Palm Desert, CA (October 22, 2026) – Michael Gray, star of the 1970s live-action television series Shazam! and a true teen idol of the era, passed away from natural causes on Friday, October 16. He was 75.
Gray, who frequently adorned the covers of Tiger Beat and other popular teen magazines, got his initial TV series break in 1972 when he was cast in NBC’s The Little People alongside Brian Keith and Shelly Fabares. The actor’s early career also included supporting roles in popular primetime TV series like The Brady Bunch (as Marcia’s boyfriend in a 1973 episode), Dynasty, Marcus Welby, M.D., Room 222 and The Flying Nun. He also played Burt Reynolds’ younger brother in the TV movie Run, Simon, Run, and appeared in the iconic 1970 films Beyond the Valley of the Dolls and Myra Breckinridge.
But it was his landing the role of Billy Batson in the Saturday morning live-action series Shazam! that thrust Gray into the national spotlight, and cemented his place in the super hero acting pantheon.
“I didn’t know the character or the story when I was initially cast, so I had to be a quick study – so it was fun and exhausting, challenging and thrilling, all at once,” Gray said during a Comic-Con panel. “It didn’t matter that it was on Saturday morning or prime time – though the fact that it was one of the first few live-action shows on Saturday morning was exciting. It truly was a thrilling show to work.”
In recent years, Gray enjoyed a career resurgence both in acting and on the convention circuit. The FX comedy series Archer gave Gray an animated boost as one of Sterling Archer’s boyhood idols, dubbing him as “TV’s Michael Gray” and featuring him in four episodes. He was also featured in the ongoing indie super hero film franchise Surge of Power, on AMC’s Comic Book Men, and was recruited for a fun cameo in Shazam! Fury of the Gods, where he interacted with Zachary Levi’s Captain Marvel in a wink to the original series.
Everyone who worked with Gray never had anything but praise for his professionalism, positive attitude, and joyful embrace of life.
“From my very first day on Shazam!, Mike and Les (Tremayne) welcomed me like a king,” says Shazam! co-star John Davey. “Mike was just a loving, sweet guy with a great sense of humor. He loved acting, loved doing the show and, in recent years, loved appearing at comic cons. He really enjoyed meeting and chatting with the fans. Mike was a wonderful man – I don’t think he ever stopped smiling.”
Born in Chicago, IL on September 2, 1951, Gray would ultimately grow up in Miami Beach before heading to Hollywood to launch his career. He studied acting at the prestigious Pasadena Playhouse, and soon began getting roles in television series. Gray’s manager, Tiger Beat magazine publisher Charles Laufer, kept him in the national consciousness enough that it triggered a series of new roles, most notably his three-year run as teenage Billy Batson on Shazam!
Not every moment on Shazam! was pure joy. Filming involved long days on locations that weren’t always the most comfortable. And as they filmed during the early days of super hero TV series magic, some visual effects kinks were still being ironed out.
“I remember when we were experimenting with the change from Billy to Captain Marvel, using a sort of flash device, and POOF — the smoke would clear, and I was a little singed,” Gray recalled to Comic Book Resources. “They changed that real quick. That definitely didn’t work.”
Being a teen idol also took its toll on Gray.
“The teen idol angle was orchestrated to some degree,” Gray said. “They wanted me to be the next David Cassidy. I was on the front cover of Tiger Beat often, and it worked. Back then, when the show was running and all the fan magazine coverage was going on, I couldn’t leave my house. It got pretty ugly sometimes.”
Eventually, teen idol Gray felt typecast in virtually every role offered to him – and he decided to depart the acting side of Hollywood. During his lengthy hiatus from acting, amongst other employment, Gray took a gig in children’s theater education, worked in men’s fashion, and owned and operated a popular West Hollywood floral business with his wife, Stacy.
Gray rediscovered the Shazam! fandom when Warner Bros. remastered the series for distribution on DVD in 2012 (and subsequently on Blu-ray), opening the door for Gray to appear at fan conventions and be offered new on-camera roles.
“I can’t tell you how overwhelmed I am – Shazam! is such a major part of my life, and for 30-some-odd-years, it just collected dust,” Gray told Derek McCaw of Fanboy Planet at the time of the DVD release. “I run into people 10 times a week who ask me, ‘When is Shazam! going to come out on DVD?’ ‘Have they ever put it back on TV?’ I didn’t know how much I would like Shazam! until years later when I found out how much of an influence my character and the show was on people’s lives.
“There were such good moral values to the show, and I meet people (everyday) who say, ‘You have no idea what you did for me as a child.’ ‘You helped me get through life.’ ‘You made me the better man, or woman, that I am today.’ And that’s a nice feeling. I didn’t know the show had that much strength and power back then.”
Gray is survived by Stacy Benon Gray, whom he married in 1994, along with his stepchildren Ryan Cooper and Laurel Cooper, and son-in-law Lee Barker.
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