Charles William "Bill" Mumy, Jr., is an American actor, musician, pitchman, instrumentalist, voice-over artist, and a figure in the science-fiction community. He is most famous for his many appearances on TV as a child actor in the 1960s. The red-headed Mumy came to prominen...
Charles William Mumy, Jr. , Billy Mumy , Art Barnes , Charles William "Bill" Mumy, Jr.
Music Groups
Barnes & Barnes, The Jenerators, The Be Five
Nominations
Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Direction And Composition
Movies
It's a Good Life, Dear Brigitte, Bless the Beasts and Children, Twilight Zone: The Movie, Rascal, Papillon, A.I. Assault, A Child Is Waiting, Sunshine Christmas, Hard to Hold, A Ticklish Affair, Holly Hobbie and Friends: Surprise Party, Comic Book: The Movie, The Bolt Who Screwed Christmas, Captain ...
TV Shows
Babylon 5, Space Cases, Lost in Space, TVography
Star Sign
Aquarius
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Quote
1
[Of Jonathan Harris]: Well, yeah. I never really had too many uncomfortable moments working with any actor. I was comfortable working with most everybody. It's just the more that Jonathan and I did together, the more he changed the character. He really changed the character of Dr. Smith himself. He really turned him from a snarling saboteur villain to this bumbling insulting kook. The more he played it for comedy, the more Irwin Allen liked it. The show really went the way that Jonathan led it. But we had great chemistry together, and we never had a bad day. We were always prepared, as was Bobby May who was inside the robot. When we had our work to do - and I think this is a very big reason the way it went - they'd get us done in a couple of takes. Nobody screwed up. It was easier for the crew and it was easier for us, and people seemed to like it.
2
[on his on- and off-screen chemistry with Jonathan Harris, who played Dr. Zachary Smith]: Oh, he just loved Dr. Smith. He loved him when he was such a snarly villain, and he loved him when he was a lovable buffoon. He created that character, single handedly, and no, I don't think he had any trouble being a nasty, villain kind of a character. He was a versatile actor, and loved doing it. I loved Jonathan very much, he was a great friend.
3
[on being more than an actor]: I'm very lucky to work in so many different arenas of the entertainment industry and I do enjoy them all, but making music - original music - in the studio or live onstage is definitely my favorite thing to do.
4
I'd been working quite prolifically, for about five or six years before we started Lost in Space (1965). One week, I'd be a scary mutant in The Twilight Zone (1959) and, another, I'd be a nice little kid in a Disney movie.
5
[Before Lost in Space (1965)]: From the age of four, I was a huge comic fan and still am. When Lost in Space came along it was like being in a huge comic so we jumped at the chance of being part of that project and it proved to be a good choice.
6
[When asked about real-life sibling rivalry between his actor-children, Seth and Liliana] "...If my kids could wish each other into the cornfield, as it were, they'd LIVE there. I mean, they'd be in that cornfield all the time."
7
I had a great time doing Lost in Space (1965). With the exception of a couple of days, I don't have any unpleasant memories of the show. The only thing I'm bitter about in a sense is that the show runs constantly in syndication and none of the actors get paid. Nonetheless, I made a lot of money at the time, my family invested it well for me, and I have a lot of nice things. I can't complain.
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Fact
1
Credits Jonathan Harris as his favorite acting mentor/best friend.
Best known by the public for his role as Will Robinson on Lost in Space (1965).
9
'Weird Al' Yankovic' was a big fan of Lost in Space (1965) growing up, and he and Mumy later became good friends. Mumy reportedly introduced Al to his wife Suzanne.
10
Credits his Lost in Space (1965) co-star Guy Williams with inspiring him to become an actor. Mumy grew up watching Williams on Disney's Zorro (1957) TV series; young Bill broke his leg attempting to recreate one of the show's stunts in his bedroom.
11
Is an only child.
12
Was a lifelong friend of James Stewart, with whom he co-starred in the film Dear Brigitte (1965). The Stewart and Mumy families knew each other well off-screen, Stewart's wife Gloria having been Mumy's Sunday school teacher. He can still do a perfect imitation of Stewart's voice, one that frequently cracked Stewart up during his lifetime. They were all members of the Beverly Hills Presbyterian Church.
