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Tony Bill | |
|---|---|
 Bill in 1977 | |
| Born | Gerard Anthony Bill (1940-08-23)August 23, 1940 (age 85) San Diego,California, U.S. |
| Other names | Gerald Bill |
| Occupations | Actor, director, producer |
| Years active | 1959–present |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 4 |
| Awards | Academy Award for Best Picture (1974) –The Sting (shared withMichael Phillips andJulia Phillips) |
Gerard Anthony Bill (born August 23, 1940) is an American actor, producer, and director. He produced the 1973 movieThe Sting, for which he shared theAcademy Award for Best Picture withMichael Phillips andJulia Phillips. As an actor, Bill had supporting roles inCome Blow Your Horn (1963),Shampoo (1975),Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985), andLess than Zero (1987). He made his directorial debut withMy Bodyguard (1980) and directed the filmsSix Weeks (1982),Five Corners (1987),Crazy People (1990),Untamed Heart (1993), andFlyboys (2006).
Bill was born in San Diego, California, and attendedSt. Augustine High School.[1][2] He majored in English and art at the University of Notre Dame, from which he graduated in 1962.
Bill began his career as an actor in the 1960s, first appearing on screen asFrank Sinatra's ingenuous younger brother inCome Blow Your Horn (1963). The same year, he appeared inSoldier in the Rain starringJackie Gleason andSteve McQueen. Thereafter, he was cast as Chris Herrod in the 1965 episode "An Elephant Is Like a Tree" of the drama seriesMr. Novak.
Bill specialized in juveniles and young leads. In the mid-1960s, he made two appearances in the BBC'sPlay of the Month anthology series, he took the lead inLee Oswald Assassin and played Biff toRod Steiger's Willy Loman inDeath of a Salesman (both 1966).
Often his characters were likeable but none too bright. Other acting credits includeMarriage on the Rocks (1965),None but the Brave (1965),You're a Big Boy Now (1966),Never a Dull Moment (1968),How to Steal the World (1968),Ice Station Zebra (1968),Castle Keep (1969),Flap (1970),Shampoo (1975),Are You in the House Alone? (1978),Heart Beat (1980),The Little Dragons (1980),Freedom (1981),Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985),Less than Zero (1987), andThe Killing Mind (1991).
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 ofRod Serling's Western seriesThe 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 westernThe Virginian and the 1966 episode "The Oath" of the westernBonanza. He was cast in the 1967 episode "The Predators" ofThe Road West. He also starred in a 1968 episode ofThe 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 titledHaunts of the Very Rich (1972), appeared in the 1977 miniseriesWashington: Behind Closed Doors, and the drama anthology series as the narratorWhat Really Happened to the Class of '65?.
In 1980, Bill directed his first filmMy Bodyguard. He went on to directSix Weeks (1982),Five Corners (1987),Crazy People (1990),A Home of Our Own (1993),Untamed Heart (1993), andFlyboys (2006), which Bill claims was one of the early features shot entirely with digital cameras. For television, Bill directed Truman Capote'sOne Christmas (1994),Harlan County War (2000), andPictures of Hollis Woods (2007).
In 2009, Bill published the bookMovie 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.[3]
From 1984 to 2000, he co-owned withDudley Moore the72 Market Street Oyster Bar and Grill, a restaurant in Venice, California.
Bill married Toni Gray in December 1962.[4] 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 inVenice, California. The couple have two daughters, Madeline and Daphne.
