An American child actor, he was born in Port Townsend, Washington on July 9, 1930. Billy was married to writer Patte Wheat Mahan. He's best known for playing the character of Bobby Jones in the 17 low-budget Jones Family film series, including Off to the Races (1937), Love on a Budget (1938), and The Jones Family in Borrowing Trouble (1937). Billy died in 2002 of lung cancer, at age 72.