Billy Beck

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Billy Beck (actually Frank Wallace Billerbeck , born May 26, 1920 in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , † June 29, 2011 in Silver Lake , Los Angeles , California ) was an American clown and actor .

Life

Beck was reportedly a fan of the "sad clown" character as developed by Emmett Kelly since childhood . During the Second World War he was stationed in France, where he stayed after the end of the armed conflict and earned his living as a street clown and painter in Paris . He also performed for Cirque Medrano , where he met another famous role model, Buster Keaton . Occasionally he played small roles for film and television in France.

In 1960 he moved back to his homeland, the United States, and was soon a welcome guest on television shows and series; In 1963 he played his first major film role in Irma La Douce as DuPont officer. Beck embodied over one hundred roles for television and screen in his career, which lasted until his death - in later years often that of the murderous madman in slasher films . He had his last role in 2009 in an episode of Joss Whedon's drama series Dollhouse .

In addition to his performing talents, Beck also worked as a draftsman, painter - especially nudes are among his works - and photographer.

Filmography (selection)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. Billy Beck dies at 91
  2. a b Beck's obituary on hollywood.patch.com