An Underappreciated Sci-Fi Legend Starred In Three Versions Of The Twilight Zone

Bill Mumy isn't a household name, but true sci-fi fans will recognize him from his leading roles in the iconic '60s series "Lost in Space" and the '90s cult classic "Babylon 5." Those two credits alone make him an unsung legend, but Mumy also holds the distinction of having entered "The Twilight Zone" on multiple occasions — appearing in two different series and the feature film. Notably, he's in one of the best episodes of "The Twilight Zone" ever (and one of the scariest). Born in 1954, Mumy started acting young. He made his first of three appearances on Rod Serling's original "Twilight Zone," in the Season 2 episode "Long Distance Call." Mumy played a young boy who could speak with his deceased grandmother using a toy phone.

His second "Twilight Zone" appearance was "It's a Good Life," where he played Anthony Fremont, a 6-year-old with omnipotent powers and the cruel, unpredictable whims of a child. The Season 3 episode is one of the show's finest installments, and Mumy is chilling as a capricious, god-like child. In an interview with The Television Academy, the actor said he understood that Anthony was a metaphor for the "undisciplined United States," but he loved the character because "he was just the ultimate mutant and he was cranky." His third role was the Season 5 premiere, "In Praise of Pip," where he played the young version of a wounded Vietnam soldier who appears to his bookie father in a supernatural vision.

Bill Mumy acted consistently throughout the '60s. He appeared in three episodes of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents," though according to the Television Academy, the legendary director traumatized him after a subpar take by saying, "Young man, if you don't stand still, I'm going to nail your feet to the floor and blood will pour out like milk." He went on to be one of three actors to play Darrin on "Bewitched" and featured in shows like "Wagon Train," "I Dream of Jeannie," and "The Munsters" before getting a leading role in "Lost in Space" as Will Robinson.

In 1983, Mumy made a small cameo appearance in the third segment of "Twilight Zone: The Movie," which was a remake of "It's a Good Life." In the early 2000s, after he'd played Lennier in "Babylon 5," he returned to "The Twilight Zone" again for UPN's revival. The episode "It's Still a Good Life" was a direct sequel to the original, and he reprised his role as a now-grown-up Anthony Fremont. He also helped come up with the idea for the sequel in the first place, with his daughter Liliana playing Anthony's child, who possesses the same terrible superpowers.

Mumy sadly did not make an appearance in Jordan Peele's 2019 "Twilight Zone" reboot, but he made a cameo in Netflix's "Lost in Space" series instead.