Bruce Bilson has died at the age of 97. The Emmy-winning director was best known for his work on Get Smart, among others. Yesterday, Bilson's daughter, Julie Bilson Ahiberg, confirmed her father's passing on Jan 16, per The Hollywood Reporter. He reportedly died peacefully at his home. A cause of death hasn't been made public.
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The late director began his career in the movie industry in 1944, working as an extra on Henry Aldrich, Boy Scout. He got his first directing gig in 1952, working for NBC on the You Bet Your Life game show.
However, it was in 1960 that Bilson got his first big break. He spearheaded 58 episodes of The Andy Griffith Show. Just eight years later, Bilson won an Emmy Award at the Hollywood Palladium, with the ceremony taking place on his birthday. The award was linked to his work directing Maxwell Smart, Private Eye.
Throughout the years, Bilson also directed episodes of some major smash hits such as M*A*S*H, The Brady Bunch, Bewitched, and The Six Million Dollar Man. His work has been viewed by millions, his name known by a few. Such is the life of a director whose work occurs behind the scenes.
Bruce Bilson Always Tried To Keep the Focus on the Actors
With a behind-the-scenes role, directors always face the tough task of ensuring the actors in a show or movie shine. During a previous interview with the TV Academy, Bilson explained how he developed that skill throughout the years.
"When I was starting out, I thought my camera work was awful, and I tried to make it more interesting," Bilson said. "As I got older and more experienced, I learned to tell the story with the actors first, cameras second."
Bilson has also detailed the difficulties of directing an already established show, and how it was his job as the director to earn the trust of the cast, not the other way around.
"They don't know who you are, you're coming into their nest, their home," he said during the same TV Academy interview. "[They tell you], 'Don't mess with it, we've got it working good.' So you had to prove yourself every time you went to a new show."
Despite his incredible career, which spanned more than half a decade, Bilson remained humble. And because of that, he will be mourned by actors and actresses around the world.
