Billy Gray (actor)
Billy Gray | |
|---|---|
 Gray in 1977 | |
| Born | William Thomas Gray January 13, 1938 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, businessman |
| Years active | 1943–1980 |
| Spouse(s) |
|
William Thomas Gray (born January 13, 1938) is an American actor, competitive motorcycle racer and inventor.[1]
Personal life
Gray was born in Los Angeles, to William H. and Beatrice Gray. His mother was an actress, and both had appeared in Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff (in separated scenes), a 1949 horror comedy.[2] He acted in more than 200 movies. He acted with stars such as Humphrey Bogart, Doris Day, Bob Hope, William Holden, Michael Rennie, Judith Anderson, Pat O'Brien and Barbara Stanwyck.[3] He did not attend school and was educated by teachers hired by the film studios, often having class in tents set up on studio lots.[4] He portrayed a young Jim Thorpe in Jim Thorpe – All-American and starred in the science fiction film The Day the Earth Stood Still. He portrayed Tagg "Bull's Eye" Oakley, younger brother of Annie Oakley in the pilot episode of Annie Oakley.[5] He starred in the television series Father Knows Best and was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. His father died when he was 16, while he was working on the show.[6] He was cast as Plato in Rebel Without a Cause but because a delay in shooting interfered with his commitment to Father Knows Best he had to give up the role. He was arrested for marijuana possession in 1962 and served 45 days in jail, which effectively ended his acting career.[7] From 1970 to 1995 he was a Class A motorcycle speedway racer and race promoter.[8][9] He then turned to inventing and entrepreneurship. He is a motorcycle collector and businessman.[10] Gray was married to and divorced from Helena Kallianiotes (1967–1969) and Donna Wilkes (1981–1981). As of July 2020[update], Gray lives in Topanga, California in the same house he bought in 1957 while working on Father Knows Best.[11]
Filmography
 |
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | Fighting Father Dunne | Chip | |
| 1950 | Father Is a Bachelor | Feb Chalotte | |
| 1950 | Singing Guns | Albert | |
| 1950 | In a Lonely Place | Boy seeking autograph | Uncredited |
| 1950 | Mister 880 | Mickey | Uncredited |
| 1951 | Jim Thorpe – All-American | Jim Thorpe (young) | |
| 1951 | On Moonlight Bay (film) | Wesley Winfield | |
| 1951 | The Day the Earth Stood Still | Bobby Benson | |
| 1952 | Talk About a Stranger | Robert 'Bud' Fontaine Jr. | |
| 1953 | All I Desire | Ted Murdoch | |
| 1953 | By the Light of the Silvery Moon (film) | Wesley Winfield | |
| 1953 | The Girl Next Door (film) | Joe | |
| 1954 | The Outlaw Stallion | Danny Saunders | |
| 1955 | The Seven Little Foys | Bryan Lincoln Foy | |
| 1961 | The Explosive Generation | Bobby Herman Jr. | |
| 1966 | The Navy vs. the Night Monsters | CPO Fred Twining | |
| 1971 | Dusty and Sweets McGee | City Life | |
| 1971 | Werewolves on Wheels | Pill | |
| 1980 | Porklips Now | Dullard |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | The Gene Autry Show (TV series) | Jimmy Foster | Episode: "The Star Toter" |
| 1953 | Adventures of Superman (TV series) | Young Alan Harper | Episode: "Shot in the Dark" |
| 1954-1960 | Father Knows Best | James "Bud" Anderson Jr. | 200 episodes |
| 1957 | The Thin Man (TV series) | Mike Edwards | Episode: "Come Back Darling Asta" |
| 1960 | Stagecoach West (TV series) | 'Frankie Niles' | Episode: "Dark Return" |
| 1960 | Peter Gunn[12] | 'Eric Thorwald' | Episode: "S2 E35 The Semi-Private Eye" |
| 1961 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Perry | Episode: “The Hat Box” |
| 1965 | Rawhide (TV series) | Lindsay McCullers | Episode: "Moment in the Sun" |
| 1977 | The Father Knows Best Reunion | James "Bud" Anderson Jr. | Television film |
| 1977 | Father Knows Best: Home for Christmas | James "Bud" Anderson Jr. | Television film |
References
- ^ Nolasco, Stephanie. "'Father Knows Best' star Billy Gray reflects on child stardom, 1962 pot bust: 'I don't have time for regrets'". Fox News. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
- ^ Edward Torchy Smith. "Billy Grey, better known as Bud from Father Knows Best" (Podcast). Baby Boomers Talk Radio. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
- ^ "Billy Gray". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
- ^ Tom Goldrup, Jim Goldrup (2015). Growing Up on the Set: Interviews with 39 Former Child Actors of Classic Film and Television. pp. 101–102.
- ^ Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7. P. 49.
- ^ Eskenazi, Gerald. "Keeping Up With 'Father Knows Best'". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
- ^ Nolasco, Stephanie. "'Father Knows Best' star Billy Gray reflects on child stardom, 1962 pot bust: 'I don't have time for regrets'". Fox News. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
- ^ Eskenazi, Gerald. "Keeping Up With 'Father Knows Best'". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
- ^ Nolasco, Stephanie. "'Father Knows Best' star Billy Gray reflects on child stardom, 1962 pot bust: 'I don't have time for regrets'". Fox News. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
- ^ "Ken Hall, "Billy Gray, Bud from Father Knows Best. Collects Racing Motorcycles"". go-star.com. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
- ^ Uhler, Steve (July 23, 2020). "My Visit With Bud From 'Father Knows Best'". nextavenue.org. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
- ^ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0673690/ [user-generated source]
Bibliography
- Goldrup, Tom and Jim (2002). Growing Up on the Set: Interviews with 39 Former Child Actors of Film and Television. McFarland & Co. pp. 94–102. ISBN 1476613702.
- Holmstrom, John (1996). The Moving Picture Boy: An International Encyclopaedia from 1895 to 1995. Norwich: Michael Russell, pp. 206–207.
