Billy Pearson
Billy Pearson | |
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San Carlos Handicap (1953) (1953, 1954)Santa Catalina Stakes |
Bill Austin Pearson (May 19, 1920 – November 28, 2002) was an American
Biography and riding career
Bill Austin Pearson was born on May 19, 1920 in
In 1941, he was an accomplished rider at the Hollywood Park Racetrack, when the horse he was racing crashed through a fence. As a result, Pearson was hospitalized for nine months, having received a concussion, multiple broken ribs and other fractured bones. A fellow rider, Jackie Westrope gave him a book on quilts, telling him; "because it looks like you're going to spend the rest of your life sewing". The book actually triggered a fascination with quilts for him, and he later bought a quilt at a Goodwill store for 8 dollars, that turned out be worth $2,000. He ended up donating it to the Smithsonian who valued it at $20,000. Pearson recalls that he began to really study "the design, the needlework, the stitches", and he became an expert, which forged a path to his interest in other art objects. American film director John Huston taught him about pre-Columbian and African art. In France, while racing for Baron Philippe de Rothschild, the Baron introduced him to classical and modern art. During this period, Pearson also continued to ride and is credited with 826 victories overall.[1][2]
Post racing career
In 1956, he appeared on
On November 15, 1958, Pearson appeared as a jockey in an episode of Perry Mason called "The Case of the Jilted Jockey".[3] Additionally, in 1958, he was cast as private eye Donald Lam in a pilot episode of Cool and Lam, based on the books by Erle Stanley Gardner writing as A. A. Fair, but the pilot remains the only episode in existence.[4] Writer Sam Shepard dedicated his 1983 play Fool for Love to Pearson.[2] Pearson was married six times, and was living in Kingston, New York, at the time of his death in 2002.[1]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d Oliver, Myrna (December 10, 2002). "Bill Pearson, 82; Jockey and Dealer of Art and Antiques". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ a b c d Kaufman, Michael (December 15, 2002). "Billy Pearson, Jockey and Quiz Show Winner, Dies at 82". The New York Times. p. 66.
- ^ Kelleher, Brian; Merrill, Diana (1987). "Episode Guide - The Second Season". The Perry Mason TV Show Book.
- ^ Tucker, Ken (December 5, 2016). "A New (Old) Book Just Waiting to Become a TV Series". Yahoo Entertainment. Archived from the original on November 20, 2023.
Further reading
- Schorsch, David (1994). The Billy Pearson Collection of American Folk Art.
- Moss, Nat (January 15, 2009). "The Jockey and the Showman". Vanity Fair.