Sergeant William Fontaine de la Tour Dauterive (born 1963/1964[1]), who is better known as Bill Dauterive, is Hank Hill's overweight, lonely and depressed best friend and neighbor. He is voiced by actor Stephen Root.
Appearance[]
Bill is shorter than his friends, standing at 5'8.[2] He is overweight with peach skin and a paler tan line that is hidden by his white tank top, a circular chin, and light red-brown hair that is balding on the top, while the rest of his body is ironically hairy. He has unmaintained eyebrows. Unlike most of the other characters, his eyes are smaller and more circular.
Bill typically wears a white tank top, blue jeans, and brown work boots. When working at Fort Blanda Army Base, he wears his U.S. Army uniform. When Bill was younger, he was a muscular, confident, lady-killing athlete with long flowing, frizzy hair.
Personality[]
General: Bill is generally a kind man and supportive friend to those around him. However, he is classified by those around him as the "pathetic loser" to avoid being around and/or becoming. Bill is typically seen being somewhat clingy to those around him as he fears being abandoned but will oftentimes unintentionally drive people away because he is too needy of others' attention. Bill has a large appetite and can often be seen eating unhealthy food in large amounts. In terms of romance, Bill can be a loving and caring partner but usually he scares women away when he basically proposes marriage not long after they first meet, most likely this relates to his well-known bad marriage and divorce. Bill at times shows signs of not being aware of what his actions have on others or is aware and is more concerned about his own satisfaction that he doesn't think of consequences.
Career: Bill is a sergeant-barber in the United States Army. He has stated that he originally wanted to be a tank driver but unknown circumstances eventually led him to a career in cutting hair. While he mainly appears to enjoy his work, Bill is seen to not often get much respect from others. In Tankin' It to the Streets, Bill is forced to continue cutting a man's hair despite obvious wrist pain and is turned down when offering advice for the upcoming war games.
Despite this, he often enjoys shaving off the hair of new arrivals and even gave Luanne much-needed advice on styling and calming her nerves. In It Ain't Over Till The Fat Neighbor Sings, the entire base is thrown into a panic when Bill has been calling in for several days and a high-ranking general was due to arrive for a haircut as he only lets Bill cut his hair.
Marriage/Divorce: One of Bill's most well-known traits is his marriage and divorce from his wife Lenore. Bill was shown to be very much in love with Lenore but revealed it was only two weeks after their wedding that Lenore began cheating on him and eventually forged his signature on divorce papers. It is well known to all that Bill took the break-up very badly as it took years and a mental breakdown for him to accept the closure of Lenore potentially never returning. He would often randomly break down crying from what happened and would look to others for sympathy but would only be causing problems to his friends from this. Since he has accepted Lenore would most likely not return to him, he has gotten better about handling himself regarding the situation and sometimes will use his situation to warn or help others with their relationships.
Loneliness: Bill is a loyal friend to those around him for the most part as he often is seen drinking with the guys in the alley or occasionally looking after the kids, although this is rare since the parents know how Bill tends to depress others. During several of the guy's adventures, Bill often acts as a decoy for the others to accomplish a bigger task.
However, because of his nature, Bill tends to look to his friends as a salvation for his loneliness which he often does inconsiderately and at inappropriate times, such as in Pretty, Pretty Dresses when he broke into the Hill house and into the master bedroom to tell Hank and Peggy of a bad dream and asked to stay the night. Behavior like this often forces others to distance themselves from Bill which causes him to fall further into depression.
There are times when Bill acknowledges this behavior and will calm down once he realizes he is forcing his problems onto others and disrupting their lives or that he intended to get their attention by any means just so he would not be as lonely for a while.
Romance: Due to his relationship with Lenore, Bill has had a rather upsetting romantic life. Because he fears being alone for the rest of his life, he tries to find an everlasting love life with nearly any woman he meets, even proposing marriage to some after first meeting them. Because he often comes off too strong right away, women will often not give him the attention he desires. During the times he does take things slow and give women their space, he has had great success in having a loving partner for a while until things take a turn due to outside forces; in Maid in Arlen and Untitled Blake McCormick Project, Kahn and Dale disrupted his dating and sent Bill into stress and depression even though he was very happy with the women he was dating simply because they could not stand the relationships.
Because of his unsuccessful love life, he tends to channel his feelings onto those around him. The most notable example is his one-sided attraction to Peggy. He is occasionally seen trying to act like that of an admirer or "Man of the house" in that he will try to fulfill certain roles or duties for her in an attempt to earn her favor, but instead does the opposite by doing these things and saying uncomfortable things that usually earn Hank's wrath. Bill was even to the point of taking Peggy's trash into his house to look through and once admitted that he made a vest from her undergarments in The Texas Skillsaw Massacre.
