Bill Whitehead, studied biology and theatre arts at the University of Saskatchewan receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1953 and a Master of Arts degree in 1955. He moved to Ontario in 1957 to become an actor and producer.

He is an award-winning writer of documentaries, including over 100 episodes of the CBC Television series The Nature of Things. He was also closely associated with the CBC Radio series Ideas.

Bill was the lifelong companion of late Canadian novelist Timothy Findley. He currently lives in Stratford, Ontario. In March 2004, approximately two years after Findley's death, Bill donated a collection of Findley's theatre memorabilia to the University of Guelph.