Gerard Anthony Bill (born August 23, 1940) is an American actor, producer, and director. He produced the 1973 movie '' The Sting'', for which he shared the

Academy Award for Best Picture The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) since the awards debuted in 1929. This award goes to the producers of the film and is the only categ ...

with Michael Phillips and Julia Phillips. As an actor, Bill had supporting roles in ''

Come Blow Your Horn ''Come Blow Your Horn'' is Neil Simon's first play, which premiered on Broadway in 1961 and had a London production in 1962 at the Prince of Wales Theatre. Simon rewrote the script more than two dozen times over several years, resulting in a hit ...

'' (1963), ''

Shampoo Shampoo () is a hair care product, typically in the form of a viscous liquid, that is used for cleaning hair. Less commonly, shampoo is available in solid bar format. Shampoo is used by applying it to wet hair, massaging the product into the ...

'' (1975), '' Pee-wee's Big Adventure'' (1985), and '' Less than Zero'' (1987). He made his directorial debut with '' My Bodyguard'' (1980) and directed movies ''

Six Weeks ''Six Weeks'' is a 1982 American drama film directed by Tony Bill and based on the 1976 novel of the same name by Fred Mustard Stewart. It stars Dudley Moore, Mary Tyler Moore, and Katherine Healy. Plot Charlotte Dreyfus, a wealthy cosmetic ty ...

'' (1982), '' Five Corners'' (1987), '' Crazy People'' (1990), '' Untamed Heart'' (1993), and '' Flyboys'' (2006).

Early life

Bill was born in San Diego, California, and attended St. Augustine High School. He majored in English and art at the University of Notre Dame, from which he graduated in 1962.

Career

Bill began his career as an actor in the 1960s, first appearing on screen as

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the " Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular entertainers of the 1940s, 1950s, and ...

's ingenuous younger brother in ''

'' (1963). The same year, he appeared in ''

Soldier in the Rain ''Soldier in the Rain'' is a 1963 American comedy buddy film directed by Ralph Nelson and starring Jackie Gleason and Steve McQueen. Tuesday Weld portrays Gleason's character's romantic partner. Produced by Martin Jurow and co-written by Mauric ...

'' starring

Jackie Gleason John Herbert Gleason (February 26, 1916June 24, 1987) was an American actor, comedian, writer, composer, and conductor known affectionately as "The Great One." Developing a style and characters from growing up in Brooklyn, New York, he was know ...

and

Steve McQueen Terrence Stephen McQueen (March 24, 1930November 7, 1980) was an American actor. His antihero persona, emphasized during the height of the counterculture of the 1960s, made him a top box-office draw for his films of the late 1950s, 1960s, and ...

. Thereafter, he was cast as Chris Herrod in the 1965 episode "An Elephant Is Like a Tree" of the drama series '' Mr. Novak''. Bill specialized in juveniles and young leads. In the mid-1960s, he made two appearances in the BBC's '' Play of the Month'' anthology series, he took the lead in ''Lee Oswald Assassin'' and played Biff to

Rod Steiger Rodney Stephen Steiger (; April 14, 1925July 9, 2002, aged 77) was an American actor, noted for his portrayal of offbeat, often volatile and crazed characters. Cited as "one of Hollywood's most charismatic and dynamic stars," he is closely assoc ...

's Willy Loman in '' Death of a Salesman'' (both 1966). Often his characters were likeable but none too bright. Other acting credits include ''

Marriage on the Rocks ''Marriage on the Rocks'' is a 1965 comedy film starring Frank Sinatra, Deborah Kerr, and Dean Martin about a businessman's wife who ends up divorced by mistake and then married to his best friend by an even bigger mistake. The film was written by ...

'' (1965), '' None but the Brave'' (1965), ''

You're a Big Boy Now ''You're a Big Boy Now'' is a 1966 American comedy film written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Based on David Benedictus' 1963 novel of the same name, it stars Elizabeth Hartman, Peter Kastner, Geraldine Page, Rip Torn, Karen Black, ...

