Date of Birth
20 March 1935,
Queens, New York, USA
Date of Death
6 October 1996, Los Angeles, California, USA (aortic aneurysm)
Birth Name
Terrence Bessell
Height
6' (1.83 m)
Mini Biography
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, U.S.M.C." (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).
IMDb Mini Biography By:
Tony Fontana
Spouse
| Janeen Darrah |
(? - ?) (annulled) |
| Donna Gordon |
(? - ?) (divorced) |
| Linnell S. Bessell |
(? - ?) (his death) 2 children |
| Linnell Nobori |
(? - 6 October 1996) (his death) 2 children |
Trivia
Pronounced dead shortly after 1 a.m. in UCLA Medical Center emergency room.
Ted was in the process of directing the movie version of the television series, "Bewitched" (1964) when he became fatally ill.
Is interred at Woodlawn Cemetary, Santa Monica, CA
Before becoming an actor, Ted Bessell had seriously considered the Catholic Priesthood as a vocation.
Remained friends with "That Girl" (1966) costar Marlo Thomas until his death.
Best remembered by the public for his role as Donald Hollinger in That Girl (1966).
He and former co-star Marlo Thomas were discussing a feature film remake of their 60s "That Girl" series in which the two main characters, now 25 years older, would meet again and fall in love.
He scored his biggest burst of post-"That Girl" fame in the final season of "Mary Tyler Moore" (1970), playing Mary Richard's beau.
For five years (until his death) his professional partner was Penny Marshall at Parkway Productions.
His surviving wife, Linnell Nobori, is an artist. They have two daughters, Sarah and Mary.
One of his ex-wives is Donna Gordon, a well-known exotic dancer during the 1970s and 1980s. The couple divorced sometime in the 1980s.
Interred in Woodlawn Cemetery in Santa Monica, California.
Bessell moved into directing and helmed episodes of "The Tracey Ullman Show," and in 1989 shared an Emmy as a producer on Fox Broadcasting's "Tracey Ullman", which was honored as best variety or comedy program.
Attending both Georgetown University and the University of Colorado, he graduated in 1958 and focused on acting. He studied with Sanford Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse.
A former 12-year-old child prodigy, his youthful highlight was performing a piano recital at Carnegie Hall.
Died of the same heart problem that took the life of fellow clean-cut comic actor John Ritter a decade later.
Personal Quotes
Donald Hollinger made me a name but took away the heart of me.
Ted Bessell
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
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