He was Billy Batson… Michael Gray, who portrayed Billy Batson on the popular 1970s live-action Filmation TV show Shazam!, has died at the age of 75. Here’s the official press release: Palm Desert, CA (October 22, 2026) – Michael Gray, star of the 1970s live-action television series Shazam! and a true teen idol of the era, passed away from natural causes on Friday, October 16. He was 75. Gray, who frequently adorned the covers of Tiger Beat and other popular teen magazines, got his initial TV series break in 1972 when he was cast in NBC’s The Little People alongside Brian Keith and Shelly Fabares. The actor’s early career also included supporting roles in popular primetime TV series like The Brady Bunch (as Marcia’s boyfriend in a 1973 episode), Dynasty, Marcus Welby M.D., Room 222 and The Flying Nun. He also played Burt Reynolds’ younger brother in the TV movie Run, Simon, Run, and appeared in the iconic 1970 films Beyond the Valley of the Dolls and Myra Breckinridge. But it was his landing the role of Billy Batson in the Saturday morning live-action series Shazam! that thrust Gray into the national spotlight, and cemented his place in the super hero acting pantheon. “I didn’t know the character or the story when I was initially cast, so I had to be a quick study – so it was fun and exhausting, challenging and thrilling, all at once,” Gray once said. “It didn’t matter that it was on Saturday morning or prime time – though the fact that it was one of the first few live-action shows on Saturday morning was exciting. It truly was a thrilling show to work.” In recent years, Gray enjoyed a career resurgence both in acting and on the convention circuit. The FX comedy series Archer gave Gray an animated boost as one of Sterling Archer’s boyhood idols, dubbing him as “TV’s Michael Gray” and featuring him in four episodes. He was also featured in the ongoing indie super hero film franchise Surge of Power, on AMC’s Comic Book Men, and was recruited for a fun cameo in Shazam! Fury of the Gods, where he interacted with Zachary Levi’s Captain Marvel in a wink to the original series. Everyone who worked with Gray never had anything but praise for his professionalism, positive attitude, and joyful...
Michael Gray, who played Billy Batson, has died at 75… — UPDATED 10/22/26: Actor Michael Gray, who played Billy Batson on the 1970s TV show Shazam!, has died at the age of 75. You can find his obituary here. The piece below first ran Sept. 7, 2024, on the show’s 50th anniversary. — Dan — By WALT GROGAN It’s hard to believe that 50 years ago — on Sept. 7, 1974 — the Saturday morning live-action Shazam! TV show debuted on CBS! At the time, I had only been a Captain Marvel fan for a short period after learning about him in that great book of essays, All in Color for a Dime and a year or two after that when DC licensed the Big Red Cheese from Fawcett. So to say I was excited to see a live action Captain Marvel on the small screen is an understatement. But I have to say I had a love/hate relationship with the show even back then. On the plus side, the show was perfectly cast with its leads: Jackson Bostwick as Captain Marvel, Michael Gray as Billy Batson, and Les Tremayne as Mentor. But on the downside, each show could be a 20-minute snorefest, a low-rent ABC Afternoon Special. The only real excitement was when Billy transformed into Cap, typically in the last few minutes of the show, and when our hero delivered the moral at the end. However, the show did have a lot of things that I did like! Here are 13 THINGS TO LOVE ABOUT THE 1970s SHAZAM! TV SHOW — RANKED, complete with fancy gifs! — 13. The Credits. Those opening credits really set the stage for some excitement: from seeing the leads take action to showcasing the Elders and the Eterni-Phone, and witnessing the transformation of Billy to Cap — all the while getting a quick recap of how Captain Marvel came to be! — 12. The Locations. One of the biggest cost-saving options of the show was the lack of any standing sets with maybe the exception of the Shazam! Van. Instead, Mentor and Billy drove around the suburbs of Los Angeles visiting grocery stores, fast food drive-ins, junk yards, and horse farms. After a while, all of these nondescript locations started to blend together, but today it’s a fun glimpse at what the...
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