- Dwayne Hickman
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Dwayne Bernard Hickman Born Dwayne Bernard Hickman
May 18, 1934
Los Angeles, California, USAYears active 1942-2005 Spouse Carol Christensen (1963–1972)
Joanne Papile (1977–1981)
Joan Roberts (1983— )Website http://www.dwaynehickman.com/ Dwayne Bernard Hickman (born May 18, 1934) is a former American actor and television executive at CBS.
He is known primarily for his "teenage" actor roles on television sitcoms. The naturally brown-headed Hickman is best known for playing Chuck MacDonald, Bob Collins's (played by Bob Cummings) crazy teenaged nephew, on the popular 1950s series, The Bob Cummings Show (a.k.a. Love That Bob), and the blond title character in The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis.
Personal life and career
Born in Los Angeles, California, Hickman is the younger brother of child actor Darryl Hickman. One of his earliest screen appearances was in the 1942 Our Gang comedy Melodies Old and New. He and Darryl co-starred in an early episode of the syndicated military drama Men of Annapolis, filmed at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. As a teenager, he and Darryl also guest-starred in the same episode of The Lone Ranger.[1]
Hickman gained wide notice when he played a regular role as Bob Cummings's character's nephew, Chuck, on the NBC situation comedy The Bob Cummings Show in 1955. At the time, Hickman was a student at Loyola University (now known as Loyola Marymount University) in Los Angeles. Hickman became one of the first stars ever to have a breakout character in the series.
Hickman considered Cummings a childhood television hero, and Hickman claimed to have no talent and to have learned everything from Cummings.[1] He worked with and was friends with Cummings throughout the show's five seasons.[1][2] This role probably led to his casting in the lead role in the CBS sitcom The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. Frank Faylen and Florida Friebus played his opposite-minded parents. Although at the show's debut the Dobie character was still a teenager in high school, Hickman was already 25 years old.
After playing Dobie for four years (with fellow former Loyola student Bob Denver as his sidekick, Maynard), Hickman found himself stereotyped as a "youngster" just at the time of his life when he was really too old for such roles. He appeared in some minor beach films and made an unsuccessful TV pilot for a program in which he was to play a young schoolteacher.
On June 23, 1960, Hickman appeared on NBC's The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford. He and Annette Funicello appeared thereafter together in an episode of ABC's circus drama The Greatest Show on Earth, starring Jack Palance. In 1965, Hickman appeared in the comedy film Cat Ballou along with Jane Fonda and Lee Marvin.
Hickman found his future in entertainment to be behind the scenes, becoming involved in production roles. Later he became a programming executive at CBS, a role which he has since spoofed in several on-camera roles. He also worked as a director on various television series, including Designing Women and Head of the Class.
He reprised his signature role of Dobie in two TV reunions, Whatever Happened to Dobie Gillis and Bring Me the Head of Dobie Gillis. His autobiography is entitled Forever Dobie.
References
- ^ a b c "Dwayne Hickman - Overview". allmovie.com. Rovi. http://allmovie.com/artist/dwayne-hickman-32166/.
- ^ The Bob Cummings Show at the Internet Movie Database
External links
Categories:- 1934 births
- Living people
- Actors from Los Angeles, California
- American television actors
- American child actors
- American television executives
- American television directors
- American film actors
- Loyola Marymount University alumni
- Our Gang
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