William Self
Biography
William Self was an American actor and producer. Raised in Dayton, Ohio, he earned a bachelor's degree in political science at the University of Chicago in 1943, then went to Los Angeles to act. His first screen role was in The Story of G.I. Joe (1945), a William Wellman picture; by 1952 he had appeared in more than thirty films, among them Red River (1948) and The Thing from Another World (1951) for Howard Hawks. He then turned to television production, first on China Smith and later as producer of Schlitz Playhouse of Stars, followed by The Frank Sinatra Show. While at CBS he produced the pilot for Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone. At 20th Century Fox from 1959 he became president of Fox Television. The CBS miniseries The Blue and the Gray (1982) gained four prime-time Emmy nominations. He later produced The Shootist (1976) with Mike Frankovich and Sarah, Plain and Tall (1991).
89years old at death
- Born Dayton
- Died Los Angeles
- Star sign: CancerFirst day of the sign, on the Gemini cusp
Movie Career
- Films
- 5
- Career span
- 7 years1945 to 1952
Every film, newest first
- 1952The Big SkyIMDb rating 6.9
- 1951The Thing from Another WorldIMDb rating 7.0
- 1949I Was a Male War BrideIMDb rating 7.0
- 1949Sands of Iwo JimaIMDb rating 7.0
- 1945Story of G.I. JoeIMDb rating 7.1
Genres
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Own stunts
William Self was runner-up in the Wisconsin Junior Tennis Championship, represented Wisconsin on the Junior Davis Cup team, and won the Wisconsin State Men's Championship in 1945.
A change of course
Self gave up acting in 1952 and started a long career in television production. He earned his first producing credit as Assistant to the Producer on China Smith, the series starring Dan Duryea.
A first
Self became Program Executive for CBS Television Network, with the job of developing new television series. Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone was the first pilot he produced.
A first
Hired by 20th Century Fox in 1959, Self stayed 15 years and guided its television output. Its shows included Peyton Place, the first prime time soap opera, and Julia, which was the first weekly series with an African American woman as its star.
A first
Self partnered with Glenn Close to produce three Hallmark television movies, including Sarah, Plain and Tall (1991), which drew a higher rating than any Hallmark Hall of Fame had before.
William Self movies on Netflix
Most often with
Howard Hawks directed three of these films. Four actors appear in two of them each. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Wally Cassell's page
Dewey Martin's page
William Murphy's page
Bill Neff2 films together, 1949 to 1951
Bill Neff's page
All films by Howard Hawks
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.