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Bill Dial was born on 17 June 1943 in the USA. He was a producer and writer, known for E.A.R.T.H. Force (1990), Legmen (1984) and Code Name: Foxfire (1985). He died on 2 June 2008.
- Producer, Writer, Additional Crew
- June 17, 1943
- Bill Dial
- June 2, 2008
- Overview
- External links
Real world article
(written from a Production point of view)
William Allen Dial (17 June 1943 – 2 June 2008; age 64), better known simply as Bill Dial, was a writer, producer and occasional actor who wrote for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager. He co-wrote the story (after Jim Trombetta) and wrote the teleplay for DS9: "The Alternate". He then wrote the episode "Tribunal". For Voyager, he wrote the initial teleplay for the first season episode "Eye of the Needle".
He appeared in 1983 as an extra in a privately funded feature titled "Nature's Way" later retitled "Don't Change My World", a family drama, produced by George Macrenaris, directed by Robert Rector and distributed, according to unsupported rumors, among captive audiences of ship bound submariners. Ben "Cooter" Jones also appeared in the Atlanta production.
He was perhaps best known as a writer and producer on the hit CBS comedy series WKRP in Cincinnati, which revolved around the staff of a struggling radio station. Dial wrote five episodes for this series during its first season (1978-79), the most famous of which was his first, entitled "Turkeys Away." In this episode, WKRP manager Arthur Carlson drops twenty live turkeys from a helicopter over a shopping center as a publicity stunt to promote Thanksgiving. The turkeys plunge to their deaths as shoppers run for their lives, and a shaken Carlson later remarks, "As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly." "Turkeys Away" was named by TV Guide as the fortieth greatest episode of any series in television history.
Dial also appeared in two episodes of WKRP, playing the station's beer-drinking engineer, Bucky Dornster. One of those episodes (1978's "Hold Up") featured Hamilton Camp. Dial's only other acting credit was the 1977 feature film, The Lincoln Conspiracy. This drama was directed by James L. Conway and starred John Anderson as the ill-fated Abraham Lincoln. Whit Bissell and veteran Star Trek assistant director Jerry Fleck were also part of the cast.
•Bill Dial at the Internet Movie Database
•Bill Dial Passes at TrekToday
Jun 8, 2008 · William Allen Dial passed away on Monday, June 2 after suffering a heart attack. As reported by Radio-Info.com, Dial, best-known for his work on WKRP in Cincinnati died at his home in South...
Aug 26, 2021 · Bill Dial, who abruptly retired earlier this month, allegedly conspired to entrap a fellow officer, lied to state and federal investigators, and provided an unvetted civilian — who is now charged...
Feb 13, 2023 · Opting to accept the Justice Department’s harshest sanctions, Bill Dial is prohibited from ever again working in law enforcement even as he maintains the allegations against him are “based on...
TV writer and sometime actor Bill Dial has died of a heart attack at the age of 64. He had a whole bunch of different credits in comedy, drama and sci-fi.
Jan 18, 2023 · He practiced in Los Angeles for 37 years before retiring and moving to Santa Barbara in 2008. He volunteered for the Alternatives to Violence Project at Lompoc federal prison, where he introduced the program into the federal prison system in California.
