Michael Gray (actor)

Last updated
Michael Gray
Born (1951-09-02) September 2, 1951 (age 72)
Occupation(s)Actor, voice actor
Years active1969–present
Spouse
Stacy Benon
(m. 1994)

Michael Gray (born September 2, 1951) is an American actor, known for his portrayal of Billy Batson in the 1970s TV series Shazam! . [1] [2] From 1972 to 1973, he appeared as Ronnie Collins in the first season of the NBC sitcom The Brian Keith Show , starring Brian Keith and Shelley Fabares. He also appeared as Marcia's boyfriend Jeff in a 1973 episode of The Brady Bunch . In 2015 and 2019, Gray made a voice appearance as a fictionalized version of himself in four episodes of the animated series Archer . [2] [3]

Contents

Personal life

Gray owned a florist shop in West Hollywood, Los Angeles with his wife, Stacy Benon. The store closed in the mid-2000s. [4] [5]

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
1969 Room 222 Student in Pete's Class– "Richie's Story"
1970 The Flying Nun Young Man– "When Generations Gap"
1970 Marcus Welby, M.D. Taxi Driver– "Brave on a Mountain Top"
1972Bobby Jo and the Good Time BandBrianTV movie (unsold pilot) [6]
1972 The Brian Keith Show Ronnie Collinsrecurring role (5 episodes)
1972 American Bandstand Himself– "#15.42"
1973 NBC Children's Theatre Michael– "Jennifer and Me"
1973 The Brady Bunch Jeff– "Marcia Gets Creamed"
1973 Goober and the Ghost Chasers Himself (voice role)– "Aloha Ghost"
1974 Our Time Buzzy Knight
1974–1976 Shazam! Billy Batson series regular (28 episodes)
1975 Dinah! Himself2 episodes
1999 VH-1 Where Are They Now? Himself / Billy Batson– "Superheroes"
2015–2019 Archer Michael Gray / Himself (voice role)recurring role (4 episodes)
2016Surge of Power: Revenge of the SequelWill E. Bee
2018 Comic Book Men Himself– "The Mightiest of Mortals"
2019Surge of DawnWill E. Bee
2022Heroes of ExtinctionThompson (voice) [7]
2023 Shazam! Fury of the Gods Man on the StreetCameo [8]

Related Research Articles

<i>The Partridge Family</i> American sitcom

The Partridge Family is an American musical sitcom created by Bernard Slade, which was broadcast from September 25, 1970 to August 24, 1974 on ABC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Austin Green</span> American actor (born 1973)

Brian Austin Green is an American actor, best known for his portrayal of David Silver on the television series Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990–2000). Green was also a series regular on Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Freddie, Wedding Band, and Anger Management.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anne Archer</span> American actress (born 1947)

Anne Archer is an American actress. Archer was named Miss Golden Globe in 1971, and in the year following, appeared in her feature film debut The Honkers (1972). She had supporting roles in Cancel My Reservation (1972), The All-American Boy (1973), and Trackdown (1976), and appeared in Good Guys Wear Black (1978), Paradise Alley (1978) and Hero at Large (1980).

A television pilot, in United Kingdom and United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television network or other distributor. A pilot is created to be a testing ground to gauge whether a series will be successful. It is, therefore, a test episode for the intended television series, an early step in the series development, much like pilot studies serve as precursors to the start of larger activity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnny Whitaker</span> American actor

John Orson Whitaker, Jr. is an American actor notable for several film and television performances during his childhood. The redheaded Whitaker played Jody Davis on Family Affair from 1966 to 1971. He also originated the role of Scotty Baldwin on General Hospital in 1965, and played the lead in Hallmark's 1969 The Littlest Angel, and portrayed the title character in the 1973 musical version of Tom Sawyer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Desi Arnaz Jr.</span> American actor and musician (born 1953)

Desiderio Alberto Arnaz IV, better known as Desi Arnaz Jr., is a retired American actor and musician. He is the son of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Devane</span> American actor (born 1939)

William Joseph Devane is an American actor. He is known for his role as Greg Sumner on the primetime soap opera Knots Landing (1983–1993) and as James Heller on the Fox serial dramas 24 (2001–2010) and 24: Live Another Day (2014). He is also known for his work in films such as Family Plot (1976), Marathon Man (1976), Rolling Thunder (1977), Payback (1999), and Space Cowboys (2000).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Keith</span> American actor (1921–1997)

Robert Alba Keith, known professionally as Brian Keith, was an American film, television, and stage actor who in his six-decade career gained recognition for his work in films such as the Disney family film The Parent Trap (1961); Johnny Shiloh (1963); the comedy The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming (1966); and the adventure saga The Wind and the Lion (1975), in which he portrayed President Theodore Roosevelt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bert Convy</span> American actor, singer, game show host and panelist (1933–1991)

Bernard Whalen "Bert" Convy was an American actor, singer, game-show host, and panelist known for hosting Tattletales, Super Password, and Win, Lose or Draw.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cindy Williams</span> American actress (1947–2023)

Cynthia Jane Williams was an American actress and producer, known for her role as Shirley Feeney on the television sitcoms Happy Days (1975–1979), and Laverne & Shirley (1976–1982). She also appeared in American Graffiti (1973) and The Conversation (1974).

