood Squares" (1965).
Appeared with fellow comedian Richard Dawson on two game shows. One was the pilot of a trashy 1970s game show, "Cop-Out", and the other was on "Password All-Stars" and "Masquerade Party" (1974), which his friend had hosted.
As a teenager, he was a member of the quartet "Uncalled Four".
At least two actresses name him as their favorite actor: Mariette Hartley and Loni Anderson, both having worked with him on "The Incredible Hulk" (1978).
Attended Grace Cathedral in the seventh grade. In one notable incident, while he continued singing in the choir, he shot the bishop using the slingshot during one service and was kicked out of the choir.
Before he became an actor, he organized shows at a resort in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
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 didn't have the appropriate tools to cope with this.
Best remembered by the public for his role as Tim O'Hara on "My Favorite Martian" (1963) and for his starring role as Dr. David Banner on "The Incredible Hulk" (1978).
Born at 11:20pm-PST
Classmate of Lee Meriwether
Collapsed on the "Blossom" (1990) set before he died.
Cremated and ashes scattered over the Pacific Ocean in Hawaii, USA.
Five days after his 18th birthday, he signed up for the Marine Corps Reserve; while he was a senior in high school. He was honorably discharged on April 8, 1957.
Future actors, weathermen 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.
Graduated from Lowell High School in San Francisco, California, in 1952.
He appeared in three popular television shows that ran for at least three years: "My Favorite Martian" (1963), "The Courtship of Eddie's Father" (1969) and "The Incredible Hulk" (1978).
He had 12 hobbies: painting, magic, sailing, hiking, fishing, swimming, farming, jogging, golfing, photography, cooking and carpentry.
His "The Incredible Hulk" (1978) co-star, Lou Ferrigno, stated on his own website that Bixby was one of his acting teachers.
His ex-"The Courtship of Eddie's Father" (1969) co-star, Brandon Cruz, was reunited with Bixby on an episode of Bixby's "The Incredible Hulk" (1978). Cruz played a teenaged boy who happened to know a lot about planes before Dr. Banner landed the plane.
His father, Wilfred Bailey Everett Jr., died on 6/4/1971...just 4 weeks before Bill & Brenda were married.
His grandfather, Wilfred Everett, was a physician and surgeon, and was a University of California-Davis graduate in 1907.
In The Incredible Hulk (2008), Bixby can be seen in an episode of "The Courtship of Eddie's Father" (1969) as Dr. Banner (Edward Norton) flips through television channels. Bixby was also, of course, the original Dr. Banner.
Member of the Phi Delta Theta Fraternity.
Met Brenda Benet at a beauty pageant. At the time he was 29 and she was only 18.
Met his third and final wife, Judith Kliban, in Hawaii, just before his 59th birthday. [1993]
Of English descent.
Remained friends with Lou Ferrigno, during and after "The Incredible Hulk" (1978).
Remained good friends with Brandon Cruz during and after "The Courtship of Eddie's Father" (1969). The friendship became that much stronger after the death of Bixby's son Christopher in 1981.
Shared the same birthday as actress Piper Laurie, and was two-years younger than her.
Son of Wilfred Bailey Everett Jr. and Jane Bixby, he was their only child.
Starred in a pilot with Barbara Feldon that has never been aired.
The entire cast of "Blossom" (1990) attended his funeral, with the exception of Mayim Bialik, who was on vacation with her family.
Tom Corbett, Bixby's character on "The Courtship of Eddie's Father" (1969), was ranked #15 in TV Guide's list of the "50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time" [20 June 2004 issue].
Was a contestant on "The Dating Game" (1965) three times, and never won a date.
Was a diehard fan of Elvis Presley's music, who co-starred in both of his movies (Clambake (1967) and Speedway (1968)), and long after Presley's death, he hosted 2 of the specials in Las Vegas, called: 'Is Elvis Alive?'.
Was a heavy smoker.
Was a lifeguard and a bellhop before becoming an actor.
Was a professional magician.
Was a self-described libertarian.
Was a spokesperson for the Leukemia Society of America in the late 1970s.
Was also good friends with Danny Thomas and Richard Dawson.