William Thomas “Billy” Gray was born on 13th January 1938, in Los Angeles, California USA, and is a retired actor, probably still best known to the world as Bud Anderson in the TV series “Father Knows Best” (1954-1960).
Have you ever wondered how rich Billy Gray is, as of late 2016? According to authoritative sources, it has been estimated that Billy`s net worth is as high as $1.5 million, earned through his successful career as an actor, during which he has appeared in more than 90 film and TV titles.
Billy Gray Net Worth $1.5 Million
The son of actress, Beatrice Gray and her husband William H. Gray, it was only a matter of time before Billy would be thrown into the film industry, so he was five when he made his debut in the film “Man of Courage”. Through the 1940s he had several uncredited roles, next to his mother in such films as “The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry” (1945), “An Angel Comes to Brooklyn” (1945), and “Specter of the Rose” (1946) among others. His breakthrough role came in 1951 when he was selected for the role of Bobby Benson in the sf film “The Day the Earth Stood Still”, which won a Golden Globe Award, and soon propelled him into the full-time acting world. Just three years later he got the part of James “Bud” Anderson in the sitcom “Father Knows Best”, which lasted until 1960, increasing his net worth by a large margin.
He repeated his role in several spin-off films, including “The Father Knows Best Reunion” (1977) and “Father Knows Best: Home for Christmas” the same year.
While the show lasted, Billy became immensely popular and featured in several more productions, including “The Seven Little Foys” (1955), and “The Scarlet Hour” (1956), directed by the legendary Michael Curtiz. Following the end of the show, it became quite easy for him to find new engagements, however, he only recorded one-time appearances in various television series, including “Stagecoach West” (1960), “Bachelor Father” (1960), and made an appearance in the film “The Explosive Generation” (1961), while continuing with TV roles in “The Red Skelton Hour” (1962), “Arrest and Trial” (1964), “The Navy vs. the Night Monsters” (1966) and “The Medical Center” (1969) among others which increased his net worth. In 1971 he returned to the big screen with the role of City Life in “Dusty and Sweets McGee” (1971). The same year he also appeared in “Werewolves on Wheels” (1971). Billy finished the `70s with a role in the film “Love and Bullets” (1979). His last know role was in the film “Vampyre Wars” in 1996.
Billy is also a successful businessman; he is the co-owner of the Big Rock Engineering, through which he manufactures several of his own inventions, including the self-massager and high-technology guitar picks, among other products. He is also an avid motorcyclist, and has maintained a large collection of motorbikes.
Regarding his personal life, Billy has been married and divorced twice, firstly to actress Donna Wilkes, and secondly to Helena Kallioniotes, but no further details about his marriages are available to the public.
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a C, Primetime Emmy Award for Best Continuing Supporting Performa
Movies
Father Knows Best, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Dusty and Sweets McGee, By the Light of the Silvery Moon, The Seven Little Foys, On Moonlight Bay, Porklips Now, The Girl Next Door, The Explosive Generation, Talk About a Stranger, Fighting Father Dunne
TV Shows
Father Knows Best
#
Quote
1
[on his Father Knows Best (1954) years, c. 1983] "I wish there was some way I could tell kids not to believe it - the dialogue, the situations, the characters - they were all totally false. The show did everybody a disservice. The girls were always trained to use their feminine wiles, to pretend to be helpless to attract men. The show contributed to a lot of the problems between men and women that we see today....I think we were all well motivated, but what we did was run a hoax. Father Knows Best (1954) purported to be a reasonable facsimile of life. And the bad thing is that the model is so deceitful. It usually revolved around not wanting to tell the truth, either out of embarrassment, or not wanting to hurt someone....If I could say anything to make up for all the years I lent myself to that kind of bullshit, it would be: *You* Know Best."
#
Fact
1
Today, those who fondly recall him in the archetypal 1950s family sitcom Father Knows Best (1954) may be surprised to learn that when the series debuted in 1954, the show did so poorly in the ratings that CBS canceled it in March of 1955. A flood of protests came from viewers insisting that the show be reinstated. The show was moved to an earlier time, and it gradually became a hit.
His resemblance to actor Martin Sheen was exploited in the film short Porklips Now (1980), a parody of Apocalypse Now (1979), where he played the character of Health Inspector Will Dullard, based on Sheen's performance of Capt. Benjamin L. Willard.
Billy Gray has been involved in 'Speedway' Motorcycle Racing as a Competitor during the 70s, 80s & 90s. His 'Speedway' Bike was known as the 'Orange Crate Special', then later as the 'Orange Blossom Special'. The name was given to Billy's bike By the Announcer at Irwindale Raceway due to the solid orange rims that Billy used on his 'Speedway Bike'.
