Professional bodybuilder and former Mr. Universe Lou Ferrigno indeed played just the green-skinned, rage-fuelled alter ego of scientist David Banner in the 1978-82 series "The Incredible Hulk." For the mild-mannered man himself, the producers chose a slightly more seasoned actor: Bill Bixby.

Indeed, Bixby had already starred in two hit series before taking on the superhero role.

These days, it's hard to say whether Bixby is best remembered as Banner; as Tim O'Hara, the character who made him a star more than a decade earlier on the early-'60s sitcom "My Favorite Martian;" or as Tom Corbett, the titular father in the 1969 to 1972 sitcom "The Courtship of Eddie's Father."

On "My Favorite Martian," which ran from 1963 to 1966 on CBS, he played a young man who is befriended by a sarcastic Martian who moves in with him and pretends to be his uncle, cleverly named Martin.

The series, though it only ran for three seasons, is still revered as an early example of the TV sci-fi comedy, blazing a trail for such future hits as "Mork & Mindy" and "3rd Rock From the Sun."

Others might remember Bixby for his big-screen work, most notably the leading role in the classic 1975 film "The Apple Dumpling Gang." He starred as a reluctant parent in the family-friendly comedy, opposite bumbling outlaws played by Don Knotts and Tim Conway.

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