Bill Anderson

“Tell a good story in a lighthearted manner. Family entertainment should be fun; life is melodramatic enough.” - Bill Anderson
William Hillyard "Bill" Anderson was an American producer, best known for his work with The Walt Disney Company. He also served on the company's Board of Directors from 1964 to 1984, and was named a Disney Legend in 2004.
Anderson was born in Smithfield, Utah. From a young age, he had the desire to be an actor. To pursue his dream, he moved to California, where he found himself playing small radio parts. He eventually abandoned acting in favor of the automobile industry and used his salary to pay his way through pre-law at El Camino College Compton Center and later the University of Southern California.
In 1943, Walt Disney Productions hired Anderson to work in their production control department. By 1951, Anderson had risen in the ranks from an assistant to becoming production manager for Walt Disney. In 1956, he was named vice president in charge of studio operations. His first film as a producer was Old Yeller. He would go on to produce many live-action features, such as Swiss Family Robinson, The Moon-Spinners, The Happiest Millionaire, The Apple Dumpling Gang, and The Shaggy D.A.. He also worked extensively on the ABC television series Zorro as well as the Disney anthology show where he produced episodes of The Swamp Fox, Texas John Slaughter, and The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh.
After the death of Walt Disney in 1966, Anderson was selected to be part of a small group of producers who would guide the studio's motion picture production over the next decade until his retirement in 1984. He died from a cerebral hemorrhage in 1997 after suffering a fall.
==Filmography==
Year 	Film 	Position
1956 	Westward Ho, the Wagons! 	Production manager (uncredited)
1957 	Old Yeller 	Associate producer
1957–1959	Zorro 	ProducerAssociate producer
1959–1978	The Magical World of Disney 	ProducerCo-producer
1959 	Third Man on the Mountain 	Producer
1960 	Swiss Family Robinson 	Producer
1962 	Moon Pilot 	Co-producer
1962 	The Mooncussers 	Co-producer
1962 	Escapade in Florence 	Co-producer
1963 	Savage Sam 	Co-producer
1964 	A Tiger Walks 	Co-producer
1964 	The Moon-Spinners 	Co-producer
1965 	The Legend of Young Dick Turpin 	Co-producer
1966 	The Fighting Prince of Donegal 	Co-producer
1967 	The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin 	Co-producer
1967 	Mosby's Marauders 	Co-producer
1967 	The Happiest Millionaire 	Co-producer
1968 	The Young Loner 	Producer
1968 	The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band	Producer
1969 	Smith! 	Producer
1969 	The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes 	Producer
1971 	The Barefoot Executive 	Producer
1971 	The Million Dollar Duck 	Producer
1972 	The Biscuit Eater 	Producer
1973 	The Mystery in Dracula's Castle 	Producer
1973 	Charley and the Angel 	Producer
1973 	Superdad 	Producer
1975 	The Strongest Man in the World 	Producer
1975 	The Apple Dumpling Gang 	Producer
1976 	Treasure of Matecumbe 	Producer
1976 	The Shaggy D.A. 	Producer
==Trivia==
*In 1959, his wife, Virginia was instrumental in bringing Hayley Mills to the attention of Anderson. He then suggested to Walt that the English actress would be a good fit for the lead role in Pollyanna.
==References==
==External links==
*Disney Legends profile
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Category:Males
Category:1910s births
Category:1990s deaths
Category:Deceased
Category:American people
Category:People from Utah
Category:Producers
Category:Radio actors
Category:Disney Legends
Category:ABC
Category:Zorro
Category:The Apple Dumpling Gang
Category:The Moon-Spinners
Category:Old Yeller
Category:Westward Ho, the Wagons!
Category:Swiss Family Robinson
Category:The Happiest Millionaire
Category:The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes
Category:The Shaggy Dog
Category:Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color
Category:The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band
Category:The Million Dollar Duck
Category:Charley and the Angel
Category:Treasure of Matecumbe
Category:The Barefoot Executive
Category:A Tiger Walks
Category:Superdad
Category:Third Man on the Mountain