Billy Gray (actor) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Billy Gray
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Gray in 1977 (age 39)
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| Born |
William Thomas Gray
January 13, 1938 Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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| Occupation | Actor, businessman |
| Years active | 1943–1980 |
| Spouse(s) |
Helena Kallianiotes
(m. 1967; div. 1969)Donna Wilkes
(m. 1977; div. 1981) |
William Thomas Gray (born in 1938) is an American actor. He is famous for playing Bud on the TV show Father Knows Best from 1954 to 1960. Besides acting, Billy Gray is also a competitive motorcycle racer and an inventor!
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Billy Gray's Acting Journey
Billy Gray started acting when he was only five years old. He appeared in more than 200 movies! He worked with many famous stars like Humphrey Bogart and Doris Day.
Because he was acting so much, Billy did not go to a regular school. Instead, teachers came to him. They often taught him right on the movie sets, sometimes even in tents!
One of his early roles was in the 1949 horror comedy Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff. He also played a young Jim Thorpe in the movie Jim Thorpe – All-American. A very well-known film he starred in was the science fiction movie The Day the Earth Stood Still. In this movie, he played a character named Bobby Benson.
Starring in Father Knows Best
From 1954 to 1960, Billy Gray played James "Bud" Anderson Jr. in the popular TV series Father Knows Best. He was nominated for a special award, the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, for his role as Bud.
He was supposed to play a character named Plato in the movie Rebel Without a Cause. However, filming for that movie was delayed. This delay meant he could not do both Rebel Without a Cause and Father Knows Best. So, he had to leave the movie role. But he did return to play Bud Anderson again in two Father Knows Best TV movies in 1977.
Beyond Acting: Racing and Inventing
After his main acting career, Billy Gray became a Class A motorcycle speedway racer. He raced and promoted events from 1970 to 1995.
Later, he became an inventor and a businessman. He even invented a special guitar pick called the F-1. He also collects motorcycles and runs businesses.
Billy Gray's Life
Billy Gray was born in Los Angeles, California. His parents were William H. Gray and Beatrice A. Gray.
He was married to Helena Kallianiotes and later to Donna Wilkes. As of 2020, Billy Gray lives in Topanga, California. He still lives in the same house he bought in 1957 when he was working on Father Knows Best.
Images for kids
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Billy Gray in 1977
