Overview (3)
| Born | in Los Angeles, California, USA |
| Birth Name | Dwayne Bernard Hickman |
| Height | 5' 8" (1.73 m) |
Mini Bio (2)
Blond, boyishly handsome Dwayne Hickman, the younger brother of Darryl Hickman, followed in his sibling's tiny footsteps as a moppet film actor himself. Born Dwayne Bernard Hickman in Los Angeles on May 18, 1934, the brothers had a younger sister as well, Deidre (born 1940). He had minor roles in such films as Captain Eddie (1945) (Darryl had a major role in this), The Secret Heart (1946), The Boy with Green Hair (1948), Mighty Joe Young (1949), The Happy Years (1950) (again with Darryl in a major role), and topped his youthful film career as "Nip Worden" in the canine movie series "Rusty", which began with The Son of Rusty (1947) and ended with Rusty's Birthday (1949).
Graduating from Cathedral High School in 1952 (Darryl graduated from the same school in 1948), Dwayne enrolled at Loyola Marymount University. He returned to Hollywood following college studies and, unlike his brother, focused strongly on television work, making appearances on such series as Public Defender (1954), Letter to Loretta (1953), The Lone Ranger (1949), and The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1952). He also appeared in the Paul Newman/Joanne Woodward comedy film Rally 'Round the Flag, Boys! (1958) playing the secondary teen couple with Tuesday Weld. He grabbed major comedy attention, especially from young female baby-boomers, as Chuck, the girl-crazy nephew, in The Bob Cummings Show (1955). (Cummings became his mentor.)
Hickman then played the titular lovesick title high school teen in The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis (1959), the role for which he is best known, and in which he was reunited with Tuesday Weld as the prime object of his attention, although Weld did not remain with the series for the entirety of its run. Laying low for a few years, Hickman returned to the screen, making a strong impression in the western film Cat Ballou (1965), and then began hanging out with the young beach crowd in several AIP movies including Ski Party (1965), How to Stuff a Wild Bikini (1965), and Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine (1965), and a few slapstick comedies such as Sergeant Dead Head (1965) and Doctor, You've Got to Be Kidding! (1967). He guested on a mix of comedic and dramatic TV shows including Combat! (1962), The Mod Squad (1968), Ellery Queen (1975), The Flying Nun (1967), and Kolchak: The Night Stalker (1974).
In the 1970s, Hickman began working behind the scenes as a publicist, a Las Vegas entertainment director and, most successfully, as a programming executive for CBS. He would return only occasionally to acting. He revisited his Dobie Gillis character, albeit a fully grown-up version, in such made-for-television movies as Whatever Happened to Dobie Gillis? (1977) and Bring Me the Head of Dobie Gillis (1988). In addition to guest appearances on Murder, She Wrote (1984) and Hi Honey, I'm Home (1991), he appeared in glorified cameos in High School U.S.A. (1983), had a recurring role on Clueless (1996), and was glimpsed in Cops n Roberts (1995), A Night at the Roxbury (1998), and Angels with Angles (2005). He began episodic directing chores in the 1980's, working on such episodes as "Charles in Charge", "Designing Women", "Head of the Class", "Harry and the Hendersons", and "Sister, Sister". In 1994, he published his biography, aptly titled 'Forever Dobie'.
Thrice wed, Hickman has two children -- one by his first wife, actress/model/beauty pageant winner Carol Christensen (1963-1972) who appeared a few times on "Dobie Gillis", and the other by his present wife, actress/voiceover artist Joan Roberts, to whom he has been married since 1983.
- IMDb Mini Biography By: Gary Brumburgh (updated by R.M. Sieger)
Dwayne Hickman was born in Los Angeles, California. He earned a B.S in Economics from Loyola University in Los Angeles.
Dwayne Hickman starred in his first television series opposite Bob Cummings, where he honed his comedic skills under the watchful eyes of comedy greats George Burns and Jack Benny. Five years later he would land the starring role in his own series, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. As "Dobie", Dwayne Hickman became the hero and spokesman for the generation of Baby Boomers and over 35 years later "Dobie" is still being watched by a whole new generation of teens.
During the years after "Dobie Gillis", Dwayne resumed his film career, starring in several teen movies for A.I.P., which have become cult classics, including "How to Stuff a Wild Bikini", with Annette Funicello and "Ski Party" with Frankie Avalon. He also starred in the Academy Award winning comedy western classic, "Cat Ballou" with Jane Fonda and Lee Marvin. Along with guest appearances on episodic television Hickman also performed on stage, touring the country in productions of "Barefoot in the Park", "Star Spangled Girl", and "6 Rms Riv Vu".
In the 1970's, after a brief stint as Entertainment Director at Howard Hughes' Landmark Hotel in Las Vegas, Hickman decided to return to television, but this time he joined the corporate ranks as a network executive with CBS Television. For ten years he supervised such series hits such as "Maude", "M*A*S*H" and "Designing Women". Dwayne left the network to star and produce the CBS Movie of the Week "Bring Me The Head Of Dobie Gillis", and then he went behind the camera to direct half-hour comedies. It was during this time that he met his future wife, actress/writer Joan Roberts, when she was co-starring in the CBS T.V. series, "Pvt. Benjamin". They were married April 16,1983. On November 23, 1992 they celebrated the birth of their son, Albert Thomas Hickman. In addition to acting and directing, Dwayne and his wife Joan co-authored his autobiography, "Forever Dobie...The Many Lives of Dwayne Hickman" (Birch Lane Press) as well as developing film and T.V. scripts. Dwayne Hickman stepped in front of the cameras again, co-starring in Paramount's feature film; "A Night at the Roxbury" and for two seasons he had a recurring role on UPN. TV's, "Clueless". He also co-starred in the CBS, M.O W. "Surviving Gilligan's Island" playing a CBS network executive! This multifaceted performer is also a critically acclaimed artist, painting in oils. Hickman's use of vibrant colors and exquisite detail in his popular house and landscape series has become his trademark. His artwork has been featured on Good Morning America and national publications including USA Today. Hickman and his wife and business partner, Joan Roberts, publish his artwork, which is represented in galleries across the country and in many private and corporate collections.
In addition to his son, Albert, he has an older son, John, from a previous marriage. Dwayne, his wife Joan Roberts and their son, Albert, reside in Los Angeles, California.
- IMDb Mini Biography By: J Roberts
Family (1)
| Spouse |
Joan Roberts (16 April 1983 -
present) (1 child)
Joanne Purtle Papile (2 March 1977 - 3 August 1981) (divorced) Carol Christensen (7 March 1963 - 7 September 1972) (divorced) (1 child) |
