William Thomas Gray (born January 13, 1938) is an American actor, competitive motorcycle racer and inventor.

Personal life

Gray was born in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

, to William H. and

Beatrice Gray Beatrice Gray (March 3, 1911 – November 25, 2009) was an American actress and dancer best known for her appearances in a series of western films during the 1940s and 1950s. Gray was born Bertrice Alice Kimbrough on a farm near Carthage, Ill ...

. His mother was an actress, and both had appeared in ''

Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff ''Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff'' is a 1949 horror comedy film directed by Charles Barton and starring Abbott and Costello and Boris Karloff. In 1956, the film was re-released by Realart Pictures as a double feature wi ...

'' (in separated scenes), a 1949

horror comedy Comedy horror, also known as horror comedy, is a literary, television, and film genre that combines elements of comedy and horror fiction. Comedy horror has been described as able to be categorized under three types: "black comedy, parody and sp ...

. He acted in more than 200 movies. He acted with stars such as Humphrey Bogart, Doris Day,

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in Bob Hope filmography, more than 70 short and ...

William Holden William Holden (born William Franklin Beedle Jr.; April 17, 1918 – November 12, 1981) was an American actor, and one of the biggest box-office draws of the 1950s. Holden won the Academy Award for Best Actor for the film ''Stalag 17'' (1953) ...

Michael Rennie Michael Rennie (born Eric Alexander Rennie; 25 August 1909 – 10 June 1971) was a British film, television and stage actor, who had leading roles in a number of Hollywood films, including his portrayal of the space visitor Klaatu in the s ...

Judith Anderson Dame Frances Margaret Anderson, (10 February 18973 January 1992), known professionally as Judith Anderson, was an Australian actress who had a successful career in stage, film and television. A pre-eminent stage actress in her era, she won two ...

Pat O'Brien Pat O'Brien may refer to: Politicians * Pat O'Brien (Canadian politician) (born 1948), member of the Canadian House of Commons *Pat O'Brien (Irish politician) (c. 1847–1917), Irish Nationalist MP in the United Kingdom Parliament Others *Pat O'Br ...

and Barbara Stanwyck. 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. He portrayed a young

Jim Thorpe James Francis Thorpe ( Sac and Fox (Sauk): ''Wa-Tho-Huk'', translated as "Bright Path"; May 22 or 28, 1887March 28, 1953) was an American athlete and Olympic gold medalist. A member of the Sac and Fox Nation, Thorpe was the first Nativ ...

in ''

Jim Thorpe – All-American ''Jim Thorpe – All-American'' (UK title: ''Man of Bronze'') is a 1951 American biographical film directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Burt Lancaster as Jim Thorpe, the great Native American athlete who won medals at the 1912 Olympics and d ...

'' and starred in the

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

film ''

The Day the Earth Stood Still ''The Day the Earth Stood Still'' (a.k.a. ''Farewell to the Master'' and ''Journey to the World'') is a 1951 American science fiction film from 20th Century Fox, produced by Julian Blaustein and directed by Robert Wise. It stars Michael Re ...

''. He portrayed Tagg "Bull's Eye" Oakley, younger brother of

Annie Oakley Annie Oakley (born Phoebe Ann Mosey; August 13, 1860 – November 3, 1926) was an American sharpshooter who starred in Buffalo Bill's Wild West show. Oakley developed hunting skills as a child to provide for her impoverished family in western ...

in the pilot episode of ''

''.Terrace, Vincent (2011). ''Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 49. He starred in the television series ''

Father Knows Best ''Father Knows Best'' is an American sitcom starring Robert Young, Jane Wyatt, Elinor Donahue, Billy Gray and Lauren Chapin. The series, which began on radio in 1949, aired as a television show for six seasons and 203 episodes. Created by ...

'' and was nominated for the

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series This is a list of winners and nominees of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. In early Primetime Emmy Award ceremonies, the supporting categories were not always genre, or even gender, specific. Beginnin ...

. His father died when he was 16, while he was working on the show. He was cast as Plato in ''

Rebel Without a Cause ''Rebel Without a Cause'' is a 1955 American coming-of-age drama film about emotionally confused suburban, middle-class teenagers. Filmed in the then recently introduced CinemaScope format and directed by Nicholas Ray, it offered both social com ...

'' 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. From 1970 to 1995 he was a Class A motorcycle speedway racer and race promoter. He then turned to inventing and entrepreneurship. He is a motorcycle collector and businessman. Gray was married to and divorced from

Helena Kallianiotes Helena Kallianiotes (born March 24, 1938) is a Greek-American film actress. In 1973, she was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture for her role as Jackie Burdette in '' Kansas City Bomber''. Career ...

(1967–1969) and

Donna Wilkes Donna Consuelo Wilkes (born 1958–1961) is an American actress. She began her career as a child actor in commercials before making her feature film debut in ''Jaws 2'' (1978). She subsequently had a supporting role in '' Almost Summer'' (1978), ...

(1981–1981). , Gray lives in

Topanga Topanga () (Tongva: ''Topaa'nga'') is a census-designated place (CDP) in western Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located in the Santa Monica Mountains, the community exists in Topanga Canyon and the surrounding hills. The narrow s ...

, California in the same house he bought in 1957 while working on ''Father Knows Best''.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

Bibliography

* * Holmstrom, John (1996). ''The Moving Picture Boy: An International Encyclopaedia from 1895 to 1995''. Norwich: Michael Russell, pp. 206–207.

External links

* *
Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gray, Billy Living people American male child actors 1938 births American male film actors American male television actors Businesspeople from Los Angeles Male actors from Los Angeles People from Topanga, California 20th-century American male actors