Bruce Bilson, an Emmy-winning television director best known for his work on 'Get Smart' and other classic sitcoms, has died at age 97. He passed away on January 16 in Los Angeles after a career spanning hundreds of episodes across decades.
Bruce Bilson, a prolific director in early television, died on January 16 in Los Angeles. He was 97. Bilson earned a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series in 1968 for his work on the secret agent parody 'Get Smart.' Over his long career, he directed more than 400 episodes of popular shows, including 'The Odd Couple,' 'Hogan’s Heroes,' 'The Patty Duke Show,' 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show,' 'M*A*S*H,' 'Hawaii Five-0,' 'The Flash,' 'Viper,' and 'Dinosaurs.'
Born on May 19, 1928, in Brooklyn, New York, Bilson came from a Hollywood family. His mother, Hattie Bilson, was a screen and magazine writer, and his father, George Bilson, produced films at Warner Bros. and RKO. Bilson graduated from UCLA in 1946 as part of its inaugural film school class. After serving in the Air Force, he began in the industry as an assistant editor on Groucho Marx's 'You Bet Your Life' and later as an assistant director on 'Wyatt Earp' and 'The Andy Griffith Show.'
Bilson was married twice: first to Mona Whiteman in 1955, with whom he had two children, and then to actress Renne Jarrett in 1984, a union that lasted until his death. He is survived by his wife; children Danny Bilson and Julie Bilson Ahlberg; stepson Drew Stauffer; grandchildren Rachel, Hattie, and Rosemary Bilson, John Pierce, Sidney and Suki Sekula, and Bowie Stauffer; and great-grandchildren Briar Christensen and Everly Pierce.
A memorial service is scheduled for January 25 at 2 p.m. at Hillside Memorial Park in Los Angeles. Donations in Bilson's name can be made to casala.org.