7
In July, 1998, Billy Gray settled a libel suit he brought against noted film critic and historian Leonard Maltin, known for his annual guides on available movies and videos. In all guides from 1974 to 1998, Maltin mistakenly listed Mr. Gray as a real-life drug addict and pusher in the critique of Dusty and Sweets McGee (1971). Billy appeared in the film only as an actor. Part of the suit brought against 'Leonard Maltin' required that he publicly apologize for the 27-year long defamation of character. He did so, during a press conference, on the morning of July 18, 1998.
Actor
Title
Year
Status
Character
The Vampyre Wars
1996
Majordomo
Porklips Now
1980
Short
Dullard (as William Gray)
Love and Bullets
1979
Officer Durant (as William Gray)
Father Knows Best: Home for Christmas
1977
TV Movie
Bud Anderson
The Father Knows Best Reunion
1977
TV Movie
James Anderson Jr.
Werewolves on Wheels
1971
Pill (as William Gray)
Dusty and Sweets McGee
1971
City Life
The Bold Ones: The Protectors
1970
TV Series
Morgan Vontz
Medical Center
1969
TV Series
Student at Party
Custer
1967
TV Series
Billy Nixon
I Spy
1966
TV Series
Gerson Stutman
Combat!
1966
TV Series
Candell
The Navy vs. the Night Monsters
1966
CPO Fred Twining (as Bill Gray)
Rawhide
1965
TV Series
Lindsey McCuller
Arrest and Trial
1964
TV Series
Colin Martin
The Greatest Show on Earth
1964
TV Series
Nick
The Red Skelton Hour
1962
TV Series
Mr. Carmichael
The Explosive Generation
1961
Bobby Herman Jr.
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
1961
TV Series
Perry Hatch
General Electric Theater
1961
TV Series
Buzz Marlowe / Jerry Alquist
The Deputy
1961
TV Series
Johnny Blatner
Bachelor Father
1960
TV Series
David Ross
Stagecoach West
1960
TV Series
Frankie Niles
Peter Gunn
1960
TV Series
Eric Thorwald
Father Knows Best
1954-1960
TV Series
Bud Anderson
The Christophers
1957
TV Series
TV Reader's Digest
1956
TV Series
The Scarlet Hour
1956
Tom Rycker
The Seven Little Foys
1955
Bryan Lincoln Foy, as a Teen
The Outlaw Stallion
1954
Danny Saunders
Annie Oakley
1954
TV Series
Tagg Oakley
The Loretta Young Show
1954
TV Series
Nick Monti
Cavalcade of America
1954
TV Series
Andy Jackson
Fireside Theatre
1954
TV Series
Barry
Doggie in the Bedroom
1954
Short
Adventures of Superman
1953
TV Series
Alan Harper
All I Desire
1953
Ted Murdoch
The Girl Next Door
1953
Joe Carter
By the Light of the Silvery Moon
1953
Wesley Winfield
The Schaefer Century Theatre
1952
TV Series
Racket Squad
1952
TV Series
Danny Jenkins
Chevron Theatre
1952
TV Series
Ma and Pa Kettle at the Fair
1952
Kettle Boy (uncredited)
Celanese Theatre
1952
TV Series
Gruen Guild Theater
1952
TV Series
The Return of Gilbert & Sullivan
1952
Short
Talk About a Stranger
1952
Robert Fontaine Jr.
The Day the Earth Stood Still
1951
Bobby Benson
Jim Thorpe -- All-American
1951
Jim Thorpe - as a Boy (uncredited)
The Guy Who Came Back
1951
Willy Joplin
On Moonlight Bay
1951
Wesley Winfield
Her First Romance
1951
Boy at Camp Barracks (uncredited)
So You Want to Be a Cowboy
1951
Short
Little Boy Movie Patron with Lollipop (uncredited)
Gene Autry and The Mounties
1951
Boy (uncredited)
Sierra Passage
1950
Young Johnny Yorke
The Magnavox Theatre
1950
TV Series
Johnny / Big Mouth's Grandson
The Killer That Stalked New York
1950
Pinkie (uncredited)
The Gene Autry Show
1950
TV Series
Eddie Baker / Jimmy Foster
Mister 880
1950
Mickey (uncredited)
Between Midnight and Dawn
1950
Peter J. 'Petey' Conklin (uncredited)
Three Little Words
1950
Boy (uncredited)
In a Lonely Place
1950
Young Boy Seeking Autograph (uncredited)
Kill the Umpire
1950
The Boy Catcher (uncredited)
The Good Humor Man
1950
Junior (uncredited)
Singing Guns
1950
Albert
Father Is a Bachelor
1950
Feb Chalotte
Abandoned
1949
Tough Kid in Park (uncredited)
Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff
1949
Boy With Bow and Arrow (uncredited)
The House Across the Street
1949
Boy (uncredited)
The Talented Tramps
1949
Short
So You're Having In-Law Trouble