During times when he is desperate for a woman's love or the idealistic married and family life he wants, he will willingly stay in a toxic relationship with abusive or manipulative women until he finally sees how bad the relationship is.
Eating habits: Bill has poor control when it comes to food, usually eating anything he can get his hands on. Because of his unhealthy eating habits, he is overweight and out of shape. In Dia-BILL-ic Shock he was discovered to have diabetes but refused to acknowledge his eating habits were responsible, trying to put the blame completely on genetics. During the episode, he asked Hank for help but continued to greatly struggle/ignore to make the proper adjustments to his diet and begin exercising he ended up putting himself in a wheelchair when a doctor scared him about losing his legs.
Manipulation: While Bill is not as guilty of this as others are, in Après Hank, le Deluge he was shown in possibly his most manipulative manner to date. He had accidentally been put in charge of being the shelter leader and caring for those in the school gym but was more concerned about being loved and in a position of power that he allowed people to do nearly anything they wanted which greatly affected their supplies that he then tried to blame on a jailed Hank and then was revealed to have kept the people there for several days after the storm and flood ended just so he could continue being in charge and manipulate others. He also uses his wild mood swings to sometimes get his friends to spend time with him to not feel guilty should they choose to ignore any warnings Bill gives off about hurting himself.
Depression: Another of Bill's best-known character traits. Due to many of the hardships he faced caused by himself and/or others, Bill has voiced his depression many times during the series. During Pretty, Pretty Dresses, he became so depressed by seeing his friends celebrate the holidays with their loved ones that he attempted self-harm numerous times, but his friends prevented him from being successful. When in one of these states, he tends to bring down the mood of others around him by reminding them of bad moments they faced so that he will not be alone in his depression. Such a time can be seen when he depressed most of the Hill family during dinner by bringing up past break-ups.
Friendship: Bill is a loyal friend to Hank, Dale, and Boomhauer. Having been friends with them since childhood he knows his friends well and has gone through many adventures with them. While they have a close bond, Bill usually is the one who has to sacrifice his fun and ideas for the others to have what they want or what is nessissarily right.
Relationships[]
- Lenore Dauterive: The two were married at one point, but reached a breaking point as their marriage was rapidly falling apart. According to Hank, the two would frequently argue loud enough for the neighbors to hear. Lenore quickly stopped loving Bill, as she would often cheat on him, and thus the two divorced. The divorce was described to be "the worst divorce this county has ever seen", heavily implying the divorce was indeed messy and chaotic.
During the early seasons, he often pined for Lenore to return after she ran out on him, but he was somewhat successful in getting over her in the episode "Pretty, Pretty Dresses" after Hank resorts to pretending to be Lenore. Bill then finally symbolically confronts Lenore for leaving him, and after being told "I don't love you anymore" he becomes enraged and yells "You don't deserve William Fontaine De la Tour Dauterive!"
In post-divorce, it is shown very frequently that Bill still loved her and had a very hard time recovering from the divorce, to where he began balding, gaining weight, and having depressive episodes. He often talks about her and the divorce, sometimes breaking into tears afterward. It can generally be assumed that her leaving him was the major cause of his downward spiral. At one point, Bill says "I'm so depressed, I can't even blink."[3]
During "Hank and the Great Glass Elevator", her physical debut and only physical appearance in the show, Lenore tried attempting to worm her way back into Bill's life when he became high profile while dating former Texas governor Ann Richards. Lenore tries ordering Bill around in front of Ann Richards, but he finally tells her off by mooning her.
- Leanne Platter: At first, Bill and Leanne got along just fine, as the latter had started flirting with him first, seemingly unfazed by his appearance. They would go shopping together, and she would massage Bill's feet. Bill quickly fell in love with her, proposing to her within days of meeting her. However, it sharply declined into a very unhealthy relationship as Leanne began drinking again to keep her mind off of Bill's fungus-infested feet to massage them, as he could not afford to refill his prescriptions due to Leanne's spending habits. Leanne reverted to her drunken violent ways, often punching and throwing objects at Bill to the point of him having multiple bruises, even a black eye. She would often insult him, specifically about his weight and fungus-infested feet. After being fended off by Peggy, Leanne stumbles into his truck, driving off in it and stealing it. Bill decided not to call the police but said he would if she were to come back. The two haven't interacted ever since.
