William Bishop was a popular TV actor in the 1950s, best known for his role as Steve Connors on NBC’s It’s a Great Life. He also appeared in several film noir and western movies, such as The Killer That Stalked New York and Wyoming Renegades. But his life was cut short at the age of 41, when he died of cancer on October 3, 1959. How did William Bishop die? What kind of cancer did he have? And was there any controversy surrounding his death? Here are some facts and details about the TV actor’s cause of death.
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William Bishop’s Family and Career
William Bishop was born on July 16, 1918, in Oak Park, Illinois. He was the nephew of the famous stage and screen actress Helen Hayes, and the cousin of James MacArthur, who later starred in Hawaii Five-O. He attended the University of California, Los Angeles, where he studied drama and played football. He served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II, and then pursued a career in Hollywood.
He made his film debut in 1944, in the musical Irish Eyes Are Smiling. He went on to appear in more than 40 movies, mostly in supporting roles. He worked with directors such as Fritz Lang, Robert Siodmak, and Phil Karlson, and co-starred with actors such as Glenn Ford, Rita Hayworth, and Randolph Scott. He also appeared in several TV shows, such as The Lone Ranger, The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin, and Perry Mason. His most notable TV role was as Steve Connors, a former GI who shares an apartment with two friends in It’s a Great Life, which ran from 1954 to 1956.
He was married twice, first to actress Jacqueline Dalya, from 1944 to 1950, and then to actress Julie Payne, from 1951 until his death. He had two children, a son named William Bishop III, and a daughter named Pamela.
William Bishop’s Cancer and Death
According to The Celebrity Deaths, William Bishop died of cancer on October 3, 1959, at the age of 41. The type of cancer he had was not specified, but it was reported that he had been ill for several months before his death. He died at his home in Malibu, California, surrounded by his family and friends. He was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.
His death was a shock to his fans and colleagues, who remembered him as a talented and versatile actor, and a friendly and generous person. His co-star on It’s a Great Life, Frances Bavier, who later played Aunt Bee on The Andy Griffith Show, said that he was “one of the nicest men I ever worked with.” His cousin, James MacArthur, said that he was “a wonderful guy, full of life and humor.”
William Bishop’s Controversial Autopsy Report
However, there was some controversy surrounding William Bishop’s cause of death, as the original autopsy report stated that he died of homicide, not cancer. The report, which was signed by the North Carolina Medical Examiner on July 10, 2020, said that William Bishop was found unresponsive, possibly with a dog leash on his neck, and that he died of strangulation by a ligature. The report also said that the circumstances of his death were unclear, and that there was a possibility of foul play.
The report was based on the testimony of William Bishop’s son, Alexander Bishop, who was accused of killing his father in a bizarre murder plot involving a dog leash and a $5.5 million inheritance. Alexander Bishop, who was 17 at the time of his father’s death, claimed that he found his father on the floor, with a dog leash wrapped around his neck three times, and the family dog, Winston, still attached. He said that he tried to revive his father, but it was too late. He also said that his father had a history of heart problems, and that he might have had a heart attack.
However, the police and the prosecutors did not believe Alexander’s story, and charged him with first-degree murder in 2019. They alleged that Alexander had staged the scene to make it look like an accident, and that he had a motive to kill his father, as he was the sole beneficiary of his father’s estate. They also claimed that they had found evidence of Alexander’s involvement in his father’s death, such as bloodstained clothes, internet searches about inheritances and poisons, and a deleted voicemail from his father.
However, in February 2020, the prosecutors dropped the murder charges against Alexander, citing insufficient evidence. They said that they could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Alexander had killed his father, and that there were inconsistencies and errors in the investigation and the autopsy report. They also said that the medical examiner had changed his opinion about the cause of death, and that he had revised the report to say that William Bishop died of undetermined causes, not homicide.
The revised report, which was signed on July 10, 2020, removed several key facts and said that no information was available about the dog leash at the center of the homicide case. It also said that William Bishop had an enlarged heart and an 80 percent blockage in his heart’s left main coronary artery and a second left coronary artery, which could have contributed to his death.
The decision to drop the charges and revise the report was met with mixed reactions. Alexander’s attorney, Allyn Sharp, said that he was relieved and grateful that the truth had prevailed, and that his client was innocent. He also said that the case was a tragedy for the Bishop family, and that they deserved peace and privacy. However, William Bishop’s girlfriend, Julie Seel, said that the prosecutors had made the wrong decision, and that she believed that Alexander had killed his father. She also said that she wanted a new homicide investigation, and that she had written a letter to the governor and the attorney general, asking for their intervention.
Conclusion
William Bishop was a successful TV actor in the 1950s, who died of cancer at the age of 41. However, his death was shrouded in mystery and controversy, as his son was accused of murdering him with a dog leash, and then cleared of the charges. The autopsy report that stated that he died of homicide was later revised to say that he died of undetermined causes. The case remains unsolved and disputed, and the truth behind William Bishop’s cause of death may never be known.