13
On the Babylon 5 (1994) episode "Eyes," he used his album title "Zabagabee" as an alien word. Series show runner J. Michael Straczynski was reportedly not amused, as he didn't feel it was appropriate to promote outside projects, and it ran counter to his mandate forbidding improvisation on the show.
14
Was the original choice to play "Eddie Munster," in the cult 1960s TV series The Munsters (1964). However, his parents did not approve of the makeup young Bill would have to wear for the role; they turned it down. Butch Patrick ended up playing the part. Today, Patrick and Mumy are very good friends and sometimes collaborate on music.
15
Wrote a screenplay back in the late 1970s in which the Lost in Space (1965) family would have found their way back to Earth. 20th Century Fox was committed to the project, but series creator Irwin Allen wasn't interested in reviving the series. The plan dissolved completely after the death of space patriarch Guy Williams in 1989.
16
Acted in a recent episode of the newly-revived The Twilight Zone (2002) TV series with his actress-daughter Liliana Mumy. As a child, Mumy appeared in three of Rod Serling's classic The Twilight Zone (1959) episodes ("Long-Distance Call", "It's a Good Life" and "In Praise Of Pip") during the 1960s.
17
Had a recurring role as "Lennier" on Babylon 5 (1994). Mumy had also repeatedly tried to land a guest role on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993), but the producers always wanted him to play an alien. He held out until they allowed him to play a human, which he did in the DS9 episode "The Siege of AR-558" (he was the Starfleet engineer who worked on trying to decode a Dominion communications array).
18
Performed with Robert Haimer as "Barnes & Barnes", recording the hit novelty song "Fish Heads" in 1978. It is currently the most requested song in the history of the Dr. Demento Show.
TV Series writer - 14 episodes, 1996 - 1997 creator - 2 episodes, 1996 written by - 2 episodes, 1996 story - 1 episode, 1996
The Fantasy Worlds of Irwin Allen
1995
TV Movie documentary
Fish Heads
1980
Short as Art Barnes
Soundtrack
Title
Year
Status
Character
Derailroaded
2005
Documentary performer: "Fish Heads" / writer: "It's a Hard Business", "Fish Heads", "The Bouillabaisse", "Frank", "It's a Money World", "My Sweet Little Cathy", "Ping Pong Ball Head', "Music Business Shark"
Backstory
2000
TV Series documentary writer: "Series Theme"
The Simpsons
1996
TV Series writer - 1 episode
Dr. Demento 20th Anniversary Collection
1991
Video performer: "Fish Heads" - as Barnes / writer: "Fish Heads" - as Barnes
Plain Clothes
1987
as Billy Mumy, "YOU'RE RICH"
Lost in Space
1965-1967
TV Series performer - 4 episodes
Music Department
Title
Year
Status
Character
Backstory
2000-2001
TV Series documentary composer - 4 episodes
Lost in Space Forever
1998
TV Movie documentary arranger: end title music
On the Edge of Black and White
2008
Documentary composer: additional music / composer: theme music
Composer
Title
Year
Status
Character
Fish Heads
1980
Short as Art Barnes
Producer
Title
Year
Status
Character
Lost in Space Forever
1998
TV Movie documentary co-producer
Miscellaneous
Title
Year
Status
Character
The Fantasy Worlds of Irwin Allen
1995
TV Movie documentary creative consultant
Self
Title
Year
Status
Character
Under the Smogberry Trees
2016
Documentary
Art Barnes
Earl Hamner Storyteller
2015
Documentary
Himself
The Actor's Journey
2011
Video documentary
Himself
The Actor's Journey for Kids
2011
Video documentary
Himself
Pioneers of Television
2011
TV Mini-Series documentary
Himself / Student on Romper Room / Will Robinson in Lost in Space
Starz Inside: The Face Is Familiar
2009
TV Movie documentary
Narrator (voice)
Biography
1995-2009
TV Series documentary
Himself - Narrator / Himself / Himself - Host
On the Edge of Black and White
2008
Documentary
Himself
Look, Up in the Sky! The Amazing Story of Superman