Billy Beck(1920-2011)

Character actor Billy Beck was born Frank Billerbeck on May 26, 1920 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Billy did drawings of clowns as a kid. Beck fought with the Allied Forces in France during World War II and returned in 1948 to Paris, France, where he began his show business career acting in French films. Billy went on to become a regular performer at Harry's Bar in Paris and was a featured clown on stage with Cirque Medrano. After moving to California in 1960, Beck went on to act mostly in small parts in a bunch of movies and television shows over the course of five consecutive decades. Moreover, Beck also appeared in many TV commercials, did paintings and portraits of female nudes, and was a regular with the San Fernando Valley Bango Band, which played for charity events and at retirement homes. Billy died on June 29, 2011 at age 91 of congestive heart failure at an assisted care facility in Glendale, California. He was survived by a great nephew and a great niece.