Bissell appeared as a guest star in many television drama series between the early 1950s and the mid-1970s, with more sporadic appearances after that. He guest-starred in a couple of episodes of The Lone Ranger. He appeared on other syndicated series, including Sheriff of Cochise, Whirlybirds, Peyton Place and The Brothers Brannagan. He was cast in the religion series Crossroads and Going My Way, and in the
NBC education drama series Mr. Novak.
Bissell played murderer Larry Sands on
CBS's Perry Mason ("The Case of the Crooked Candle", 1957), along with Max Pompey in "The Case of the Lavender Lipstick" (1960), Laurence Barlow in "The Case of the Nautical Knot" (1964) and Dennison Groody in "The Case of the Carefree Coronary" (1965). He appeared in an episode of Mr. Adams and Eve in 1957 and of Peter Gunn in 1958. He played different roles in multiple episodes of the ABC series The Rifleman, and as Sinclair Bruder in "The Great Guy" (1956) on Father Knows Best.
Bissell portrayed the undertaker (who sees every man, no matter his race, as "just another future customer") in the film The Magnificent Seven (1960).
In 1960, Bissell had appeared in
George Pal's production of The Time Machine, as Walter Kemp, one of the Time Traveller's dining friends. He also appeared in
a 1978 TV movie adapting the
H. G. Wells novel for a more modern setting. Bissell's Time Tunnel co-star
John Zaremba also appeared in the telemovie. Thirty-three years later, in 1993 the documentary film Time Machine: The Journey Back (which featured Bissell,
Rod Taylor and
Alan Young), Bissell recreated his 1960 role as Walter in the opening sequence. It was Bissell's last acting performance.
Bissell played General Heywood Kirk in 30 episodes in the 1966–1967 season of the science-fiction television series The Time Tunnel. He often played silver-haired figures of authority, here as in many other roles (as described by
AllMovie), "instantly establishing his standard screen characterization of fussy officiousness", leavened in many instances with a military bearing. Other examples of such authoritative roles as military or police officials, include appearances in The Caine Mutiny, The Manchurian Candidate, Hud (1963), The Outer Limits (1963), Hogan's Heroes (1966), and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1966). Bissell also appeared in the Barnaby Jones episode, "Murder in the Doll's House" (March 25, 1973).
In 1978 and 1980, Bissell appeared in two episodes of The Incredible Hulk, first in the second-season episode "Kindred Spirits" as Professor Williams, and later as Professor John Zeiderman in the second part of the fourth season two-parter "Prometheus".
Bissell was a guest of honor at New York City's Tele-Fantasy Con 1975 on August 1 - 3, along with celebrities Noel Neill, Jim Danforth and Joseph Stefano, and spent the weekend meeting his fans and signing hundreds of autographs free of charge. He also received a life career award from the
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films in 1994. He also served for many years on the board of directors of the
Screen Actors Guild, and represented the actors' branch of the
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences board of governors.
Personal life
Bissell was married three times and had three daughters (Kathy Marden, Victoria Brown and Amanda Whiteley) and a stepson,
Brian Forster.[4] Forster was the second actor to play the role of Chris Partridge on The Partridge Family TV series.[5]
Wives:
Adrienne Marden (November 23, 1938 – 1954; divorced); 2 children
Dilys Mary Shan Jukes (December 5, 1954 – January 11, 1958; her death); 1 child
Jennifer Raine (November 24, 1967 – January 5, 1993; her death)
^"Bissell Writing Story". The Los Angeles Times. California, Los Angeles. November 9, 1947. p. Part III – 3. Retrieved October 5, 2018 – via
Newspapers.com.
^"Whitner Bissell". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from
the original on October 6, 2018. Retrieved October 6, 2018.