We mourn the loss of the legendary Hollywood actor

We mourn the loss of the legendary Hollywood actor

Michael Gray, the actor who became a Saturday-morning TV favorite as Billy Batson on *Shazam!*, died October 16 in Palm Desert, California, of natural causes. He was 75.



For millions of kids growing up in the 1970s, all it took was one word to turn an ordinary teenager into a superhero: "Shazam!” Long before superheroes dominated movie theaters, Gray helped bring one into American living rooms every weekend. From 1974 to 1976, he starred as Billy Batson, the teenager who could transform into the mighty Captain Marvel simply by uttering that famous word. But Gray’s story went well beyond the red-and-yellow superhero suit—and at the height of his fame, being one of the biggest teen idols of the era became far more intense than he ever expected.

Born in Chicago on September 2, 1951, Gray moved with his family to Miami a few years later. As a youngster, he had his sights set on becoming a newscaster, but that dream didn’t last long. As he joked in a 1976 interview, "I gave it up when I discovered I mumbled too much.” Instead, Gray found his way into acting at a young age, eventually gaining wider attention when he played Burt Reynolds’ brother in the ABC TV movie *Run, Simon, Run*. In 1972, he landed a regular role on *The Little People*, later known as *The Brian Keith Show*, playing student doctor Ronnie Collins alongside Brian Keith and Shelley Fabares. Gray was already becoming a familiar face to young TV viewers when he appeared on





 *The Brady Bunch* in 1973 as one of Marcia Brady’s boyfriends; in the episode "Marcia Gets Creamed,” his character is caught at an ice cream parlor with another girl, prompting Marcia, played by Maureen McCormick, to get her revenge with a blast of whipped cream. Despite his growing fame, Gray seemed to have a much simpler future in mind. "I guess my basic goal, other than acting, is to find a nice girl, settle down and raise a lot of kids,” he told *The Monroe Dispatch* in 1976.

Then came the role that would follow Gray for the rest of his life. In 1974, he was cast as Billy Batson on *Shazam!*, a live-action Saturday-morning adventure series based on the comic-book character. Billy traveled around helping people and, when trouble arrived, transformed into Captain Marvel, played first by Jackson Bostwick and later by John Davey. Gray appeared in 28 episodes over the show’s three-season run.
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For millions of kids growing up in the 1970s, all it took was one word to turn an ordinary teenager into a superhero: "Shazam!” Long before superheroes dominated movie theaters, Gray helped bring one into American living rooms every weekend. From 1974 to 1976, he starred as Billy Batson, the teenager who could transform into the mighty Captain Marvel simply by uttering that famous word. But Gray’s story went well beyond the red-and-yellow superhero suit—and at the height of his fame, being one of the biggest teen idols of the era became far more intense than he ever expected.

Born in Chicago on September 2, 1951, Gray moved with his family to Miami a few years later. As a youngster, he had his sights set on becoming a newscaster, but that dream didn’t last long. As he joked in a 1976 interview, "I gave it up when I discovered I mumbled too much.” Instead, Gray found his way into acting at a young age, eventually gaining wider attention when he played Burt Reynolds’ brother in the ABC TV movie *Run, Simon, Run*. In 1972, he landed a regular role on *The Little People*, later known as *The Brian Keith Show*, playing student doctor Ronnie Collins alongside Brian Keith and Shelley Fabares. Gray was already becoming a familiar face to young TV viewers when he appeared on





 *The Brady Bunch* in 1973 as one of Marcia Brady’s boyfriends; in the episode "Marcia Gets Creamed,” his character is caught at an ice cream parlor with another girl, prompting Marcia, played by Maureen McCormick, to get her revenge with a blast of whipped cream. Despite his growing fame, Gray seemed to have a much simpler future in mind. "I guess my basic goal, other than acting, is to find a nice girl, settle down and raise a lot of kids,” he told *The Monroe Dispatch* in 1976.

Then came the role that would follow Gray for the rest of his life. In 1974, he was cast as Billy Batson on *Shazam!*, a live-action Saturday-morning adventure series based on the comic-book character. Billy traveled around helping people and, when trouble arrived, transformed into Captain Marvel, played first by Jackson Bostwick and later by John Davey. Gray appeared in 28 episodes over the show’s three-season run.
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