Biography
Bill Idelson (21 August 1919 – 31 December 2007) was an American actor and television writer. He began his career as a child performer on Chicago radio, playing Skeezix in a Gasoline Alley adaptation and later the role of Rush Gook on the long-running series Vic and Sade. After serving as a night fighter pilot in the US Navy during the Second World War, for which he received the Distinguished Flying Cross and four Air Medals, he moved into television acting and writing.
Idelson gained prominence as an actor with a recurring role as Herman Glimscher on The Dick Van Dyke Show. He appeared in guest roles on series including Perry Mason, Dragnet, The Twilight Zone, Happy Days and Will & Grace. As a writer he sold his first major script, the Twilight Zone episode 'Long Distance Call' (1961, co-written with Charles Beaumont). He went on to write episodes of The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Andy Griffith Show, Get Smart, MAS*H and other series, winning two Writers Guild of America Awards for episodic comedy and receiving an Emmy nomination for Love, American Style. He also worked as a producer on programmes such as The Bob Newhart Show.
