And his father came back, at the end of the war, maybe two-and-a-half, three years later. He was about 11 years old when his father went over to the Pacific. Especially during World War II, when Bill’s father went overseas, went to the Pacific Theater. But on the other side of that, when he made these friendships, he didn’t want to talk about his family, he didn’t want to talk about his parents, he didn’t want to talk about his father. Being an only child, he sought ways to entertain himself and others, because when you’re an only child, you’re always trying to make friends. That’s a cliché, because we’ve seen that dynamic in many people who grew up with parents who just aren’t very affectionate.
But it’s that’s stereotypical dynamic we see in many people I don’t think they said “I love you” much. They were very emotionally guarded, but his mother was like Bill was early in his life - she was a firecracker. His parents were not people who showed a lot of affection. You have to go back to his parents, who were like Bill. Why do you think as things went on he was, in a sense, retreating? One of Bill’s closest friends told me she thinks it would be impossible for any woman to have been married to Bill for a long period of time, maybe 20 years or 30 years, because he was just so demanding in terms of energy, in terms of intensity. He was also someone who had so much energy and intensity that it was sometimes overwhelming. But he was not introverted at all on the set or in his social life there he was the opposite. I described him as a mysterious man, so you might think Bill was introverted, and he was on some level in terms of personal relationships, and allowing access. But in terms of the context of what you just said, Bill was outwardly very gregarious. Just allowing access into his deeper thoughts and fears and feelings, especially emotions.
Bill bixby full#
I recognize that in myself and I recognize that in Bill, who, after talking with so many people he knew, was a mysterious man in many ways.įrom what research I’ve done, there seemed to be a real dichotomy of this guy who was the kindest human being you’d ever met, yet in his private life he was pretty wild.Īs you started talking, I thought you were going to mention the dichotomy of someone who was full of energy and had an intense need to perform and be in the spotlight, but was very private and secretive in his personal life in terms of sharing his thoughts and emotions. There’s a correlation between that profile and your personality and how your life unfolds and in the way you behave.
There’s something very poignant about that. There’s also the fact that we’re the last of our bloodlines, Bill for very tragic reasons and, while my father’s still alive, when he passes away I will be the last of my family. What Bill and I have in common is that Bill was an only child and I’m an only child. It was just a very compelling story, I felt a bit of a personal connection as well. Obviously Bill’s story was one of determination, but also tragedy and sadness. I just remember being very moved by it back then. It was in 2000 or 2001 when A&E did a biography on him, which is available on YouTube. While I always had a fond regard for Bill, I wasn’t an especially big fan or follower of his. I was born in ’73, and I have very vivid memories of watching The Incredible Hulk. What was your inspiration for doing this book?
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