Michael Gray, 1970’s “Shazam!” star of the television series died of natural causes in Palm Desert on Friday. He was 75 years old.
Gray made her television debut in 1972, appearing on NBC’s “The Little People” opposite Brian Keith and Shelly Fabares. Early in his career, he had supporting roles in several TV series, including playing Marcia’s boyfriend Jeff on “The Brady Bunch” as well as roles in “Dynasty,” “Marcus Welby, MD,” “Room 222” and “The Flying Nun,” as well as such films as “Run, Simon, Run,” “Beyond the Valley of the Dolls” and “Myra Breckinridge.”
He joined the cast of Shazam in 1974. He starred as Billy Batson, alongside John Davey and Les Tremayne, in the series, which ran for three seasons until 1976. Gray became a teen idol and frequently appeared on the covers of Tiger Beat and other teen magazines.
“From my first day on ‘Shazam!’ Mike and Les [Tremayne] “He welcomed me like a king,” Davey said of Gray. “Mike was a loving, sweet man with a great sense of humor. He loved acting, he loved performing, and in recent years he loved being in comics. He really enjoyed meeting and chatting with fans. Mike was a great guy. I don’t think he ever stopped smiling.
“Shazam!” It was remastered for distribution on DVD in 2012, leading to a career revival for Gray. In recent years, he appeared in several episodes of the FX series “Archer” as one of the main character’s childhood idols, and also appeared in “Surge of Power” on AMC’s “Comic Book Men.” When “Shazam! Wrath of the Gods” was released in 2023, Gray made a brief cameo in which he interacted with Zachary Levi’s Captain Marvel as a nod to the original series.
Gray was born in Chicago on September 2, 1951, and grew up in Miami Beach, Florida, then moved to Los Angeles to study acting at the Pasadena Playhouse and continue her career in entertainment. After taking on his role in “Shazam!”, Gray began to feel typecast and took a break from acting. During this time, he worked in children’s theater training and men’s fashion, and also owned and operated a floristry business with his wife, Stacy.
Following the 2012 revival of “Shazam!”, Gray frequently attended fan conventions and reconnected with his fan base while also appearing in projects such as the “Surge of Power” series.
“I meet people [everyday] The ones who say, ‘You have no idea what you did for me when I was a kid.’ ‘You helped me get through life.’ “You made me a better man or woman than I am today,” Gray told Fanboy Planet in 2012. “And that’s a nice feeling. I didn’t know at the time that the show was so strong and powerful.”
Gray is survived by his wife, Stacy Benon Gray, whom he married in 1994; stepchildren Ryan Cooper and Laurel Cooper; and son-in-law Lee Barker.
Courtesy photo