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 |
| Spouses | |
William Thomas Gray (born January 13, 1938)[1] is an American actor, competitive motorcycle racer and inventor, known for his role as Bud on the television series Father Knows Best (1954-1960).[2]
Career[edit]
Gray began acting at five years old. He appeared with his mother in the 1949 horror comedy Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff (in separated scenes).[3] 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.[4] 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.[5] 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 also portrayed Tagg "Bull's Eye" Oakley, younger brother of Annie Oakley in the pilot episode of Annie Oakley.[6]
From 1954 to 1960, Gray starred as son Bud Anderson in the television series Father Knows Best, for which he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. He was cast as Plato in Rebel Without a Cause, but had to exit the role when a delay in shooting interfered with his commitment to Father Knows Best. He was arrested for marijuana possession in 1962 and served 45 days in jail, which effectively ended his acting career.[2] However, he did reprise his role of Bud Anderson in two Father Knows Best reunion films in 1977.
From 1970 to 1995, Gray was a Class A motorcycle speedway racer and race promoter.[2][7] He then turned to inventing and entrepreneurship, having invented the F-1 guitar pick. He is also a motorcycle collector and businessman.[8]
Personal life[edit]
Gray was born in Los Angeles, to William H. and Beatrice Gray. His father died when he was 16, while he was working on the show.[9]
Gray was married to and divorced from Helena Kallianiotes (1967–1969) and Donna Wilkes (1977–1981).[citation needed] As of July 2020[update], Gray lives in Topanga, California, in the same house he bought in 1957 while working on Father Knows Best.[10]
Filmography[edit]
 |
Film[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1943 | Man of Courage | Mike Wilson | |
| 1946 | Suspense | Little Boy at Zoo | Uncredited |
| 1948 | Fighting Father Dunne | Chip | |
| 1949 | Bad Men of Tombstone | Willie Stover | |
| Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff | Boy with Bow and Arrow | ||
| 1950 | Father Is a Bachelor | Feb Chalotte | |
| Singing Guns | Albert | ||
| In a Lonely Place | Boy seeking autograph | Uncredited | |
| Mister 880 | Mickey | Uncredited | |
| 1951 | Jim Thorpe – All-American | Young Jim Thorpe | |
| On Moonlight Bay | Wesley Winfield | ||
| The Day the Earth Stood Still | Bobby Benson | ||
| 1952 | Talk About a Stranger | Robert 'Bud' Fontaine Jr. | |
| 1953 | All I Desire | Ted Murdoch | |
| By the Light of the Silvery Moon | Wesley Winfield | ||
| The Girl Next Door | 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 | |
| Werewolves on Wheels | Pill | ||
| 1979 | Love and Bullets | Officer Durant | |
| 1980 | Porklips Now | Dullard |
Television[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | The Gene Autry Show (TV series) | Jimmy Foster | Episode: "The Star Toter" |
| 1953 | Adventures of Superman | Young Alan Harper | Episode: "Shot in the Dark" |
| 1954-1960 | Father Knows Best | James "Bud" Anderson Jr. | 200 episodes |
| 1957 | The Thin Man | Mike Edwards | Episode: "Come Back Darling Asta" |
| 1960 | Stagecoach West | 'Frankie Niles' | Episode: "Dark Return" |
| Peter Gunn | 'Eric Thorwald' | Episode: "The Semi-Private Eye" | |
| Bachelor Father | David Ross | Episode: "Ginger's Big Romance" | |
| 1961 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Perry Hatch | Episode: “The Hat Box” |
| The Deputy | Johnny Blatner | Episode: "Two-Way Deal" | |
| 1964 | The Greatest Show on Earth | Nick | Episode: "Corsicans Don't Cry" |
| Arrest and Trial | Colin Martin | Episode: "Tigers Are for Jungles" | |
| 1965 | Rawhide | Lindsay McCullers | Episode: "Moment in the Sun" |
| 1966 | Combat! | Candell | Episode: "The Losers" |
| 1967 | Custer | Billy Nixon | Episode: "Desperate Mission" |
| 1969 | Medical Center | Student at Party | Uncredited; Episode: "Operation Heartbeat" |
| 1970 | The Bold Ones: The Protectors | Morgan Vontz | Episode: "Memo from the Class of '76" |
| 1977 | The Father Knows Best Reunion | James "Bud" Anderson Jr. | Television film |
| Father Knows Best: Home for Christmas | Television film |
References[edit]
- ^ Rose, Mike (January 13, 2023). "Today's famous birthdays list for January 13, 2023 includes celebrities Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Trace Adkins". Cleveland.com. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
Actor Billy Gray ("Father Knows Best") is 85
- ^ a b c Nolasco, Stephanie (17 February 2021). "'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. McFarland. pp. 101–102. ISBN 9781476613703.
- ^ Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7. P. 49.
- ^ Eskenazi, Gerald (15 May 1977). "Keeping Up With 'Father Knows Best'". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
- ^ "Ken Hall, "Billy Gray, Bud from Father Knows Best. Collects Racing Motorcycles"". go-star.com. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
- ^ Eskenazi, Gerald (15 May 1977). "Keeping Up With 'Father Knows Best'". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
- ^ Uhler, Steve (July 23, 2020). "My Visit With Bud From 'Father Knows Best'". nextavenue.org. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
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, pp. 206–207.
