Whit Bissell

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Whitner Nutting Bissell (born October 25, 1909 in New York City , † March 5, 1996 in Los Angeles ) was an American actor .

Life

Bissell studied acting at the the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill cooperating Carolina Playmakers . He then appeared in several plays on Broadway . In 1940 Bissell was first seen on the big screen in The Lord of the Seven Seas . The first film role, with which he was also mentioned in the credits, he played in 1946 in the comedy It Shouldn't Happen to a Dog . In 1957, Bissell gained greater fame through his participation in the horror film Death Has Black Talons with Michael Landon . By then he had already appeared in over 80 films, mostly science fiction B-movies . Between 1958 and 1960, Bissell played in the television series Bachelor Father .

In 1960 he made the western The Magnificent Seven and the science fiction film The Time Machine based on the novel by HG Wells . He played one of his few bigger roles in Hollywood in 1963 as Mr. Burris in the multi-Oscar-winning film The Wildest Among Thousand with Paul Newman and Patricia Neal . 1966/67 Bissell appeared in the cult television series Time Tunnel as General Heywood Kirk . After that, he worked in countless television series and films for over 20 years. The actor, now suffering from Parkinson's disease , had his last television appearance in an episode of Falcon Crest in 1984 and then withdrew from the public.

1994 Bissell received from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films the Award for Lifetime Achievement . He served on the Board of Directors of the Screen Actors Guild for 18 years . He also served on the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences .

Bissell died in 1996 at the age of 86 at the film and television country house and hospital in Woodland Hills, California, of complications from Parkinson's disease. He was buried in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles.

Filmography (selection)

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Bissell, Whit
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Bissell, Whitner Nutting
BRIEF DESCRIPTION US-American actor
DATE OF BIRTH October 25, 1909
PLACE OF BIRTH New York City
DATE OF DEATH March 5, 1996
Place of death los Angeles