Bruce Bilson, the Emmy-winning director known for his work on 'Get Smart' and 'The Odd Couple,' died on 16 January in Los Angeles. He was 97.
Bilson won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series in 1968 for the spy spoof 'Get Smart.' Over his career, he directed more than 400 television episodes, including 'Hogan's Heroes,' 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show,' 'M*A*S*H,' and 'Dinosaurs.'
Born in Brooklyn, New York, on 19 May 1928, Bilson graduated from UCLA in 1946 as part of its first film school class. After serving in the Air Force, he began his career as an assistant editor on Groucho Marx's 'You Bet Your Life' and later worked as an assistant director on 'Wyatt Earp' and 'The Andy Griffith Show.'
He is survived by his wife, actress Renne Jarrett, his children Danny Bilson and Julie Bilson Ahlberg, stepson Drew Stauffer, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. A memorial service will be held on 25 January at Hillside Memorial Park in Los Angeles.
