Bill Mumy
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| Bill Mumy | |
|---|---|
| Born | Charles William Mumy, Jr. February 1, 1954 San Gabriel, California |
| Other name(s) | Art Barnes |
| Years active | 1960-present |
| Spouse(s) | Eileen Joy Davis |
| Official website | |
Charles William Mumy, Jr. (IPA: /ˈmuːmi/; born February 1, 1954), is an American actor, musician, pitchman, instrumentalist, voice-over artist and a figure in the science fiction community. He is known primarily for his roles in movies and television, character-type roles, and who also works in television production. The red-headed Mumy came to prominence in the 1960s as a child actor as Guy Williams's and June Lockhart's youngest child/son, and Jonathan Harris's closest friend, Will Robinson, in the cult 1960s television series, Lost In Space, and as a lonely teenager, Sterling North, in the Disney movie, Rascal. In the 1990s, he had a recurring role as Lennier, in Babylon 5, and he also served as narrator of A&E Network's Emmy Award-winning series, Biography.
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[edit] Life
[edit] Early life and career
Mumy was born in San Gabriel, California, the son of Muriel Gertrude (née Gould) and Charles William Mumy, Sr., a cattle rancher.[1] He began his professional career at the age of six, and has worked on over 400 television episodes, 18 motion pictures, various commercials, and scores of voice over work, as well as working as a musician, songwriter, recording artist and writer.
[edit] Television career
He is well known as a player in the original The Twilight Zone, especially in the episode, "It's a Good Life", where he played the all-powerful and evil child "Anthony" who completely dominates and terrorizes his town. He later played an adult Anthony, whose daughter (played by his daughter, Liliana Mumy) has similar powers, in the second revival of The Twilight Zone.
Mumy was the first choice for the role of Eddie Munster, but his parents objected because of the extensive make-up, and the role went to Butch Patrick; Billy did appear in one episode as a friend of Eddie.
He is probably best known as "Will Robinson" from the 1960s television series Lost in Space, and as ambassadorial aide Lennier from Babylon 5, Mumy has garnered the praise of many fans for his depiction of the character.
He played a Starfleet member in the acclaimed Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "The Siege of AR-558". To his delight, he plays a human character who assists Ezri Dax in turning cloaked Dominion mines against an army of Jem'hadar.
His most recent acting performances can be seen in a 2006 episode of Crossing Jordan and the SciFi original film A.I. Assault.
[edit] Voice-over career
Mumy has narrated over 50 episodes of the Arts & Entertainment Channel's Biography series, as well as hosting and narrating several other documentaries and specials for A & E, Animal Planet, The SciFi Channel, and E!. His voice over acting talents can be heard on animated shows like Ren and Stimpy, Scooby Doo, Batman: The Animated Series, Steven Spielberg's Animaniacs, Little Wizard Adventures, The Oz Kids and Disney's Buzz Lightyear of Star Command. He also voices dozens of national commercials, such as Farmers Insurance, Ford, Bud Ice, Blockbuster, Twix, Oscar Mayer, and McDonald's.
[edit] Music career
Mumy is an accomplished musician who plays guitar, bass, keyboards, banjo, mandolin, harmonica, and percussion. Among his various musical credits, Bill has recorded and written songs with America, toured with Shaun Cassidy, and played in Rick Springfield's band in the film, Hard to Hold. He also created the band The Be Five with other Babylon 5 actors. Along with comic book artists who also are musicians, he'll perform at SDCC in a band called Seduction of the Innocent.
Mumy has released a number of solo CDs, including Dying To Be Heard, In The Current, Pandora's Box, "After Dreams Come True", "Los Angeles Times", and "Ghosts", as well as 9 albums with partner Robert Haimer as Barnes and Barnes. Their most famous hit is the song "Fish Heads", which was named as one of the top 100 videos of all time by Rolling Stone magazine.
[edit] Friendship with Jonathan Harris
At age 11, Mumy began working with Jonathan Harris in 1965 on Lost In Space, and the two became close friends, both on and off set. He would also spend time with Harris's family, while not working on Space or taking a hiatus from the show. In 1996, it was mentioned that Mumy was also reunited with Harris, again at a Walt Disney convention in Orlando, before he worked with Harris on Lost In Space: Forever, a couple of years later, where Mumy wrote the script and Harris rewrote the lines. This was done one year after the rest of the cast (including both Mumy & Harris) appeared inside TV Guide and said that the SciFi Channel had planned to do a Lost in Space marathon while promoting a new movie. Harris was involved in the movie, Lost In Space: The Journey Home, with him, but died before production started in 2002, and Mumy attended his series' star's funeral, where he read the eulogy. After Harris's death on November 3, 2002, Mumy was asked to narrate his longtime friend's life on A&E Biography, that same year.
[edit] Personal life
Unlike many child actors, Mumy entered the profession at his own insistence, and his parents took pains to make sure he matured properly in his job. His father, who was a cattle rancher, carefully invested his son's income, and thereby avoided problems encountered by other child actors of his period, like Charles Herbert.
He currently lives in Hollywood Hills, California, with his wife Eileen and their two accomplished child actor children, Seth and Liliana.
[edit] Filmography
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | The Wizard of Baghdad | Aladdin (uncredited) |
| 1961 | Tammy Tell Me True | Neil Bateman (uncredited) |
| 1963 | A Child Is Waiting | Boy counting Jean's pearls |
| 1963 | A Ticklish Affair | Alex Martin |
| 1963 | Palm Springs Weekend | 'Boom Boom' Yates |
| 1965 | Dear Brigitte | Erasmus Leaf |
| 1968 | Wild in the Streets | Boy |
| 1969 | Rascal | Sterling North |
| 1971 | Bless the Beasts and Children | Teft |
| 1973 | Papillon | Lariot |
| 1982 | Fish Heads | Art Barnes |
| 1983 | Twilight Zone: The Movie | Tim (Segment #3) |
| 1984 | Hard to Hold | Keyboard Player |
| 1991 | Captain America | Young General Fleming |
| 1992 | Double Trouble | Bob |
| 1995 | Three Wishes | Neighbor |
| 1997 | The Monkey Prince | Voice of Sam |
| 1997 | Underground Adventure | Voice of Sam |
| 1997 | The Weird Al Show | UPS guy |
| 2004 | Comic Book: The Movie | Himself |
| 2005 | Holly Hobbie and Friends: Surprise Party (Direct to DVD) |
Voice of Bud (Amy's father) |
[edit] Quotations
| “ | I get bored doing one thing only. I've been very lucky to explore a lot of different artistic territory, and I don't see why I won't continue on that path. | ” |
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Bill Mumy official website
- Bill Mumy at the Internet Movie Database
- Bill Mumy at TV.com
- Bill Mumy article at Memory Alpha, a Star Trek wiki
