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Whit Bissell

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Whit Bissell
Bissell in 1947
Born
Whitner Nutting Bissell

(1909-10-25)October 25, 1909
New York City,New York,U.S.
DiedMarch 5, 1996(1996-03-05)(aged 86)
Woodland Hills, Los Angeles,California, U.S.
Resting placeWestwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery
EducationDalton School
Alma materUniversity of North Carolina
OccupationActor
Years active1933–1991
Known forThe Time Tunnel
The Time Machine
Spouses
Adrienne Marden
​
​
(m.1938;div.1954)​
Dilys Mary Shan Jukes
​
​
(m.1954; died 1958)​
Jennifer Raine
​
​
(m.1967; died 1993)​
Children4, including stepsonBrian Forster

Whitner Nutting Bissell(October 25, 1909 – March 5, 1996) was an Americancharacter actor.

Early life

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Born in New York City, Bissell was the son of surgeon Dr. J. Dougal Bissell and Helen Nutting Bissell. He was educated at theAllen-Stevenson Schooland theDalton Schoolin New York City.[1]He was related toDaniel Bissell,who was awarded theBadge of Military Merit,the predecessor of thePurple Heart,by George Washington.[2]

He trained with theCarolina Playmakers,[3]a theatrical organization associated with theUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,where he majored in drama and English.[1]

Career

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Bissell had a number of roles inBroadway theatre,including the Air Force showWinged Victory,[4]when he was an airman serving in theUnited States Army Air Forces.

In a film career that began withHoly Matrimony(1943), Bissell appeared in hundreds offilmsand television episodes as a prominentcharacter actor.Regularly cast in low-budget science fiction and horror films, his roles include amad scientistin the filmI Was a Teenage Werewolf(1957) and Professor Frankenstein inI Was a Teenage Frankenstein(also 1957).

He played the attending psychiatrist who treats the protagonist, Dr. Miles Bennell, played byKevin McCarthy,inInvasion of the Body Snatchers(1956) and appeared inCreature from the Black Lagoon(1954).

Bissell appeared as a guest star in many television drama series between the early 1950s and the mid-1970s, with more sporadic appearances after that. He guest-starred in a couple of episodes ofThe Lone Ranger.He appeared on other syndicated series, includingSheriff of Cochise,Whirlybirds,Peyton PlaceandThe Brothers Brannagan.He was cast in the religion seriesCrossroadsandGoing My Way,and in theNBCeducation drama seriesMr. Novak.

Bissell played murderer Larry Sands onCBS'sPerry Mason( "The Case of the Crooked Candle", 1957), along with Max Pompey in "The Case of the Lavender Lipstick" (1960), Laurence Barlow in "The Case of the Nautical Knot" (1964) and Dennison Groody in "The Case of the Carefree Coronary" (1965). He appeared in an episode ofMr. Adams and Evein 1957 and ofPeter Gunnin 1958. He played different roles in multiple episodes of the ABC seriesThe Rifleman,and as Sinclair Bruder in "The Great Guy" (1956) onFather Knows Best.

Bissell portrayed the undertaker (who sees every man, no matter his race, as "just another future customer" ) in the filmThe Magnificent Seven(1960).

In 1960, Bissell had appeared inGeorge Pal's production ofThe Time Machine,as Walter Kemp, one of the Time Traveller's dining friends. He also appeared ina 1978 TV movieadapting theH. G. Wellsnovel for a more modern setting. Bissell'sTime Tunnelco-starJohn Zarembaalso appeared in the telemovie. Thirty-three years later, in 1993 the documentary filmTime Machine: The Journey Back(which featured Bissell,Rod TaylorandAlan Young), Bissell recreated his 1960 role as Walter in the opening sequence. It was Bissell's last acting performance.

From 1959 to 1961, Bissell was a regular for the third and fourth seasons of the television seriesBachelor Father,costarringJohn Forsythe,Noreen Corcoran,andSammee Tong.He appeared in an episode ofStraightawayin 1961. He was cast three times on the NBCWestern seriesThe Virginian.

