1970s《Shazam!》Star Michael Gray dies

 Michael Gray dies aged 75.A family spokesman confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that he died of natural causes in Palm Desert, California.The 1970s live-action TV series《Shazam!》 (Shazam!) is what many viewers remember for his role as the teenager Billy Batson - who turned into a superhero just by saying the word and the smoke cleared.

Gray was born in Chicago on September 2, 1951, and grew up in Miami Beach before moving to Hollywood to study acting at the Pasadena Playhouse.He made his screen debut in 1969 in Room 222, and later appeared in The Flying Nun, Marcus Welby, M.D., and The Brady Bunch.In 1973 - The Brady Bunch - he played her boyfriend in an episode where Marcia worked at an ice cream shop.

In 1970, he co-starred with Burt Reynolds in the ABC television movie Run, Simon, Run, and also appeared in Beyond the Valley of the Dolls and Myra Breckinridge.

His first series job was as student doctor Ronny Collins in the first season of the NBC sitcom The Little People.The series, starring Brian Keith and Shelley Fabares, aired from 1972 to 1974.By that time, Gray was already regularly appearing on the covers of teen magazines such as Tiger Beat; his agent, Charles Laufer, publisher of Tiger Beat, had been trying to keep him in the public eye.

Then, 《Shazam!》 has arrived.CBS aired it for three seasons from 1974 to 1976. Billy, played by Gray, only had to shout “Shazam” to transform into Captain Marvel, played by Jackson Bostwick and John David.It was also one of the first live-action dramas to appear in the Saturday morning children's programming slot at the time.

Gray once recalled that when he was first invited, he did not understand the characters and the story, so he had to make up lessons quickly.“ Fun and exhausting, challenging and exciting, all rolled into one.”For him, it didn't matter whether it was on Saturday morning or prime time. Being part of a reality show like this was exciting in itself.

The transformation special effects also went through trial and error.In an interview with Comic Book Resources, he said that the crew tested a flash device and wanted to wait for the smoke to clear to complete the transformation, but he was slightly burned as a result.“They quickly replaced that method, which definitely didn't work.”In 2023, he will be in《Thunder Shazam!A guest appearance in Shazam! Fury of the Gods, interacting with the hero played by Zachary Levi, a nod to the old TV series.

Being a teen idol isn't all happiness.Gray said outsiders wanted to portray him as the next David Cassidy, and his frequent appearances on magazine covers worked.But when the series was airing and fan magazine coverage was at its peak, he could barely leave the house, and the scenes sometimes became quite embarrassing.Later, he felt he was being assigned the same type of roles over and over again and eventually left acting.

He turned to children's theater education, worked in men's clothing, and ran a flower shop in West Hollywood with his wife, Stacey.

2012》Shazam!--The release of DVD reopened the door for him to meet the audience.He began attending fan fairs and admitted to Fanboy Planet's Derek McCaw that the work that once played an important role in his life seemed to have been gathering dust for more than thirty years; he would meet many people every week asking when the DVD would be released and whether it would be replayed on TV.It wasn't until many years later that he truly realized how much influence the characters and series had on others.

He remembers the audience saying to himself: “You don’t know what you did for me when I was a child... You helped me go through life... and made me a better person today.”The moral concepts conveyed in the series have left a long-lasting mark on some children.Gray said that it felt good to hear these words. He had no idea that this work had such power.

In recent years, his career has also become active again.From 2015 to 2019, he voiced Michael Gray on TV, one of Sterling Archer's childhood idols, in four episodes of the FX animated comedy Archer; from 2016 to 2020, he also voiced Will E. Bee in the series Surge of Power.

Gray and Stacey married in 1994.In addition to his wife, he is survived by stepchildren Ryan and Cooper, and son-in-law Lee.

His former co-star John David said in a statement that Mike is a loving, gentle person with a great sense of humor. He likes to perform and film the show. In recent years, he also likes to participate in comic conventions and meet and chat with fans.“He's a really nice guy - I don't think he ever stops smiling.”