- Whit Bissell
Infobox actor
name = Whit Bissell
caption =
birthdate =25 October ,1909
birthplace =New York City
deathdate =5 March 1996
deathplace =Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California Whitner Nutting "Whit" Bissell (
25 October ,1909 –5 March 1996 ) was an Americancharacter actor .Biography
Born in
New York City , Bissell trained with theCarolina Playmakers , a theatrical organization associated with theUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill . He had a number of roles inBroadway theatre , including the Air Force show "Winged Victory", when he was a private. In a career that began in 1943 with the film "Holy Matrimony", Bissell appeared in literally hundreds offilm s andtelevision series episodes.Viewers of 1950s low-budget science fiction, horror films and
B movies know him as one of "those actors" (perhaps "the" actor) that always shows up somewhere in such movies. Some of the most well-known of these roles were as amad scientist in the 1957 film "I Was a Teenage Werewolf ", as well as Professor Frankenstein in [I Was a] "Teenage Frankenstein" (1957). He also played thepsychiatrist who treats Kevin McCarthy's character in the 1956 classic "Invasion of the Body Snatchers ", and in the original 1954 "Creature from the Black Lagoon ".In 1960, he appeared in
George Pál 's production of "The Time Machine", as Walter Kemp, one of the Time Traveler's dining friends. Thirty-three years later, in the "Time Machine: The Journey Back", reunited withRod Taylor andAlan Young from the original, he recreated his role as Walter in the opening sequence. It was Bissell's last acting performance.Bissell was a regular for the third and fourth seasons of the television series "
Bachelor Father " (1959-1961), costarringJohn Forsythe ,Noreen Corcoran , andSammee Tong . He appeared as a guest star in practically everydrama tic television series that aired between the early 1950s and the mid 1970s, with more sporadic appearances after that.His most prominent television role came when he co-starred as General Heywood Kirk in the 1966-1967 science-fiction television series "
The 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 in "The Manchurian Candidate ," "The Man from U.N.C.L.E. " and "The Outer Limits ."' fans knew Bissell from his appearance in the classic episode "
The Trouble with Tribbles ", footage of which was re-used in "s "Trials and Tribble-ations".Bissell's most-screened motion picture role is as the undertaker (who sees every man, no matter his race, as "just another future customer") in "
The Magnificent Seven " (1960).Bissell received a life career award from the
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films in 1994. He also served for many years on the board of directors of theScreen Actors Guild , as well as representing the actors branch of theAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences board of governors.Bissell was married three times and had three daughters and a stepson.
Bissell died in 1996 in
Woodland Hills, California from the effects ofParkinson's disease . He was interred in theWestwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles.External links
*imdb|0000946
*amg name|2:6357
* [http://www.dougmacaulay.com/kingspud/sel_by_actor_index_2.php?actor_first=Whit&actor_last=Bissell Great Character Actors entry]
*Find A Grave|id=8594
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.