The
younger brother of child actor Darryl Hickman, he also
began his work at an early age. He first wide notice when
he played a recurring role as Bob's nephew on the situation
comedy The Bob Cummings Show (a/k/a, Love That Bob) in
1955 while a student at Loyola University (now known as
Loyola Marymount University). This role probably led as
much as anything to his casting in the lead role in the
CBS sitcom The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. Interestingly,
although at the show's debut the Dobie character was still
a teenager in high school, Hickman was already 25.
After
playing Dobie for four years (with fellow former Loyola student
Bob Denver as his sidekick, Maynard), Hickman found himself
stereotyped as a "youngster" just at the time of his life in
which he was too old to play any further such roles. He appeared
in some minor "beach" films and made a TV pilot for a program
in which he was to play a young schoolteacher, which was not
picked up.
Hickman found his future in entertainment to be behind the scenes, and
became involved in several projects in production roles. Later he became
a programming executive at CBS, a role which he has since spoofed by appearing
as such in several on-camera roles. He also worked as a director on various
episodes of television series, and also potrayed Dobie in two TV reunions,
Whatever Happened to Dobie Gillis and Bring Me the Head of Dobie Gillis.
His autobiography is entitled Forever Dobie. |