- Peggy Hill: Bill has always had strong, obsessive feelings for Peggy, though these feelings are unrequited. He frequently makes bumbling remarks about her that are inappropriate to say in front of Hank. It is a possibility that Bill is so enamored of Peggy because he is so weak-willed and she is so headstrong. Peggy, on account of her gigantic ego and limitless self-perception, rarely shows sympathy for Bill and is actively repulsed by him, insulting him at any opportunity without regard for his feelings. She is incredibly bold and outspoken about her disgust of him, to his face, and others. She does occasionally show kindness towards him, but sometimes it's when she can seemingly get something from him. Although she hurts Bill often and in many different ways, it is not all intentional. Sometimes it is just because Bill has the worst luck in the world. In the episode "Take Me out of the Ball Game", during a baseball game where Peggy and Bill were on opposite sides, she accidentally beaned him with a hardball, knocking him to the ground. Another pitch of hers accidentally struck right at his crotch, putting him in excruciating pain and humiliation. Another time, she hit him on the bleachers, accidentally knocking him to the ground which led to his arm in a sling. She once stole his prized American flag and unintentionally destroyed it, driving him to tears. But despite all of this, she says she considers him "a friend" and will show sympathy.
In the episode "Bill of Sales" it is also suggested that Bill has emotionally masochistic tendencies after Peggy's attempt to, in her words, "motivate him (business term) with a little praise (my term)" backfires. Hank's response ("You must have confused him; being dumped on is all Bill knows") leads Peggy to conclude that "Bill has had a hard life and he likes it that way" and subsequently refers to him as a "nut job". She manages to persuade him to go back to work for her by verbally abusing him. However, she soon fires him out of feelings of guilt for taking advantage of his low self-esteem. It's also during this episode that Bill shows exceptional skills as a salesman, helping Peggy achieve her sales quotas quickly, in one instant selling 10,000 bars to be stocked in the minibars at the hotel they were staying at.
Often, Bill's crush on Peggy becomes creepy and borderline stalker-like. In "Cotton's Plot", Bill is seen by Dale playing Boggle with Peggy's old body cast with a duct-taped picture for a head, stating that "she always wins."
- Hank Hill: Bill, like Dale and Boomhauer, has a strong admiration for Hank and often seeks his advice before doing anything, and for his help when in trouble. Despite this, he also knows not to get on Hank's bad side as he is well aware that he does not stand a chance in a fight against Hank. Bill has also shown many times to be envious of Hank's life as he possesses everything Bill himself does not.
- Dale Gribble: Bill occasionally gets dragged into Dale's crazy schemes, and often is the one who accidentally ruins them. Dale is seen insulting him the most, often telling him to shut up. Despite Dale often taking advantage of him, the two are good friends.
- Jeff Boomhauer: Of all his acquaintances, Boomhauer seems to be the one who gives him the most respect, possibly because Bill once helped a broken-hearted Boomhauer get over a girl who dumped him. Due to his ability to keep going after virtually any rejection, Bill is the one able to snap Boomhauer out of his depression when he is rejected by a woman he truly has feelings for.
- Laoma Souphanousinphone: One of the healthiest and most loving of all of Bill's relationships. Meeting in "Maid in Arlen", Bill and Laoma genuinely loved each other and got along extremely well, falling in love quickly, much to Kahn's horror. The two shortly date, but their relationship ends when Kahn interferes and convinces Bill that Laoma loves the astronaut Harrison Schmitt. However, they reconcile in the same episode and are said to still be together in "The Witches of East Arlen" until Bobby claims that their relationship will not last much longer. It is presumed the two are still friends.
- Reverend Stroup: Having flirted for quite a few seasons, Bill and Karen dated for some time in a later season, with Karen even temporarily moving in with him. Bill ironically breaks up with her as he feels like they are moving too fast and no longer have the thrill of being in a secret/forbidden relationship. The two haven't interacted ever since. However, in the episode "It Ain't Over Till The Fat Neighbor Sings" it is revealed that she still has a crush on Bill.
- Charlene: In the episode "Untitled Blake McCormick Project", Bill dates a woman named Charlene, a former Arlen native and single mother of two children whom he met online. She and her children moved in with him briefly. The relationship ended after Charlene resumed her affair with John Redcorn after Dale sent the former to pursue her for the fear of Bill raising Kate, whom he assumes is his daughter conceived as a result of aliens.
- Chuck Mangione: He is shown to be a huge fan of Chuck and is mortified when he believes him to be hurt, though he forgets about Hank in the process.
