Dix was born in
Los Angeles, California, the son of actor
Richard Dix. As a teenager, he left home after his mother remarried. Dix initially was billed as
Bob Brimmer, using his legal name. For a year, he worked with the National Academy of Theater Arts in New York City. Following that experience, he gained a two-year contract with
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. They divorced in 1959. Later he was married to Anna May Slaughter, a nightclub singer, and Darlene Lucht. Dix owned a home near Demuth Park in
Palm Springs, California. He died of respiratory failure at a hospital in Tucson, Arizona, at age 83. He was buried at the Russellville–Dragoon Cemetery in
Cochise County, Arizona. ==Television appearances==