Bissell played General Heywood Kirk in 30 episodes in the 1966–1967 season of the science-fiction television seriesThe Time Tunnel.He often played silver-haired figures of authority, here as in many other roles (as described byAllMovie), "instantly establishing his standard screen characterization of fussy officiousness", leavened in many instances with a military bearing. Other examples of such authoritative roles as military or police officials, include appearances inThe Caine Mutiny,The Manchurian Candidate,Hud(1963),The Outer Limits(1963),Hogan's Heroes(1966), andThe Man from U.N.C.L.E.(1966). Bissell also appeared in theBarnaby Jonesepisode, "Murder in the Doll's House" (March 25, 1973).

Bissell appeared in the classic episode "The Trouble with Tribbles"ofStar Trek,footage of which was re-used inStar Trek: Deep Space Nine's "Trials and Tribble-ations".

In 1978 and 1980, Bissell appeared in two episodes ofThe Incredible Hulk,first in the second-season episode "Kindred Spirits" as Professor Williams, and later as Professor John Zeiderman in the second part of the fourth season two-parter "Prometheus".

Bissell was a guest of honor at New York City'sTele-Fantasy Con 1975on August 1 - 3, along with celebrities Noel Neill, Jim Danforth and Joseph Stefano, and spent the weekend meeting his fans and signing hundreds of autographs free of charge. He also received a life career award from theAcademy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Filmsin 1994. He also served for many years on the board of directors of theScreen Actors Guild,and represented the actors' branch of theAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciencesboard of governors.

Personal life

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Bissell was married three times and had three daughters (Kathy Marden, Victoria Brown and Amanda Whiteley) and a stepson,Brian Forster.[5]Forster was the second actor to play the role of Chris Partridge onThe Partridge FamilyTV series.[6]

Wives:

  • Adrienne Marden (November 23, 1938 – 1954; divorced); 2 children[3]
  • Dilys Mary Shan Jukes (December 5, 1954 – January 11, 1958; her death); 1 child[3]
  • Jennifer Raine (November 24, 1967 – January 5, 1993; her death)[3]

Per confirmation from his daughter, Amanda Whiteley, Bissell was a practicingUnitarianand a lifelongDemocrat.

Death

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Bissell died on March 5, 1996 (aged 86) at theMotion Picture & Television Country House and HospitalinWoodland Hills, Los Angeles, California.[7]He had suffered fromParkinson's disease.He was interred in theWestwood Village Memorial Park Cemeteryin Los Angeles.[8]

Broadway roles

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  • The Star-Wagon(1937) as Park
  • The American Way(1939) as Karl
  • Two On An Island(1940) Frederic Winthorp
  • Cafe Crown(1942) as Walter
  • Winged Victory(1943) as Lieutenant Jules Hudson

Selected filmography

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References

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  1. ^abGoldrup, Tom and Jim (2012).The Encyclopedia of Feature Players of Hollywood, Volume 1.BearManor Media.RetrievedOctober 6,2018.
  2. ^"Bissell Writing Story".The Los Angeles Times.California, Los Angeles. November 9, 1947. p. Part III – 3.RetrievedOctober 5,2018– viaNewspapers.com.Open access icon
  3. ^abcdGordon, Dr Roger L. (September 7, 2018).Supporting Actors in Motion Pictures: Volume II.Dorrance Publishing. pp. 82–83.ISBN978-1-4809-5841-8.
  4. ^"Whitner Bissell".Internet Broadway Database.The Broadway League. Archived fromthe originalon October 6, 2018.RetrievedOctober 6,2018.
  5. ^"Whit Bissell, Stage and Screen Actor, 86".The New York Times.March 11, 1996.RetrievedAugust 9,2017.
  6. ^"An Interview with Brian Forster"at CmonGetHappy.com
  7. ^Oliver, Myrna (March 7, 1996)."Whit Bissell; Movie, TV Character Actor".The Los Angeles Times.California, Los Angeles. p. A 18.RetrievedOctober 5,2018– viaNewspapers.com.Open access icon
  8. ^Wilson, Scott.Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons."Bissell, Whit (Whitner Nutting Bissell)". Jefferson, North Carolina, 2016, third edition, p. 65. Retrieved viaGoogle Books,March 9, 2022.ISBN9781476625997.
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