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Billy Hughes (actor)

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Billy Hughes
Born
Billy Eugene Hughes, Jr.

(1948-11-28)November 28, 1948
Los Angeles, California, United States
DiedDecember 20, 2005(2005-12-20) (aged 57)
Alma, Arkansas, United States
Other namesBilly Hughes, Jr., Billy E. Hughes, Billy E. Hughes, Jr.
OccupationActor
Years active1960–1978
Notable workMy Six Loves (1963)
TelevisionGunsmoke, Wagon Train, Twilight Zone, Lassie, The Rifleman, among others.
SpouseAida Hughes (m. 1969–2005)

Billy Eugene Hughes, Jr. (November 28, 1948 – December 20, 2005) was an American actor best known for various television and film roles he played during the 1960s. His Hollywood lineage included both his father (Bill Hughes) and uncle (Whitey Hughes), who were both stuntmen and film producers. While in Alma, Arkansas, in 2005, aged 57, he apparently died while in his sleep.

Television roles

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Between 1960 and 1964 Hughes appeared in over a dozen television programs, beginning with Robert Taylor's Detectives, where he played the role of Bobby Marx in the episode "The Little Witness". Other TV work included The Shirley Temple Show, Leave It to Beaver, Gunsmoke, The Twilight Zone, Dr. Kildare, Wagon Train, and Lassie.

Hughes appeared in three different episodes of Gunsmoke between 1961 and '62, playing the roles of Joey Glover (in "Millie"), Timmy (in "Us Haggens"), which introduced Ken Curtis in the role of Festus, and Tommy. From 1961 to 1964 he also had three appearances on Wagon Train (playing Adam Bancroft as a Boy, Mark Basham, and Matt). Two of his three appearances on Lassie were in the role of Billy Joe (in the 1961 episodes "Cracker Jack" and "Yochim's Christmas"), while in 1964 he played Ricky Sutton in the episode "Climb the Mountain Slowly".

As a young gunman in The Rifleman episode "The Sidewinder"

Hughes also appeared in three episodes of The Rifleman: "Long Gun From Tucson", "Day of Reckoning", and "Sidewinder". In "Sidewinder", he had a lead role playing 13-year-old Gridley Maule Jr., a young gunman seeking vengeance for his father's death. Filmed while he was still only thirteen years old, Hughes displayed remarkable talent at handling a Colt revolver. According to a close friend of Hughes, this was one of his favorite roles.

Television appearances

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Program Season Episode # Series # Air Date Title Role Notes Ref(s)
Detectives 2 7 40 11/11/1960 "The Little Witness" Bobby Marx Credit: Billy Hughes
Law and Mr. Jones 1 6 6 11/18/1960 "The Promise of Life" Paul Rice Credit: Billy Hughes
Shirley Temple's Storybook 2 20 36 02/12/1961 "Onawandah" Daniel Winters Credit: Billy Hughes
Lassie 7 24 243 02/26/1961 "Cracker Jack" Billy Joe Credit: Billy Hughes
Law and Mr. Jones 1 22 22 03/17/1961 "Everybody Versus Timmy Drayton" Timmy Drayton Credit: Billy Hughes
87th Precinct 1 3 3 10/09/1961 "Lady Killer" Frankie Annuci Credit: Billy Hughes
Wagon Train 5 4 156 10/18/1961 "The Selena Hartnell Story" Matt Credit: Billy Hughes
Gunsmoke 7 9 242 11/25/1961 "Milly" Joey Glover Credit: Billy Hughes
The Rifleman 4 11 121 12/18/1961 "Long Gun from Tucson" Jeffrey Waller Credit: Billy Hughes
Lassie 8 15 270 12/24/1961 "Yochim's Christmas" Billy Joe Yochim Credit: Billy Hughes
New Breed 1 16 16 01/16/1962 "To Sell a Human Being" unnamed Credit: Billy Hughes
General Electric Theater 10 20 289 02/11/1962 "Badge of Honor" unnamed Credit: Billy Hughes
Gunsmoke 7 23 256 03/10/1962 "Reprisal" Tommy Credit: Billy Hughes
The Rifleman 4 28 138 04/09/1962 "Day of Reckoning" Aaron Jamison Credit: Billy Hughes
General Electric Theater 10 30 299 04/29/1962 "Mister Doc" Grover Darrow Credit: Billy Hughes
Dennis the Menace 3 36 106 06/17/1962 "The Club Initiation" Walter Hooper Credit: Billy Hughes
Wide Country 1 8 8 11/08/1962 "A Devil in the Chute" Jay (as a boy) Credit: Billy Hughes
Leave It to Beaver 6 11 206 12/06/1962 "Beaver, the Sheep Dog" Chuck Credit: Billy Hughes
Gunsmoke 8 13 280 12/08/1962 "Us Haggens" Timmy Credit: Billy Hughes
The Rifleman 5 16 158 01/21/1963 "The Sidewinder" Gridley Maule, Jr. Credit: Billy Hughes, Jr.
Laramie 4 19 111 02/12/1963 "The Fugitives" Adam Tolliver Credit: Billy Hughes
Dr. Kildare 2 20 53 02/21/1963 "A Trip to Niagara" David Jonah Credit: Billy Hughes
Twilight Zone 4 15 117 04/18/1963 "The Incredible World of Horace Ford" Kid Credit: (uncredited)
Our Man Higgins 1 30 30 04/24/1963 "Delinquent for a Day" Eddie Credit: Billy Hughes
Wagon Train 7 9 235 11/11/1963 "The Eli Bancroft Story" Matt Credit: Billy Hughes
77 Sunset Strip 6 9 195 11/15/1963 "By His Own Verdict" Terry Nilson Credit: Billy Hughes
Arrest and Trial 1 6 6 10/20/1963 "A Flame in the Dark" Steve Hockinger Credit: Billy E. Hughes
Wagon Train 7 22 248 02/17/1964 "The Melanie Craig Story" Mark Basham Credit: Billy Hughes
Lassie 11 5 357 10/04/1964 "Climb the Mountain Slowly" Ricky Sutton Credit: Billy Hughes

Filmography

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Billy Hughes also had an uncredited stunt role in the 1969 film The Wild Bunch. He is sometimes mistakenly credited with a role in Gone with the West (1975) but this was likely a token appearance by his father Billy Hughes Sr.

References

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  • Goldrup, Tom and Jim (2002). Growing Up on the Set: Interviews with 39 Former Child Actors of Film and Television. McFarland & Co. pp. 121–129. ISBN 1476613702.
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