Michael James, known professionally as Michael Jayston, is an English actor. He played Nicholas II of Russia in the film Nicholas and Alexandra (1971). He has also made many television appearances, which have included playing the Valeyard in all fourteen episodes of the Doctor Who serial The Trial of a Time Lord (1986) and appearing in the Only Fools and Horses episode "Time on Our Hands" (1996) as Raquel's father, James.

Brian Geoffrey Hutton was an American actor and film director whose notable credits include the World War Two action films Where Eagles Dare (1968) and Kelly's Heroes (1970).

<i>Shazam!</i> (TV series) Television series

Shazam! is a half-hour live-action television program that was produced for Saturday Mornings by Filmation, based on the superhero Captain Marvel, now known as Shazam, of Fawcett Comics' comic book series Whiz Comics. The program starred Michael Gray as Billy Batson, a teenage boy who can transform into the superhero Captain Marvel, originally played by Jackson Bostwick and later by John Davey, by speaking the magic word "Shazam!" With his guardian "Mentor", Billy travels the country in a 1973 Dodge Open Road motorhome, looking for injustices to resolve.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott Brady</span> American actor

Scott Brady was an American film and television actor best known for his roles in Western films and as a ubiquitous television presence. He played the title role in the television series Shotgun Slade (1959-1961).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zachary Levi</span> American actor (born 1980)

Zachary Levi Pugh is an American actor and singer. He starred as Chuck Bartowski in the series Chuck, and as the title character in Shazam! and its 2023 sequel, as a part of the DC Extended Universe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kerwin Mathews</span> American actor (1926–2007)

Kerwin Mathews was an American actor best known for playing the titular heroes in The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958), The Three Worlds of Gulliver (1960) and Jack the Giant Killer (1962).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Craig Robert Young</span> British actor (born 1976)

Craig Robert Young is a British actor who began his acting career at age ten, starring in the stage production of The Price of Coal. By the time he was 17, he moved to London to attend the Central School of Speech and Drama, whereupon he was chosen to become a member of the pop band Deuce, scoring four top 30 single hits: "Call It Love", "I Need You", "On the Bible", and "No Surrender".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">D. J. Cotrona</span> American actor (born 1980)

Donald Joseph Cotrona is an American actor, known for his role in the film G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013) and as Seth Gecko in the El Rey Network horror television series From Dusk till Dawn. He was cast as Pedro Peña in the DC Extended Universe film Shazam! and returned for the role in the 2023 sequel.

The Thundermans is an American comedy television series created by Jed Spingarn that aired on Nickelodeon from October 14, 2013 to May 25, 2018. The series stars Kira Kosarin, Jack Griffo, Addison Riecke, Diego Velazquez, Chris Tallman, Rosa Blasi, and Maya Le Clark, and features the voice of Dana Snyder as Dr. Colosso. In March 2023, a follow-up film titled The Thundermans Return was announced.

John Davey is a retired American actor. He is best known for portraying Captain Marvel on the Shazam! television series in the mid-1970s after Jackson Bostwick was dismissed in the early part of the second season.

References

  1. Murray, Noel (April 9, 2013). "'Shazam!' Remembering when superheroes weren't quite so cool". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on April 25, 2015. Retrieved April 6, 2015.
  2. 1 2 "Michael Gray". TVGuide.com. TV Guide . Retrieved April 19, 2017.
  3. "Archer: Drastic Voyage Part 1" at IMDb, "Archer: Drastic Voyage Part 2" at IMDb, "Archer: 1999 -- Cubert" at IMDb, and "Archer: 1999 -- Robert De Niro" at IMDb
  4. Liegl, Andy (September 26, 2012). "Michael Gray reflects on "Shazam!" and the life of a Seventies teen idol". Comic Book Resources . Archived from the original on April 12, 2015. Retrieved April 6, 2015.
  5. Ingram, Billy (2018). TVparty!: Television's Untold Tales. Bonus Books, Inc. pp. 211, 286. ISBN   9781566251846 via Google Books.
  6. "Bobby Jo and the Big Apple Good Time Band (CBS unsold pilot)". TV Archives : Unsold Pilots. March 31, 1972. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
  7. Ideas, Adventurious (March 21, 2023). "Heroes of Extinction Cast". Cast. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  8. Lowry, Brian (2023-03-16). "'Shazam!' Fury of the Gods' can't catch lightning in a bottle twice". CNN. Retrieved 2023-03-16.