Bruce Bilson, Emmy-Winning TV Director Behind ‘Get Smart’ and ‘Andy Griffith,’ Dies at 97

Bilson’s body of work includes ‘Hogan’s Heroes,’ ‘Barney Miller,’ and ‘The Odd Couple.’

Don Knotts and Andy Griffith as their "Andy Griffith Show" characters—Barney Fife and Andy Taylor— in a 1965 still taken from a CBS variety special. Bruce Bilson directed dozens of episodes of the 1960s sitcom. PD-PRE1978

Bruce Bilson, an Emmy-winning television director whose work shaped some of America’s most enduring network series, has died. He was 97.

Bilson died peacefully Friday at his home in Los Angeles, his daughter, producer Julie Bilson Ahlberg, confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter. No cause of death was disclosed.