Michael Gray, Billy Batson in the 1970s Shazam! Series, Dies at 75

Michael Gray, the actor who played Billy Batson in the 1970s live action series Shazam! and became one of the decade's teen idols, has died. He was 75.

Gray died of natural causes on Friday, October 16, in Palm Desert, California, his publicist told Entertainment Weekly. His representatives announced his death on Thursday, October 22, in statements to People, Entertainment Weekly, USA Today and other outlets.

In Shazam!, which ran on CBS on Saturday mornings from 1974 to 1976, Gray played a teenager who could turn into the superhero Captain Marvel by shouting one word: "Shazam!" Jackson Bostwick played Captain Marvel first, and John Davey later took over the role. Les Tremayne played the Mentor, who travelled with Billy. The series ran for 28 episodes and was the first live action series from Filmation, the studio known for cartoons.

Davey, 87, said in a statement to People: "From my very first day on Shazam!, Mike and Les welcomed me like a king." People also quoted him calling Gray "just a loving, sweet guy with a great sense of humor."

A teen idol before Billy Batson

Gray was born in Chicago and started on television as a child, with a part on Room 222 in 1969 and guest spots on The Flying Nun and Marcus Welby, M.D. His break came in 1972, when he was cast as Ronnie Collins on the NBC sitcom The Little People, starring Brian Keith and Shelley Fabares. The show was later renamed The Brian Keith Show.

In 1973 he played Jeff, a boyfriend of Marcia Brady, on an episode of The Brady Bunch. A year later he landed the Billy Batson role that defined his career. His manager also published Tiger Beat, and Gray's face filled the teen magazines of the era. Entertainment Weekly wrote that he was poised to become the next David Cassidy.

"I didn't know the character or the story when I was initially cast, so I had to be a quick study," Gray said at a Comic-Con panel, in remarks quoted by People and Entertainment Weekly. "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."

Away from Hollywood, then back

Gray stepped away from acting after Shazam! ended. People reported that he felt typecast and could not land other roles. He later ran a flower shop in West Hollywood with his wife, Stacy, according to Extra.

He returned to screens in smaller ways that fans noticed. He voiced a version of himself on the animated series Archer, where he was the childhood idol of the title character. In 2023 he made a cameo in the film Shazam! Fury of the Gods, sharing a scene with Zachary Levi, the film's Captain Marvel. His last on camera work was in Surge of Power: Where There's Smoke in 2024, according to Extra.

Gray is survived by his wife of more than 30 years, Stacy Benon Gray, by his stepchildren Ryan Cooper and Laurel Cooper, and by his son in law.