'' (1966), '' Never a Dull Moment'' (1968), ''

How to Steal the World ''How To Steal the World'' is a 1968 American action–adventure film, taken from a two-part episode of the TV series ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'', with Robert Vaughn and David McCallum as secret agents Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin. The film a ...

'' (1968), '' Ice Station Zebra'' (1968), ''

Castle Keep ''Castle Keep'' is a 1969 American comedy-drama war film combining surrealism with tragic realism. It was directed by Sydney Pollack and starred Burt Lancaster, Patrick O'Neal, Jean-Pierre Aumont, Bruce Dern, and Peter Falk. The film appear ...

'' (1969), '' Flap'' (1970), ''

'' (1975), ''

Are You in the House Alone? ''Are You in the House Alone?'' is a 1978 American made-for-television horror film directed by Walter Grauman and starring Kathleen Beller, Blythe Danner, and Dennis Quaid. The film is based on the 1976 novel of the same name written by Richard ...

'' (1978), '' Heart Beat'' (1980), '' The Little Dragons'' (1980), ''

Freedom Freedom is understood as either having the ability to act or change without constraint or to possess the power and resources to fulfill one's purposes unhindered. Freedom is often associated with liberty and autonomy in the sense of "giving one ...

'', '' Pee-wee's Big Adventure'' (1985), and '' Less than Zero'' (1987). Bill continued to act in television movies, miniseries, and guest spots, though with decreasing frequency as he segued into directing. In 1965, Bill guest-starred in "An Echo of Bugles," the opening episode of

Rod Serling Rodman Edward Serling (December 25, 1924 – June 28, 1975) was an American screenwriter, playwright, television producer, and narrator/on-screen host, best known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his anthology television series ...

's Western series '' The Loner,'' playing a hot-headed bully who taunts a Confederate veteran and challenges series star Lloyd Bridges to a duel. He appeared in the 1966 episode "Chaff in the Wind" of the western '' The Virginian'' and the 1966 episode "The Oath" of the western ''

Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 13, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 432 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running western, the second-longest-running western series on ...

''. He was cast in the 1967 episode "The Predators" of ''The Road West'']. He also starred in a 1968 episode of '' The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' titled "The Seven Wonders of the World Affair, Parts 1 and 2." He was featured on an ABC movie titled ''

Haunts of the Very Rich ''Haunts of the Very Rich'' is a 1972 made-for-TV thriller, broadcast as an ''ABC Movie of the Week''. Plot A group of rich tourists and business people fly to a mysterious tropical resort, the Portals of Eden, hosted by Seacrist. There, they s ...

'' (1972), appeared in the 1977 miniseries '' Washington: Behind Closed Doors'', and the drama anthology series as the narrator '' What Really Happened to the Class of '65?''. In 1980, Bill directed his first film '' My Bodyguard''. He went on to direct ''

'' (1982), '' Five Corners'' (1987), '' Crazy People'' (1990), '' A Home of Our Own'' (1993), '' Untamed Heart'' (1993), and '' Flyboys'' (2006), which Bill claims was one of the early features shot entirely with digital cameras. For television, Bill directed Truman Capote's '' One Christmas'' (1994), '' Harlan County War'' (2000), and ''Pictures of Hollis Woods'' (2007). In 2009, Bill published the book ''Movie Speak: How to Talk Like You Belong on a Film Set''. The book traces the etymology of the language of the movie set and is filled out with stories from Bill's career in film. From 1984 to 2000, he co-owned with Dudley Moore the 72 Market Street Oyster Bar and Grill, a restaurant in Venice, California.

Personal life

Bill married Toni Gray in December 1962.Bob Thomas, "An Overnight Success' Actually Fits Tony Bill" ''The Evening Independent'' (June 12, 1963), p.11 They had a son, Peter Bill, born 1964 and a daughter, Francesca. Currently, he is married to his second wife, the former Helen Buck Bartlett, his producer/partner in Barnstorm Films in Venice. The couple have two daughters, Madeline and Daphne.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bill, Tony 1940 births 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors Film producers from California American male television actors American television directors Living people Skydance Media people Male actors from San Diego University of Notre Dame alumni Film directors from California Producers who won the Best Picture Academy Award