TV Executive & Producer William Self Has Died

William Self served as an executive at 20th Century Fox where he oversaw such now-classic TV series as Batman, Julia, and M*A*S*H and was an Emmy-nominated producer of the 1991 Hallmark Hall of Fame production Sarah, Plain and Tall.  Self died on November 15 at the age of 89.

William Self's Archive interview was conducted on March 27, 2001.

Interview description:

William “Bill” Self was interviewed for three hours in Los Angeles, CA.  Mr. Self started off discussing his early acting career in movies that led to his extensive television producing career.  He talked about producing the series: Schlitz Playhouse of Stars, The Frank Sinatra Show and the pilot of The Twilight Zone.  He then discussed his brief executive position at CBS and his executive producer position at 20th Century Fox Television.  Self talked about his promotions at Fox to the eventual positions of President of 20th Century Fox Television and Vice President of 20th Century Fox Film Corporation, where he oversaw such shows as The Adventures of Dobie Gillis, Batman, Daniel Boone, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Peyton Place, Lost in Space, M*A*S*H, Julia and Room 222, among others.  He ended the interview discussing his relationships with various producers and directors and his partnership with actress Glenn Close on the Sarah Plain and Tall movies.  The interview was conducted by Jeff Abraham.