Billy Beck (born Frank Billerbeck; May 26, 1920 – June 29, 2011) was an American

clown A clown is a person who performs comedy and arts in a state of open-mindedness using physical comedy, typically while wearing distinct makeup or costuming and reversing folkway-norms. History The most ancient clowns have been found in ...

and

character actor A character actor is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or eccentric characters.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to b ...

Career

Beck began his career as a clown at the legendary Cirque Medrano in Paris, France, in the late 1950s, and appeared in small roles beginning in the 1950s, Beck appeared in the 1954 made for television series Sherlock Holmes, starring Ronald Howard. On TV he portrayed Coco the Clown in episode #24, "The Night Train Mystery", as well as appearing as Rafe in the third season of '' Combat!'' in the episode "The Town That Went Away " (1964) as Rafe and in S11E22's “The Wishbone” as Mr. Tonkins in the TV Western ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centers on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central character ...

'' (1966). He also appeared in such films as '' Irma la Douce'' (1963), '' The Patsy'' (1964), '' The Fortune Cookie'' (1966), '' Nickelodeon'' (1976), ''

House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

'' (1986), and the 1988 remake '' The Blob'' as the first victim of the title creature.

Death

Beck died in his Glendale home of natural causes on June 29, 2011, at age 91.

Filmography

References

External links

* * 1920 births 2011 deaths Male actors from Philadelphia American male film actors American male television actors 20th-century American male actors {{US-screen-actor-1920s-stub