William Daniels wasn’t simply an onscreen mentor to the younger forged of Boy Meets World within the Nineties as Mr. George Feeny — he grew to become a real-life confidant all through 30 years of friendship.
The legendary actor already had a 50-year profession in Hollywood — together with enjoying Dustin Hoffman’s father in 1967’s The Graduate and voicing Ok.I.T.T. the speaking automobile in TV’s Knight Rider within the Eighties — when he was forged as Jefferson Elementary College (and later John Adams Excessive College) instructor George Feeny in 1993.
Very like Boy Meets World stars Ben Savage, Rider Robust, Danielle Fishel and Will Friedle, Daniels began his profession as a toddler actor. He made his first stage look as a member of the singing Daniels household and debuted on Broadway at simply 16 years previous in Life with Father in 1943.
Talking on “Pod Meets World” in 2022, he touched on utilizing his personal childhood expertise when working with Robust, Fishel and Friedle — who performed teenagers Shawn Hunter, Topanga Lawrence and Eric Matthews, respectively — on Boy Meets World.
“I stayed away from being judgmental,” the actor stated. “I took no matter [they] gave me and I attempted to work with it and it labored out very effectively.”
Preserve scrolling for a glance again at how Daniels bonded with the Boy Meets World forged over time.
Assembly the ‘Boy Meets World’ Forged
Daniels admitted on “Pod Meets World” in 2022 that he had a really completely different strategy to performing than his costars once they first began engaged on Boy Meets World.
“Nicely, you all had been younger and having enjoyable and I used to be rather more critical,” Daniels defined to Robust, Fishel and Friedle. “So I might hand around in my dressing room away from you all as you fooled round earlier than the digital camera after which they stated, ‘Mr. Daniels, we’re prepared for you,’ after which I’d exit.”
He admitted, “You guys had been having a ball and I’d taken it very critically! Frankly, I want I had been one in all you.”
Treating the Forged as Equals
William’s spouse Bonnie Bartlett — who additionally appeared on Boy Meets World as Dean Lila Bolander — recalled how her husband all the time handled his youthful costars with whole respect.
“I stated, ‘Do you assist them?’” she stated on the “Pod Meets World” podcast in 2022. “He stated, ‘No, they’re on my degree. They’re the identical degree I’m. I can’t inform them [what to do].’”
Offscreen Mentor
Friedle and Robust credited Daniels with being “a mannequin of professionalism’ on the Boy Meets World set, the place the TV veteran set an instance for his costars’ future within the business.
“After we had been children, goofing off and having a great time, he was very a lot a Feeny-like presence, even when the cameras weren’t there, when it comes to understanding his traces, being an entire skilled, being on time,” Robust informed Folks in 2022. “These had been issues that we wanted to see, and needed to be taught to emulate with a purpose to be professionals within the business.”
Friedle added, “That’s mainly what I bought from him too. He actually taught me be knowledgeable actor, and that issues.”
‘Boy Meets World’ forged in 1994. ABC Picture Archives/ABC through Getty Pictures
The Boy Meets World forged acknowledged years later that Daniels’ “hands-off” strategy in direction of giving his younger costars performing recommendation “was truly an enormous type of respect.”
“He knew we had been professionals, we had been going to get it executed, we had a unique course of than he did as a result of we had been 12 and 16, or 12, 13, 16, however he was going to allow us to come to it actually,” Fishel stated. “I believe that’s one thing that I actually discovered from him now in my relationships with younger actors. I direct for youngsters’s TV nearly completely now, and I deal with them as in the event that they had been some other peer or equal of mine. I believe I actually discovered that from Invoice.”
‘Pearls of Knowledge’
In 2022, Friedle and Fishel confirmed that Daniels was nonetheless mentoring them greater than 20 years after they completed filming Boy Meets World.
“He’s nonetheless giving [advice],” Friedle revealed to Folks. “[He’s] 95 years previous and he nonetheless shoots out the pearls of knowledge. His spouse, Bonnie, as effectively. Speaking to them continues to be magical.”
