This article is about the puppeteer. For other uses, see Bill Baird (disambiguation).
Bil Baird
Baird and Charlemane, 1963
Born
(1904-08-15)August 15, 1904
Grand Island, Nebraska, U.S.
Died
March 18, 1987(1987-03-18) (aged 82)
New York City, U.S.
Occupation
Puppeteer
Years active
1928–1987
Spouses
Evelyn Schwartz
(m. 1932; div. 1936)
Cora Eisenberg
(m. 1937; died 1967)
Josie Lloyd
(m. 1974)
Children
2, including Peter
William Britton "Bil" Baird (August 15, 1904[1] – March 18, 1987) was an American puppeteer of the mid- and late 20th century. He and his puppets performed for millions of adults and children. One of his better known creations was Charlemane the lion. He and his wife Cora Eisenberg Baird (1912–1967) produced and performed the famous puppetry sequence for "The Lonely Goatherd" in the film version of The Sound of Music.[2] His son Peter Baird was also a puppeteer, and he continued his family's legacy until his own death in July 2004.[3]
He wrote The Art of the Puppet (1965) and provided the puppets for Dark Shadows. Baird also created the expandable nose Peter Noone wore as Pinocchio in the 1968 musical adaptation of the Carlo Collodi story that aired on NBC as a Hallmark Hall of Fame special.
^Brown, Rick (October 13, 2016). "Sixty years of pulling strings: G.I. native's puppets on display at MONA". Kearney Hub. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
^Rothman, Joshua (August 23, 2014). "Live From the Moon". The New Yorker. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
^"Peter Baird, 52, Who Carried On His Family's Marionette Legacy". The New York Times. July 21, 2004. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
William Britton "Bil" Baird (August 15, 1904 – March 18, 1987) was an American puppeteer of the mid- and late 20th century. He and his puppets performed...
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Peter Baird (February 25, 1952 – July 16, 2004) was an American film actor, puppeteer and the son of puppeteer and actor BilBaird and Cora Baird a theatre...
crafted and display an almost Disney-esque quality.[citation needed] The BilBaird theatre in Greenwich Village closed in 1987 but was a nationally recognized...
fourth wife of puppeteer BilBaird, who was 36 years her senior. They were married in 1974 and remained together until Baird's death in 1987. As a teenager...
Center Soldier The Whistling Wizard and the Sultan of Tuffet 1969–1970 BilBaird Marionette Theater — Understudy Pinkville 1970–1971 The American Place...
Sarg's Almanac, from 1921 to 1923. In 1928, he designed, and his protégé BilBaird built tethered helium-filled balloons up to 125 feet (40 m) long, resembling...
"Heirloom Toys -share a part of your world with the next generation" Baird, Bil (1966). The Art of the Puppet. Plays. ISBN 0-8238-0067-9. Beaton, Mabel;...
Doody of the United States being a notable marionette in this field. BilBaird worked on revitalising marionette theatre and puppetry in the United States...
development of a mascot, a puppet character called Champy the Lion, produced by BilBaird and voiced by Thurl Ravenscroft. Despite these efforts, sales of Wheaties...
Philip John Stead (1950) Evans Brothers Ltd. The Art of the Puppet by BilBaird (1965) Ridge Press/MacMillan Punch & Judy: A Play for Puppets by Ed Emberley...
television special Art Carney Meets Peter and the Wolf, which featured the BilBaird Marionettes. It combined an original story with a marionette presentation...
worked in toy design and doll clothing, in early television with the BilBaird puppets, and in summer theater at the Camp Tamiment Playhouse.[citation...
Anita Harris; Rexford with Glenn Stanley; and The Whistling Wizard, a BilBaird puppet show. (Brut did not make the TV productions, they just distributed...
Milorad Arsenijević, 80, Yugoslavian footballer and manager, and Olympian. BilBaird, 82, American puppeteer, pneumonia and cancer. Claude I. Bakewell, 74...
Art Carney Meets Peter and the Wolf, starring Carney, along with the BilBaird Marionettes, was presented by the American Broadcasting Company, and was...
at Maxine Elliott's Theatre The horse (Carol King, Denby) and creator BilBaird outside Maxine Elliott's Theatre Cotten and Virginia Welles Sidney Smith...
film was produced and performed by the leading puppeteers of the day, BilBaird and Cora Eisenberg. According to The Sound of Music Companion, Hammerstein...
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