Producer Dwayne Hickman, who played Dobie Gillis, has died

Dwayne Hickman, the histrion and web TV enforcement who contempt galore achievements passim his beingness would ever beryllium remembered fondly by a procreation of babe boomers for his relation arsenic Dobie Gillis, has died. He was 87.

Hickman died of complications from Parkinsons connected Sunday astatine his location successful Los Angeles, according to a connection from a household representative, B. Harlan Boll. He was surrounded by household members erstwhile helium died, it said.

Although Hickman went connected to look connected different TV shows and successful movies, arsenic good arsenic to palmy behind-the-scenes careers arsenic a publicist, endowment booker for a salient Howard Hughes-owned casino successful Las Vegas and TV programming enforcement for CBS, helium could ne'er flight his nationalist transportation to Dobie.

“Oh, my gosh — it’s Dobie Gillis! I grew up with you!” erstwhile President Clinton told him erstwhile the 2 met portion Clinton was politician of Arkansas.

“Now it’s nice,” Hickman, who was besides an accomplished painter, told a newsman during an accumulation of his enactment successful St. Louis successful 2003. “It’s precise saccharine to spot however overmuch Dobie Gillis meant to a batch of babe boomers, who are ever bully erstwhile I conscionable them.”

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His autobiography, co-written with Joan Roberts Hickman, his wife, was published successful 1995. It was titled “Forever Dobie.”

Hickman had tiny parts successful movies and TV shows arsenic a youngster, but had fixed up acting by 1950 to ore connected his studies astatine Los Angeles’ Cathedral High School. After graduation, helium entered Loyola University.

“I was successful the creation programme and was heading toward architecture erstwhile I got a telephone from my aged cause toward the extremity of my freshman year,” helium recalled successful a 2003 interview. “He said helium had a relation for maine successful ‘The Bob Cummings Show.’”

Hickman went connected to play Chuck MacDonald, the teenage nephew who tried to get a portion of his Uncle Bob’s enactment arsenic Cummings’ Bob Collins quality worked arsenic a lensman of glamour girls. Hickman, meanwhile, continued his studies connected the side, yet earning a grade successful economics from Loyola.

“The Bob Cummings Show” (later called “Love That Bob”) lasted from 1955 to 1959, and toward the extremity of its tally Hickman made a aviator for writer Max Shulman astir a lovelorn 16-year-old named Dobie Gillis who pursued, but could ne'er triumph the bosom of, astir each miss helium saw.

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“The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis,” marked by crisp wit and a superb young formed that besides included Bob Denver, Warren Beatty and Tuesday Weld, was an instant deed erstwhile it debuted successful 1959.

“The main contradiction is that Dobie ne'er gets the girl,” Hickman erstwhile said. “His is simply a mendacious aggressiveness; everything helium attempts successful beingness backfires and pushes him into past place.” As a result, Hickman’s Dobie would often walk a portion of the amusement lasting successful beforehand of a transcript of the statue of Rodin’s “The Thinker,” philosophizing astir his bumbling efforts astatine beingness and love.

As “Dobie Gillis” continued connected until 1963, and Hickman’s and Denver’s characters aged (both actors were already successful their mid-20s erstwhile the amusement began), viewers saw them spell from precocious schoolhouse to college, arsenic good arsenic to a brief, bumbling stint successful the U.S. military,

At some precocious schoolhouse and college, seasoned quality histrion William Schallert was their put-upon teacher. Although Steve Franken soon replaced Beatty arsenic Gillis’ affluent archrival, Sheila James Kuehl (later elected to respective presumption successful the California Legislature) remained Dobie’s lone arduous suitor. Kuehl’s Zelda Gilroy was besides the lone miss Dobie ne'er realized loved him, though by the 1988 TV reunion movie “Bring Me The Head of Dobie Gillis” Dobie and Zelda had yet married.

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After the TV amusement folded successful 1963, Hickman went connected to look successful specified films arsenic “Cat Ballou” with Jane Fonda and Lee Marvin and specified fashionable 1960s youth-oriented pictures arsenic “How to Stuff a Wild Bikini,” “Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine” and “Ski Party.” Although his acting vocation slowed successful the 1970s, helium continued to look successful specified TV shows arsenic “The Mod Squad,” “Love, American Style” and “Clueless.”

When Denver, who went from playing beatnik Maynard G. Krebs connected “Dobie Gillis” to the rubric relation successful “Gilligan’s Island,” made the 2001 biopic “Surviving Gilligan’s Island: The Incredibly True Story of the Longest Three Hour Tour successful History,” Hickman appeared successful flashback scenes arsenic a TV web executive.

After his acting vocation slowed successful the 1970s, Hickman became endowment manager astatine Hughes’ Landmark Hotel and worked 10 years arsenic a programme manager astatine CBS, overseeing specified bid arsenic “M.A.S.H.,” “Dukes of Hazzard,” “Maude” and “Designing Women.”

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He began to survey coating successful the precocious 1980s “so I could larn to bash it right,” helium said, and yet saw his works exhibited astatine creation galleries crossed the country. Dwayne Bernard Hickman, member of seasoned quality histrion Darryl Hickman, was calved May 18, 1934, successful Los Angeles. He began acting astatine property 6, pursuing his older member into the business.

He was joined 3 times: to Carol Christensen, 1963-1972; Joanne Papile, 1977-81; and Joan Roberts, whom helium joined successful 1983 and who survives him. Hickman and his archetypal woman had a son, John, and helium and his 3rd woman had a son, Albert.

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Late Associated Press writer Bob Thomas contributed biographical accusation to this report.

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