History[]
Bill is originally from an upper-class Cajun family in Louisiana, who lived (until Gilbert was forced to sell it) on a vast estate called the Chateau D'Haute Rive ("house on the high river"). Because of this, he speaks fluent Cajun French (and Tagalog among others) and plays the accordion skillfully, which surprises him just as much as it does everyone else. His father was at least somewhat abusive, spanking him regularly until age 16[4] and making him wear dresses.[5] In addition, his father even locked him in a rabbit hutch on occasion as punishment.[6] His only living male relative is his dandified cousin Gilbert, who still lives in Louisiana; the two are guardians of the family's secret barbecue sauce recipe, which Gilbert refuses to allow Bill to sell. However, Bill eventually told Bobby Hill the recipe, keeping the Dauterive tradition alive.
Nicknamed the "Billdozer", he held Arlen High's career touchdown record until a young athlete named Ricky Suggs broke it years later.[7] He was number 72, playing as an offensive lineman. Ricky however is simply allowed to score the record-breaking touchdown by the other team due to a torn ACL, rather than playing injured as Bill would have; to regain his honor, Bill rejoins the team to score one last touchdown and re-tie the record; he had redshirt eligibility due to dropping out of high school his senior year to join the Army because he was failing trigonometry. Despite having been enlisted in the Army for over 20 years, Bill has never been deployed. Sometime after voluntarily enlisting, the war had ended; he then began barber school at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He has since been a barber at Fort Blanda in Arlen, Texas. Bill's bright future was derailed when he attended a Molly Hatchet concert and found his future wife Lenore passed out in his lap; after their marriage, she cheated on and humiliated Bill before finally divorcing him and leaving him a broken shell of his former self.
Bill is often a foil for his friends, who verbally and emotionally put him down regularly, either because they don't realize how hurtful their remarks are or because Bill is too much of a doormat to mind. Hank normally takes his comments in stride ("Shut up, Bill") but has been known to threaten to kick his ass over it.
Although his friends are often disgusted or frustrated at his stupidity and the number of times he has wrecked their plans, they were devastated when it appeared that he had sacrificed himself to save them when they were stuck on a military target zone, with Hank saying that he was a good friend - sweet, loyal, and brave.
When examining Bill's Army medical history, Dale discovered that Bill was unknowingly made part in an experiment called "Operation: Infinite Walrus", to create a hybrid soldier capable of operating in freezing cold waters. It is assumed that the experimental drugs are the cause of his weight gain, excessive body hair, baldness, and terrible body odor and breath until it is revealed that he was given a placebo instead. Bill is also shown to have a severe but easily treatable foot fungus, which comes in handy once to help Hank get revenge on a fraudulent mold inspector. Bill is also diagnosed with diabetes in one episode, as a result of two extreme spikes in blood sugar in one week. The diagnosis is then later contradicted by the diagnosing doctor, who says that he only said Bill was at risk for diabetes. Originally the doctor made it seem like Bill already had the condition and he would ultimately lose his legs leaving him confined to a wheelchair. Later on, Bill beats the doctor up for this with Hank standing guard. Ironically, this "diagnosis" leads Bill to a depressed slump, where he meets Thunder, a wheelchair-bound muscleman who plays a wheelchair-friendly version of rugby. This leads Bill to get back into good shape while playing the sport, thus bringing down his blood sugar level.
Bill's personal hygiene is shown to be very poor. As previously mentioned, he has severe foot fungus, terrible breath, and body odor. Bobby states that he has dandruff despite being bald. He is regularly shown eating food he finds in or under his couch. His shirts are frequently stained and wrinkled. Furthermore, Bill is known for leaving various trash outside his house onto his lawn and grass, such as leaving Whataburger wrappers on his lawn,[8] having a huge, overflowing pile of leftover food outside his kitchen window where a garbage can once was,[9] and disposing of bread onto his lawn for pigeons.[10] His bathroom is described as disgusting; when asked if they would rather endure a dangerous and painful stunt (ex. stick a wasp up your nose) or shower in Bill's bathroom, his friends always choose the former.[11] When assigned tasks to get his house ready for a family reunion, Nancy and Peggy are both horrified upon finding out that their task is to clean Bill's bathroom, then desperately trying to change assignments.[12] He has not bothered to get rid of pests in his house, such as cockroaches, rats,[13] and silverfish.[12]
Bill is the very first character to ever speak in the first King of the Hill episode "Pilot". Despite Bill not being muscular anymore, he still has immense physical strength; in "Livin' on Reds, Vitamin C and Propane", Bill prevented a large stack of furniture, a desk, a globe, a grandfather clock, a dresser, rugs, chairs, cardboard boxes, paintings, and a lamp from sliding off the truck and pushed them back while Hank drove the truck backward on a mountain.
Bill has a fear of balloons according to the episode, "It Came From the Garage", which is probably due to the events of the episode "The Miseducation of Bobby Hill" in which he is carried off in the wind by a bunch of balloons tied to a lawn chair and by the end of his journey he is beaten, battered and tired.
