He is most notable for his work as a regular director on the spy spoof Get Smart.
His mother, Hattie Bilson (née Dratwa; 1907–2004), was an American screenwriter, and his father, George Bilson (1902–1981), was a British producer/writer/director of Ashkenazi Jewish descent who was born in Leeds, England.
[1] His brother, Malcolm is a fortepianist and professor of piano at Cornell University.
Bilson graduated from UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television in 1950.
They had two children, Danny Bilson (born 1956), a film and video game writer/producer and father of actress Rachel Bilson, and Julie Ahlberg, a film producer.