William Bishop (actor)
Encyclopedia
William Paxton Bishop was an American television and movie actor from Oak Park, Illinois
. He was best known for his role as Steve Connors on the 1950s NBC
comedy series It's a Great Life
and for his roles in films including Harriet Craig
, The Killer That Stalked New York
and in numerous B-Movies and westerns such as The Tougher They Come, Gun Belt, The Basketball Fix
, Cripple Creek and Wyoming Renegades
.
where he wanted to study law but left to enter theater. He was also the nephew of screen legend Helen Hayes
and the cousin of actor James MacArthur
.
Oak Park, Illinois
Oak Park, Illinois is a suburb bordering the west side of the city of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is the twenty-fifth largest municipality in Illinois. Oak Park has easy access to downtown Chicago due to public transportation such as the Chicago 'L' Blue and Green lines,...
. He was best known for his role as Steve Connors on the 1950s NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
comedy series It's a Great Life
It's a Great Life
It's a Great Life is an American situation comedy which aired on NBC from 1954 to 1956...
and for his roles in films including Harriet Craig
Harriet Craig
Harriet Craig is a 1950 Columbia Pictures film starring Joan Crawford. The screenplay by Anne Froelick and James Gunn was based upon a 1925 Pulitzer Prize-winning play by George Kelly. The film was directed by Vincent Sherman and produced by William Dozier...
, The Killer That Stalked New York
The Killer That Stalked New York
The Killer That Stalked New York is a 1950 film noir starring Evelyn Keyes. The film, shot on location and in a semi-documentary style, is about diamond smugglers who unknowingly start a smallpox outbreak in the New York City of 1947. It is based on the real threat of a smallpox epidemic in the...
and in numerous B-Movies and westerns such as The Tougher They Come, Gun Belt, The Basketball Fix
The Basketball Fix
The Basketball Fix is a 1951 American film directed by Felix E. Feist.The film is also known as The Big Decision in the United Kingdom.- Cast :*John Ireland as Pete Ferreday*Marshall Thompson as Johnny Long*Vanessa Brown as Pat Judd...
, Cripple Creek and Wyoming Renegades
Wyoming Renegades
Wyoming Renegades is a 1954 Western film directed by Fred F. Sears and starring Phil Carey, Gene Evans and Martha Hyer. The film features Butch Cassidy as the leader of the Hole in the Wall Gang.-Plot synopsis:...
.
Early life
Bishop attended West Virginia UniversityWest Virginia University
West Virginia University is a public research university in Morgantown, West Virginia, USA. Other campuses include: West Virginia University at Parkersburg in Parkersburg; West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Montgomery; Potomac State College of West Virginia University in Keyser;...
where he wanted to study law but left to enter theater. He was also the nephew of screen legend Helen Hayes
Helen Hayes
Helen Hayes Brown was an American actress whose career spanned almost 70 years. She eventually garnered the nickname "First Lady of the American Theatre" and was one of twelve people who have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony Award...
and the cousin of actor James MacArthur
James MacArthur
James Gordon MacArthur was an American actor best known for the role of Danny "Danno" Williams, the reliable second-in-command of the fictional Hawaiian State Police squad Hawaii Five-O.-Early life:...
.