Billie Lou Watt
Billie Lou Watt | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | September 7, 2001 New York City, U.S. | (aged 77)
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 1938–2001 |
Spouse | Hal Studer (19??–2001; her death) |
Children | 3 |
Billie Lou Watt (June 20, 1924 – September 7, 2001) was an American actress. She was best known as the original English dub voice of the title characters of the 1960s
Early life
Watt was born on June 20, 1924, in
Career
Her first role on a professional stage came two years later at the
Watt's first regular role on television had her portraying the girlfriend of the title character in The Billy Bean Show (1949,[3] 1951).[4][5] A review of The Billy Bean Show in the trade publication Billboard said: "Billie Lou Watt did a smooth job as his girl friend. This ingenue should be a natural for many television shows."[3] She also appeared on the 1958 series From These Roots as Maggie Barber Weaver.
Her career in animation began after she and her husband Hal Studer were suggested by Fred Ladd as actors in his journey into animation, with their first successful project being Astro Boy in 1963. Along the way, Billie Lou and Hal learned how to write character dialog and situations as Ladd brought in more shows to work on, resulting in such series as Kimba the White Lion (as Kimba) and Gigantor (as Jimmy Sparks). Ladd's cast remained close during Watt's career, including her friend Ray Owens, his wife Sonia, and Gilbert Mack. Watt returned to acting as herself on the soap opera The Edge of Night in the role of Florence Hatcher in 1967, but her longest television role would be Ellie Harper Bergman on Search for Tomorrow from 1968 to 1981.[citation needed]
Watt continued to provide voice-acting and script-writing duties for English redubs of Japanese anime, such as the 1970s feature-length
Later in life, Watt's voice was heard by radio listeners of In-Touch Networks who are
Death
Watt succumbed to lung cancer in New York City later in 2001, leaving her husband Hal and their three children. For her contributions to the entertainment industry, and her charitable works, she was inducted into the Ritenour Alumni Hall of Fame in 2005.[2]
References
- ^ Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Hall of Fame Members - 2005". Ritenour School District. Archived from the original on October 21, 2010. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
- ^ a b Morse, Leon (April 2, 1949). "The Billy Bean Show". Billboard. p. 10. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
- ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
- ISBN 978-0-7864-6812-6. Retrieved March 8, 2022.