Billy Gray (actor)
Billy Gray | |
|---|---|
Gray in 1977 | |
| Born | William Thomas Gray January 13, 1938 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor, businessman |
William Thomas Gray (born January 13, 1938) is an American actor.
Personal life[edit]
Gray was born in Los Angeles, to William H. and Beatrice Gray. He began acting as a child. 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.[1] As of July 2020[update], Gray lives in Topanga, California, after starring in Father Knows Best.[2] 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.[3] 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. Gray started his film career in the late 1940s. 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 "Bullseye Tag", younger brother of Annie Oakley in the pilot episode of Annie Oakley. Gray retired from acting in 1980. He is a motorcycle collector and businessman.[4]
Filmography[edit]
Film[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | Fighting Father Dunne | Chip | |
| 1950 | Father Is a Bachelor | Feb Chalotte | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 1980 | Porklips Now | Dullard |
Television[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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[5] | 'Eric Thorwald' | Episode: "S2 E35 The Semi-Private Eye" |
| 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[edit]
- ^ Edward Torchy Smith. "Billy Grey, better known as Bud from Father Knows Best" (Podcast). Baby Boomers Talk Radio. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
- ^ Uhler, Steve (July 23, 2020). "My Visit With Bud From 'Father Knows Best'". nextavenue.org. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
- ^ Tom Goldrup, Jim Goldrup (2015). Growing Up on the Set: Interviews with 39 Former Child Actors of Classic Film and Television. pp. 101–102.
- ^ "Ken Hall, "Billy Gray, Bud from Father Knows Best. Collects Racing Motorcycles"". go-star.com. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
- ^ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0673690/[user-generated source]
Bibliography[edit]
- 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, p. 206-207.