Trivia[]
- In "Racist Dawg", Bill once stormed the Hill residence to rescue both Peggy and Hank from a gas leak caused by the Hills' water heater, pulling them out one by one to perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on them.
- Back in Arlen High, Bill was nicknamed the "BillDozer" (Bill/Bulldozer) for his unstoppable play on the offensive line for his high school football team.
- He and Bobby Hill are named after the two members of The Righteous Brothers. He is named after Bill Medley and Bobby is named after Bobby Hatfield.
- Bill is almost always seen wearing his white messy tank top.
- Bill currently works as a United States Army barber. His rank is shown on his sleeve as a Sgt.
- When Bill is wearing his dress uniform in S3 EP9 "Pretty Pretty Dresses", he is shown to be wearing an ARCENT patch.
- Bill sees himself as fatter than he is and with less hair. This can be seen in S3 E10 "A Firefighting We Will Go" when Bill shares his perspective of how the fire started at the Arlen Fire Department.
- In "Tankin' It to the Streets", it is shown on Bill's medical form that he was age 18 at the time in 1982, making him born in approximately 1963 or 1964. This is inconsistent with Hank's birth year (since the guys are the same age in childhood), who was born in 1953 as alleged in "Hank's Dirty Laundry".
- As shown in a few episodes, Bill can regain some of his previous physical prowess if he consistently applies himself but simply chooses to remain lazy and neglectful of his appearance.
- According to Gilbert, he and Bill are the last of the real living Dauterives due to frauds, deaths, and barren female family members.
- Bill drives a Marine Blue 1987 Ford Escort with an "Army" bumper sticker on the back.
- Bill has the first line in the series.
- Bill speaks fluent Cajun French.
- Bill owns a blue shirt which Dale says he loves.
- There are several instances where Bill prospers and breaks out of his pit of misfortune, but then something goes wrong and he just falls back into it.
- Bill tends to get hit in the groin a lot.
- Bill is known to root through trash and eat it as well as eat things like dog hormone biscuits.
- He's had many different pets including a Rottweiler named Rex and an iguana named Lenore.
- Bill's voice actor, Stephen Root, originally auditioned for the role of Dale Gribble, which "didn't feel right" so he then auditioned for the role of Bill. Root commented: "Mike Judge got a hold of me because he knew I'd done a lot of Southern plays and Southern characters. He wanted me to audition but he didn't know what for. I auditioned for Dale but I didn't feel good with it, so then I auditioned for Bill, and that one felt right. Voiceover work is a hard circle to break into, and King of the Hill really opened the door". (Character Kings 2)
- Bill Dauterive was named after the King of the Hill writer and executive producer James Thomas "Jim" Dauterive.
Memorable Quotes[]
- S01E01 "Yep." (first line spoken in series)
- S03E09 [Walking into the Hill's master bedroom] "I had a bad dream, I dreamt Lenore came back and stole Lenore, and then Lenore drove off with Lenore, and I ran down the street after them and I yelled 'Lenore! Lenore!', and then my teeth fell out... oh yeah Peggy, you were there... can I sleep in your living room?"
- S03E10 "My name is Dauterive comma Bill, I am also insane."
- S06E08 Dale: "The prime directive has been breached, women's liberation has happened too soon. I must warn the future!" [Dale makes teleporting noise] Bill: "Take me with you! I hate it here."
- S07E02 "Are you making fun of me? If you are, it's okay -- I'd just like to know."
- S09E08 "It's so much better frying at home. I can eat fried bananas while looking at Hank's house."
- S10E01 [To Hank] "I have a confession too, Hank. In a moment of weakness on a dark rainy night, I slept with Peggy." Hank: "No you didn't, Bill." Bill: "I know."
- S10E06 Kahn: "My dreams are shattered." Bill: "Yep, mine too. Have a beer."
- S12E07 [While trying to wrestle Lucky to the ground] "He's slipping away, like happiness"
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ "Tankin' It to the Streets" — Bill's medical form states that he was age 18 at the time of writing in 1982, meaning he was approximately born in 1963 or 1964.
- ↑ "Nine Pretty Darn Angry Men"
- ↑ "The Order of the Straight Arrow"
- ↑ "To Spank, with Love"
- ↑ "The Son That Got Away"
- ↑ "My Own Private Rodeo"
- ↑ "Bills are Made to be Broken"
- ↑ "The Texas Skillsaw Massacre"
- ↑ "I Never Promised You an Organic Garden"
- ↑ "Night and Deity"
- ↑ "Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret Hill"
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Blood and Sauce"
- ↑ "Maid in Arlen"