1949
Short
Little Willie (uncredited)
Lust for Gold
1949
Boy (uncredited)
Bad Men of Tombstone
1949
Willie Stover (uncredited)
So You Want to Be a Baby Sitter
1949
Short
Junior - Homer's Boy (uncredited)
Puddle Patch Klub
1949
TV Series
Pinky
Parlor, Bedroom and Wrath
1948
Short
Fighting Father Dunne
1948
Chip
The Bride Goes Wild
1948
Boy (uncredited)
The Judge Steps Out
1947
Boy at Birthday Party (uncredited)
The Gangster
1947
Little Boy (uncredited)
The Fabulous Texan
1947
Boy (uncredited)
Driftwood
1947
Boy (uncredited)
The Hal Roach Comedy Carnival
1947
Sandy, in 'Curly'
Curley
1947
Sandy (uncredited)
Little Mister Jim
1947
Neighbor Boy (uncredited)
Backlash
1947
Denny (uncredited)
The Strange Woman
1946
Boy on Bridge (uncredited)
Rendezvous with Annie
1946
Little Boy (uncredited)
Specter of the Rose
1946
Jack Jones
Suspense
1946
Small Boy at Zoo (uncredited)
Our Old Car
1946
Short
Boy (uncredited)
One Exciting Week
1946
Small Boy (uncredited)
Cluny Brown
1946
Richard Watkins, Boy in Pharmacy (uncredited)
Throw a Saddle on a Star
1946
Tough Boy (uncredited)
To Each His Own
1946
Billy Ingham (uncredited)
An Angel Comes to Brooklyn
1945
Boy (uncredited)
Adventures of Rusty
1945
Harry (uncredited)
The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry
1945
Child (uncredited)
Man of Courage
1943
Mike Wilson
Soundtrack
Title
Year
Status
Character
Father Knows Best
1958-1960
TV Series performer - 2 episodes
The Girl Next Door
1953
performer: "I'd Rather Have a Pal Than a Gal Anytime", "YouI'd Rather Have a Pal / I'm Mad About the Girl Next Door" medley - uncredited
On Moonlight Bay
1951
performer: "Cuddle Up a Little Closer, Lovey Mine", "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" - uncredited
Thanks
Title
Year
Status
Character
The Making of 'The Day the Earth Stood Still'
2008
Video documentary short thanks
Acting Normal: Billy Gray on Douglas Sirk's All I Desire
2008
Video documentary short special thanks
Self
Title
Year
Status
Character
The Actor's Journey
2011
Video documentary
Himself
The Actor's Journey for Kids
2011
Video documentary
Himself
Decoding 'Klaatu Barada Nikto': Science Fiction as Metaphor
2008
Video documentary short
Himself
The Making of 'The Day the Earth Stood Still'
2008
Video documentary short
Himself - Interviewee
Acting Normal: Billy Gray on Douglas Sirk's All I Desire
2008
Video documentary short
Himself
On the Edge of Black and White
2008
Documentary
Himself
TV Land Confidential
2007
TV Series documentary
Himself - Interviewee
The O'Reilly Factor
2005
TV Series
Himself
Child Stars: Their Story
2000
TV Movie documentary
Himself
Making the Earth Stand Still
1995
Video documentary
Himself
The Howard Stern Show
1992
TV Series
Himself
The Howard Stern Show
1987
TV Series
Himself
The 36th Primetime Emmy Awards
1984
TV Special
Himself - Presenter: Outstanding Comedy Series
The Mike Douglas Show
1978
TV Series
Himself - Actor
That Regis Philbin Show
1965
TV Series
Himself
The Ed Sullivan Show
1958
TV Series
Himself
The Colgate Comedy Hour
1951
TV Series
Himself - Actor
Archive Footage
Title
Year
Status
Character
Pioneers of Television
2014
TV Mini-Series documentary
Bud Anderson - Father Knows Best
Love, Hate & Propaganda: The Cold War
2011
TV Series documentary
Bud Anderson in 'Father Knows Best'
Watch the Skies!: Science Fiction, the 1950s and Us
2005
TV Movie documentary
Bobby Benson (uncredited)
The Our Gang Story
1994
Video documentary
Sandy
Sex Violence & Values: Changing Images
1986
TV Movie
Son (uncredited)
Superman and the Jungle Devil
1954
Alan Harper
Your Play Time
1953
TV Series
Nominated Awards
Year
Award
Ceremony
Nomination
Movie
1959
Primetime Emmy
Primetime Emmy Awards
Best Supporting Actor (Continuing Character) in a Comedy Series
Father Knows Best (1954)
Known for movies
Father Knows Best (1954-1960) as Bud Anderson
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) as Bobby Benson
The Seven Little Foys (1955) as Bryan Lincoln Foy, as a Teen