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Billy Gray (actor)

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Billy Gray
Gray in 1977 (age 39)
Born
William Thomas Gray

(1938-01-13) January 13, 1938 (age 86)
Occupation(s)Actor, businessman
Years active1943–1980
Spouses
(m. 1967; div. 1969)
(m. 1977; div. 1981)

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

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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.[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

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Gray was born in Los Angeles, to William H. Gray (1899–1963) and Beatrice A. Gray (née-Kimbrough; 1911–2009). He lost his father when he was 25.

Gray was married to and divorced from Helena Kallianiotes (1967–1969) and Donna Wilkes (1977–1981).[citation needed] As of July 2020, Gray lives in Topanga, California, in the same house he bought in 1957 while working on Father Knows Best.[9]

Filmography

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Film

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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
Sierra Passage Young Johnny York
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

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Year Title Role Notes
1950 The Gene Autry Show (TV series) Jimmy Foster Season 1 Episode 5: "The Star Toter"
1950 The Gene Autry Show (TV series) Eddie Baker Season 1 Episode 17: "Twisted Trails"
1953 Adventures of Superman Young Alan Harper Season 2 Episode 5: "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' Season 1 Episode 3: "Dark Return"
Peter Gunn 'Eric Thorwald' Season 2 Episode 34: "The Semi-Private Eye"
Bachelor Father David Ross Season 4 Episode 15: "Ginger's Big Romance"
1961 Alfred Hitchcock Presents Perry Hatch Season 7 Episode 1: “The Hat Box”
The Deputy Johnny Blatner Season 2 Episode 24: "Two-Way Deal"
1964 The Greatest Show on Earth Nick Season 1 Episode 16: "Corsicans Don't Cry"
Arrest and Trial Colin Martin Season 1 Episode 26: "Tigers Are for Jungles"
1965 Rawhide Lindsay McCullers Season 7 Episode 17: "Moment in the Sun"
1966 Combat! Candell Season 5 Episode 2: "The Losers"
1967 Custer Billy Nixon Season 1 Episode 9: "Desperate Mission"
1969 Medical Center Student at Party Season 1 Episode: "Operation Heartbeat" (uncredited)
1970 The Bold Ones: The Protectors Morgan Vontz Season 1 Episode 6: "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

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  1. ^ Rose, Mike (January 13, 2023). "Today's famous birthdays list for January 13, 2023 includes celebrities Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Trace Adkins". The Plain Dealer. Cleveland. Retrieved January 13, 2023. Actor Billy Gray ("Father Knows Best") is 85
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ Smith, Edward Torchy. "Billy Grey, better known as Bud from Father Knows Best" (Podcast). Baby Boomers Talk Radio. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  4. ^ "Billy Gray". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  5. ^ Goldrup, Tom; Jim Goldrup (2015). Growing Up on the Set: Interviews with 39 Former Child Actors of Classic Film and Television. McFarland. pp. 101–102. ISBN 978-1-4766-1370-3.
  6. ^ Terrace, Vincent (January 10, 2014). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). McFarland. p. 49. ISBN 978-0-7864-8641-0. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
  7. ^ Eskenazi, Gerald (15 May 1977). "Keeping Up With 'Father Knows Best'". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  8. ^ Hall, Ken. "Billy Gray, Bud from Father Knows Best, Collects Racing Motorcycles". Southern Antiquing and Collecting Magazine. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
  9. ^ Uhler, Steve (July 23, 2020). "My Visit With Bud From 'Father Knows Best'". Next Avenue. Retrieved February 26, 2021.

Bibliography

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  • 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.
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