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IMDbPro

Ted Bessell(1935-1996)

  • Actor
  • Director
  • Producer
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
"Me and the Chimp" Ted Bessell
Home Video Trailer from Shout! Factory
Play trailer1:24
That Girl (1966–1971)
4 Videos
25 Photos
Born in New York City, Ted's early career included guest appearances in soap operas, Lover Come Back (1961) and It's a Man's World (1962). Ted went on to appear as "Frankie" on Gomer Pyle: USMC (1964), but his big break was as "That Guy" on the successful Marlo Thomas Television series That Girl (1966). As "Don Hollinger", he played the boyfriend of aspiring actress "Ann Marie". After that, he appeared in a number of short lived Television comedy series including Me and the Chimp (1972), Good Time Harry (1980) and Hail to the Chief (1985). After being stereotyped as the good boyfriend, Ted found jobs hard to find so he moved towards the direction and production end of Television. Ted directed episodes of The Tracey Ullman Show (1987) and Sibs (1991). At the time of his death, he was preparing to direct a movie version of the Television series Bewitched (1964).
BornMarch 20, 1935
DiedOctober 6, 1996(61)
BornMarch 20, 1935
DiedOctober 6, 1996(61)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Won 1 Primetime Emmy
    • 1 win & 6 nominations total

Photos25

Ted Bessell, William Christopher, and Susan Quick in That Girl (1966)
Jackie Gleason, Ted Bessell, and Michael Constantine in Don't Drink the Water (1969)
Marlo Thomas and Ted Bessell in That Girl (1966)
Marlo Thomas, Ted Bessell, and Arthur Julian in That Girl (1966)
Marlo Thomas and Ted Bessell in That Girl (1966)
Ted Bessell in That Girl (1966)
Ted Bessell in That Girl (1966)
Ted Bessell in That Girl (1966)
Marlo Thomas and Ted Bessell in That Girl (1966)
Marlo Thomas and Ted Bessell in That Girl (1966)
Marlo Thomas and Ted Bessell in That Girl (1966)
Ted Bessell and Ted Knight in The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970)

Known for

Tracey Ullman in The Tracey Ullman Show (1987)
The Tracey Ullman Show
7.1
TV Series
  • Director
Marlo Thomas in That Girl (1966)
That Girl
7.2
TV Series
  • Donald Hollinger
  • Don Blue Sky
  • Dr. Rex Kennedy
Jami Gertz, Margaret Colin, Marsha Mason, and Alex Rocco in Sibs (1991)
Sibs
7.0
TV Series
  • Director
Jim Nabors and Frank Sutton in Gomer Pyle: USMC (1964)
Gomer Pyle: USMC
7.0
TV Series
  • Frankie
  • Jim Purcell

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Actor

  • Comedy Factory (1985)
    Comedy Factory
    • Max Harrison
    • TV Series
    • 1986
  • Hail to the Chief (1985)
    Hail to the Chief
    • Gen. Oliver Mansfield
    • TV Series
    • 1985
  • The Acorn People (1981)
    The Acorn People
    • Jesse Hooten
    • TV Movie
    • 1981
  • Good Time Harry
    • Harry Jenkins
    • TV Series
    • 1980
  • Billy Crystal in Breaking Up Is Hard to Do (1979)
    Breaking Up Is Hard to Do
    • Pete McCann
    • TV Movie
    • 1979
  • Edward Asner, Valerie Harper, and Mary Tyler Moore in The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970)
    The Mary Tyler Moore Show
    • Joe Warner
    • TV Series
    • 1975
  • Bobby Parker and Company
    • Bobby Parker
    • TV Movie
    • 1974
  • What Are Best Friends for?
    • Paul Nesbitt
    • TV Movie
    • 1973
  • Bette Davis in Scream, Pretty Peggy (1973)
    Scream, Pretty Peggy
    • Jeffrey Elliot
    • TV Movie
    • 1973
  • The Ted Bessell Show
    • TV Movie
    • 1973
  • Your Money or Your Wife (1972)
    Your Money or Your Wife
    • Dan Cramer
    • TV Movie
    • 1972
  • Ted Bessell in Me and the Chimp (1972)
    Me and the Chimp
    • Mike Reynolds
    • TV Series
    • 1972
  • James Brolin, Robert Young, and Elena Verdugo in Marcus Welby, M.D. (1969)
    Marcus Welby, M.D.
    • Dr. Hal Powers
    • TV Series
    • 1971
  • Patty Duke and Ted Bessell in Two on a Bench (1971)
    Two on a Bench
    • Preston Albright
    • TV Movie
    • 1971
  • Dick Van Dyke, Marty Brill, Nancy Dussault, Fannie Flagg, Hope Lange, and Angela Powell in The New Dick Van Dyke Show (1971)
    The New Dick Van Dyke Show
    • Skip Holloway
    • TV Series
    • 1971

Director

  • Téa Leoni in The Naked Truth (1995)
    The Naked Truth
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1995
  • Shelley Long and Treat Williams in Good Advice (1993)
    Good Advice
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1994
  • A League of Their Own
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1993
  • Jami Gertz, Margaret Colin, Marsha Mason, and Alex Rocco in Sibs (1991)
    Sibs
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1991–1992
  • Tracey Ullman in The Tracey Ullman Show (1987)
    The Tracey Ullman Show
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1987–1990
  • Ted Bessell in Me and the Chimp (1972)
    Me and the Chimp
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1972
  • Marlo Thomas in That Girl (1966)
    That Girl
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1969–1970

Producer

  • Jami Gertz, Margaret Colin, Marsha Mason, and Alex Rocco in Sibs (1991)
    Sibs
    • producer
    • TV Series
    • 1991
  • The Best of the Tracey Ullman Show
    • producer
    • TV Special
    • 1990
  • Tracey Ullman in The Tracey Ullman Show (1987)
    The Tracey Ullman Show
    • producer
    • TV Series
    • 1987–1990
  • In-development projects at IMDbPro

Videos4

That Girl
Trailer 1:24
That Girl
That Girl: Seasons One Through Five
Trailer 1:24
That Girl: Seasons One Through Five
That Girl: Season Three
Trailer 1:26
That Girl: Season Three
That Girl: Season One
Trailer 1:26
That Girl: Season One

Personal details

Edit
  • Height
    • 6′ (1.83 m)
  • Born
    • March 20, 1935
    • Flushing, Queens, New York City, New York, USA
  • Died
    • October 6, 1996
    • Westwood, Los Angeles, California, USA(aortic aneurysm)
  • Spouses
      Linnell S. Nobori1982 - October 6, 1996 (his death, 2 children)

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    A former 12-year-old child prodigy, his youthful highlight was performing a piano recital at Carnegie Hall.
  • Quotes
    Donald Hollinger made me a name but took away the heart of me.
  • Nickname
    • Teddy

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