Bill Nye

This article is about the American science educator. For the British actor, see Bill Nighy. For other people, see Bill Nye (disambiguation).
"Everything All at Once" redirects here. For the film, see Everything Everywhere All at Once.
"The Science Guy" redirects here. For his television series, see Bill Nye the Science Guy.

Bill Nye
A close-up shot of Bill Nye's face, wearing one of his trademark bow ties.
Nye wearing one of his signature bow ties, 2017
Born
William Sanford Nye

(1955-11-27) November 27, 1955 (age 68)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
EducationCornell University (BS)
Occupation
  • Science Communicator
Known for
Spouses
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(m. 2006; ann. 2006)​
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(m. 2022)​
[3]
RelativesGeorge Tindall (former-father-in-law)
Scientific career
FieldsMechanical engineering
Institutions
Websitebillnye.com
Signature

William Sanford Nye (/naɪ/; born November 27, 1955)[4] is an American science communicator, television presenter, and former mechanical engineer. He is best known as the host of the science education television show Bill Nye the Science Guy (1993–1999) and as a science educator in pop culture. Born in Washington, D.C., Nye began his career as a mechanical engineer for Boeing in Seattle, where he invented a hydraulic resonance suppressor tube used on 747 airplanes. In 1986, he left Boeing to pursue comedy—writing and performing for the local sketch television show Almost Live!, where he regularly conducted wacky scientific experiments.

Aspiring to become the next Mr. Wizard, Nye successfully pitched the children's television program Bill Nye the Science Guy to Seattle's public television station, KCTS-TV. The show—which proudly proclaimed in its theme song that "science rules!"—ran from 1993 to 1998 in national TV syndication. Known for its "high-energy presentation and MTV-paced segments",[5] the program became a hit among kids and adults, was critically acclaimed, and was nominated for 23 Emmy Awards, winning 19, including Outstanding Performer in Children's Programming for Nye himself.

Nye continued to advocate for science, becoming the CEO of The Planetary Society. He has written two bestselling books on science: Undeniable: Evolution and the Science of Creation (2014) and Unstoppable: Harnessing Science to Change the World (2015). He has appeared frequently on other TV shows, including Dancing with the Stars, The Big Bang Theory, and Inside Amy Schumer.[6] He starred in a documentary about his life and science advocacy, Bill Nye: Science Guy, which premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival in March 2017; and, in October 2017, was named a NYT Critic's Pick.[2] In 2017, the Netflix series Bill Nye Saves the World debuted, and ran for three seasons until 2018. His most recent series, The End Is Nye, premiered August 25, 2022, on Peacock and Syfy.

  1. ^ "Bill Nye, engineer/television genius". Public Broadcasting Service. March 4, 2014. Retrieved April 22, 2016.
  2. ^ a b Webster, Andy (October 26, 2017). "Review: 'Bill Nye: Science Guy,' a Portrait of a Fighter for Facts". The New York Times. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
  3. ^ Beard, Lanford (June 22, 2022). "Bill Nye Is Married! The Science Guy Star Weds Journalist Liza Mundy". People. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  4. ^ "2015 Commencement Speaker: William Sanford Nye". Rutgers University. Archived from the original on May 6, 2015. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  5. ^ Goldberg, Carey (April 9, 1997). "Pondering Fire, Infinity and a Head of Lettuce (Cool!)". The New York Times. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  6. ^ "The March for Science was a moment made for Bill Nye". The Washington Post. April 23, 2017. Retrieved April 27, 2017.