William Asher

Biography

William Milton Asher (August 8, 1921 – July 16, 2012) was an American television and film producer, film director, and screenwriter. He was one of the most prolific early television directors, producing or directing over two dozen series. With television in its infancy, he introduced the sitcom Our Miss Brooks, which was adapted from a radio show. He began directing I Love Lucy by 1952. As a result of his early success, Asher was considered an "early wunderkind of TV-land," and was hyperbolically credited in one magazine article with "inventing" the sitcom. In 1964, he began to direct episodes of Bewitched, which starred his wife Elizabeth Montgomery. He produced the series from the fourth season. He was nominated for an Emmy Award four times, winning once for directing Bewitched in 1966. He was also nominated for the DGA Award in 1951 for I Love Lucy. In 1951, he married actress Danny Sue Nolan, with whom he had two children; the couple divorced in 1961. He then married actress Elizabeth Montgomery in 1963, just before Bewitched began its run. They had three children and divorced in 1973. His third marriage was to actress Joyce Bulifant and it lasted from 1976 to 1993. He adopt…

Directed

1. The Twilight Zone (1959) — Director
2. Bewitched (1964) — Director
3. I Love Lucy (1951) — Director
4. Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker (1981) — Director
5. Alice (1976) — Director
6. Beach Party (1963) — Director
7. The 27th Day (1957) — Director
8. Beach Blanket Bingo (1965) — Director
9. Muscle Beach Party (1964) — Director
10. Bikini Beach (1964) — Director
11. How to Stuff a Wild Bikini (1965) — Director
12. The Shadow on the Window (1957) — Director
13. Johnny Cool (1963) — Director
14. The Danny Thomas Show (1953) — Director
15. Fireball 500 (1966) — Director
16. The Patty Duke Show (1963) — Director
17. Gidget (1965) — Director
18. Movers & Shakers (1985) — Director
19. Jungle Cubs (1996) — Director
20. I Dream of Jeannie... Fifteen Years Later (1985) — Director
21. Four Star Playhouse (1952) — Director
22. Private Benjamin (1981) — Director
23. The Bad News Bears (1979) — Director
24. The Thin Man (1957) — Director
25. Crazy like a Fox (1984) — Director
26. American Playhouse (1982) — Director
27. Tabitha (1977) — Director
28. General Electric Theater (1953) — Director
29. The Jane Wyman Show (1955) — Director
30. Shirley Temple's Storybook (1958) — Director
31. Return to Green Acres (1990) — Director
32. Harper Valley (1981) — Director
33. The Paul Lynde Show (1972) — Director
34. Racket Squad (1951) — Director
35. Mobs, Inc. (1956) — Director
36. Temperatures Rising (1972) — Director
37. Vacation Playhouse (1963) — Director
38. Fibber McGee & Molly (1959) — Director
39. Leather Gloves (1948) — Director
40. A Christmas for Boomer (1979) — Director

Also appeared in

1. E! True Hollywood Story (1996)
2. Lucille Ball: Finding Lucy (2000) — Self