Rider Robust, Ben Savage, Danielle Fishel and William Daniels on ‘Boy Meets World’ Scott Humbert/Disney Normal Leisure Content material through Getty Pictures
Fishel recalled Daniels’ considerate response when he was requested “make a wedding final.” (Daniels and Bartlett have been married since 1951. Fishel was married to Tim Belusko between 2013 to 2016, earlier than tying the knot along with her second husband, Jensen Karp, in 2018.)
“His recommendation was truly simply actually nice for all relationships. He stated open communication and honesty and respect. I used to be like, yeah. I believe that’s precisely why the three of us have remained this shut over the course of 30 years,” she stated.”So in the event you’re prepared to hear, Invoice is dropping gems left and proper.”
Pop Tradition Phenomenon
Mr. Feeny was greater than the principal of John Adams Excessive — he grew to become “America’s principal” due to Boy Meets World reruns and the present’s eventual streaming success on Disney+. Daniels reprised the enduring position for Disney Channel spinoff present Woman Meets World in 2015, which launched Mr. Feeny to an entire new era of youngsters.
Daniels defined throughout a panel at Comedian Expo that he was unaware of how well-liked the character had grow to be till one fateful day in New York Metropolis.
Boy meets woman! William Daniels and Bonnie Bartlett live proof that Hollywood marriages can final, with a love story spanning greater than seven many years. The twosome met whereas learning performing at Northwestern College and tied the knot in 1951. Regardless of their dedication to one another, the duo has been candid about dealing with struggles throughout […]
“I by no means got here to appreciate that Mr. Feeny grew to become a well-known determine to folks,” he admitted. “I had an expertise that stays with me once I was strolling down eighth Avenue in New York and a college bus was emptying the scholars.”
“I used to be handed them however the college students noticed me,” he remembered. “They stated, ‘Feeny!’ … The staunch individual that I’m, I fled proper across the block. I simply ran away!”
Reunions
Daniels has met up along with his Boy Meets World costars many occasions over time. In June 2024, he shared “a little bit reunion with [his] favourite college students” when he and Bartlett posed with Robust, Fishel and Friedle through Instagram.
Whereas the couple be in contact with the Boy Meets World forged, Bartlett admitted that her husband missed working with them following the cancellation of Woman Meets World in 2017.
“Invoice adores all of them. He actually does,” Bartlett informed Folks in Might 2025. “He misses that have with them. He likes to be a part of a gaggle. That’s what actually retains you going — neighborhood.”
‘Dancing With the Stars’ Tribute
Fishel introduced on her “Danielle With the Stars” podcast in October 2025 that Daniels would be part of her on stage for a Boy Meets World homage as a part of DWTS’ Dedication Night time. (Fishel joined the ABC actuality competitors for its thirty fourth season and was paired with skilled dancer Pasha Pashkov.)
“Mr. Feeny himself goes to be on the ballroom ground with me,” she teased. “[He] goes to be on the ballroom ground with us and he’s going to take part within the dance as effectively.”
Danielle Fishel doesn’t thoughts receiving constructive criticism from the Dancing With the Stars judges. Actually, she’s grateful for it. “We’re going to proceed to take the choose’s suggestions. They’re actually good at giving us very particular notes,” Fishel, 44, completely informed Us Weekly after the Tuesday, October 7, dwell present. “Final week, Carrie Ann […]
Fishel admitted it was “loopy” that she was going to carry out a ballroom dance to the Boy Meets World theme tune, however felt it was essential to rejoice Daniels’ influence on the forged.
“It’s actually a dedication to Invoice and the position he has performed in my life and the position Boy Meets World has performed in my life,” she informed listeners. “He’s simply such an inspiration to so many people. And to have the ability to say thanks to him and to offer him this type of a platform for him to obtain the love that he deserves goes to be very memorable.”
