William Dozier(1908-1991)
- Producer
- Actor
- Writer
William Dozier was an American TV and movie producer who made it to the
top of the TV heap briefly in the mid-1960s with his show
Batman (1966). Born on February 13, 1908
in Omaha, Nebraska, Dozier was also known for his wives. After
divorcing his first wife, he was married to Oscar-winner
Joan Fontaine from 1946 to 1951
and to movie star Ann Rutherford
from 1953 to his death on April 23, 1991.
In 1948, he and Fontaine launched Rampart Productions, which produced
Max Ophüls'
Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948)
starring his wife, and
You Gotta Stay Happy (1948),
which starred Fontaine and
James Stewart. He served as
executive producer on both pictures.
Turning to TV as the new decade of the Fifties dawned, Dozier produced
the series Danger (1950), which ran
for five years from 1950-55. In the Fifties and Sixties, he continued
his career as a TV producer, bringing to the tube the short-lived TV
series
Rod Brown of the Rocket Rangers (1953)
(1953), The Loner (1965) (1965).
In 1966, he achieved the height of TV success with "Batman" which ran
for three seasons and was a cultural sensation. The TV show spun off a
Batman: The Movie (1966) feature film. That same
year, he also launched , a modest success, and
The Tammy Grimes Show (1966),
a notorious flop that shot five episodes and was canceled after four.
Dozier retired as a producer after the 1969 movie _The Big Bounce
(1969) flopped, though he enjoyed a modest second career as an actor in
the Seventies and early Eighties.
top of the TV heap briefly in the mid-1960s with his show
Batman (1966). Born on February 13, 1908
in Omaha, Nebraska, Dozier was also known for his wives. After
divorcing his first wife, he was married to Oscar-winner
Joan Fontaine from 1946 to 1951
and to movie star Ann Rutherford
from 1953 to his death on April 23, 1991.
In 1948, he and Fontaine launched Rampart Productions, which produced
Max Ophüls'
Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948)
starring his wife, and
You Gotta Stay Happy (1948),
which starred Fontaine and
James Stewart. He served as
executive producer on both pictures.
Turning to TV as the new decade of the Fifties dawned, Dozier produced
the series Danger (1950), which ran
for five years from 1950-55. In the Fifties and Sixties, he continued
his career as a TV producer, bringing to the tube the short-lived TV
series
Rod Brown of the Rocket Rangers (1953)
(1953), The Loner (1965) (1965).
In 1966, he achieved the height of TV success with "Batman" which ran
for three seasons and was a cultural sensation. The TV show spun off a
Batman: The Movie (1966) feature film. That same
year, he also launched , a modest success, and
The Tammy Grimes Show (1966),
a notorious flop that shot five episodes and was canceled after four.
Dozier retired as a producer after the 1969 movie _The Big Bounce
(1969) flopped, though he enjoyed a modest second career as an actor in
the Seventies and early Eighties.