Billie Lou Watt
Encyclopedia
Billie Lou Watt was an actress in theater and television
, including several voice acting
roles for commercials and animated series. She is best known as the voice of the title characters of the 1960s anime
series Astro Boy
and Kimba the White Lion
, the character Elsie the Cow
for Borden Cheese's TV commercials, and a live-action turn playing Ellie Harper Bergman on the soap opera Search for Tomorrow
.
, where her career on the stage began at the age of 12 in the role of Becky in a local play based on the book The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
. Her first role on a professional stage came two years later at the St. Louis Municipal Opera production of The American Way
. Her first acting role using mainly her voice was heard by listeners of the KMOX radio
program The Land We Live In. She graduated from Ritenour High School and Northwestern University
in Chicago, Illinois before continuing her acting career in the touring company of the play Kiss and Tell. This would lead up to performing on the stages of New York City
, with special thanks to George Abbott
for hiring her for the play Barefoot Boy with Cheek. She also appeared in Little Women
and King of Hearts
during her time on Broadway
. Watt's first regular role on television was for the 1958 series From These Roots
as Maggie Barber Weaver.
Watt's career in animation began after she and her husband Hal Studer were suggested by Fred Ladd
as actors in his journey into animation, with their first successful project being Astro Boy in 1963. Along the way, Billie Lou and Hal learned how to write character dialog and situations as Ladd brought in more shows to work on, resulting in such series as Kimba the White Lion
(as Kimba) and Gigantor
(as Jimmy Sparks). Ladd's cast remained close during Watt's career, including her friend Ray Owens, his wife Sonia, and Gilbert Mack. Watt returned to acting as herself on the soap opera
The Edge of Night
in the role of Florence Hatcher in 1967, but her longest TV role would be Ellie Harper Bergman on Search for Tomorrow
from 1968 to 1981. In the meantime, Watt continued to provide voice-acting and script-writing duties for English redubs of Japanese anime, such as the 1970s feature-length Jack and the Beanstalk
(as Jack), Taro the Dragon Boy (as the title character), and the Biblical-based TV series Superbook
(as Christopher Peepers and various other characters) and The Flying House
(as Justin Casey and various other characters).
Later in life, Watt and her voice became of great help for radio listeners of In-Touch Networks who are hearing impaired or completely blind
. Watt's final acting role was the voice of Muriel Bagge on the series Courage the Cowardly Dog
from 1999 to 2001. She would succumb to lung cancer in New York City
later that year, leaving her husband Hal and their three children.
For her contributions to the entertainment industry, and for her charitable work, Watt was inducted into the Ritenour Alumni Hall of Fame in 2005.
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
, including several voice acting
Voice acting
Voice acting is the art of providing voices for animated characters and radio and audio dramas and comedy, as well as doing voice-overs in radio and television commercials, audio dramas, dubbed foreign language films, video games, puppet shows, and amusement rides.Performers are called...
roles for commercials and animated series. She is best known as the voice of the title characters of the 1960s anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
series Astro Boy
Astro Boy (1960s)
is a Japanese manga series first published in 1952 and television program first broadcast in Japan in 1963. The story follows the adventures of a robot named Astro Boy and a selection of other characters along the way....
and Kimba the White Lion
Kimba the White Lion
, known in the United States as Kimba the White Lion, is an anime series from the 1960s. Created by Osamu Tezuka and based on his manga of the same title which began publication in 1950, it was the first color animated television series created in Japan. The manga was first published in serialized...
, the character Elsie the Cow
Elsie the Cow
Elsie the Cow has been the spokescow for the Borden Dairy Company since her introduction in 1936.Elsie was created in the 1930s to symbolize the “Perfect Dairy Product,” and made an appearance at the New York World's Fair in 1939. She also starred in a movie, RKO's Little Men, in 1940...
for Borden Cheese's TV commercials, and a live-action turn playing Ellie Harper Bergman on the soap opera Search for Tomorrow
Search for Tomorrow
Search for Tomorrow is an American soap opera which premiered on September 3, 1951 on CBS. The show was moved from CBS to NBC on March 29, 1982. It continued on NBC until the final episode aired on December 26, 1986, a run of thirty-five years. At the time of its final broadcast it was the...
.
Life & career
Watt was born in St. Louis, MissouriSt. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, where her career on the stage began at the age of 12 in the role of Becky in a local play based on the book The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain is an 1876 novel about a young boy growing up along the Mississippi River. The story is set in the Town of "St...
. Her first role on a professional stage came two years later at the St. Louis Municipal Opera production of The American Way
The American Way
The American Way is an eight-issue American comic book limited series produced under DC Comics' Wildstorm Signature imprint. The series debuted in April 2006, and was created by John Ridley and Georges Jeanty.-Publication history:...
. Her first acting role using mainly her voice was heard by listeners of the KMOX radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
program The Land We Live In. She graduated from Ritenour High School and Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
in Chicago, Illinois before continuing her acting career in the touring company of the play Kiss and Tell. This would lead up to performing on the stages of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, with special thanks to George Abbott
George Abbott
George Francis Abbott was an American theater producer and director, playwright, screenwriter, and film director and producer whose career spanned more than nine decades.-Early years:...
for hiring her for the play Barefoot Boy with Cheek. She also appeared in Little Women
Little Women
Little Women is a novel by American author Louisa May Alcott . The book was written and set in the Alcott family home, Orchard House, in Concord, Massachusetts. It was published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869...
and King of Hearts
King of Hearts
King of Hearts may refer to:*King , the playing card also known as the Suicide KingIn film:*King of Hearts , a silent film directed by Joseph Levigard...
during her time on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
. Watt's first regular role on television was for the 1958 series From These Roots
From These Roots
From These Roots is an American soap opera which ran from June 30, 1958 to December 29, 1961. It was created and written by Frank Provo and John Pickard . The show was seen on NBC, and was the first successful soap opera vehicle for Ann Flood who later became well known for, and spend the better...
as Maggie Barber Weaver.
Watt's career in animation began after she and her husband Hal Studer were suggested by Fred Ladd
Fred Ladd
Fred Ladd , is an American television and film writer and producer. He is notable as one of the first to introduce Japanese animated cartoons to North America....
as actors in his journey into animation, with their first successful project being Astro Boy in 1963. Along the way, Billie Lou and Hal learned how to write character dialog and situations as Ladd brought in more shows to work on, resulting in such series as Kimba the White Lion
Kimba the White Lion
, known in the United States as Kimba the White Lion, is an anime series from the 1960s. Created by Osamu Tezuka and based on his manga of the same title which began publication in 1950, it was the first color animated television series created in Japan. The manga was first published in serialized...
(as Kimba) and Gigantor
Gigantor
Gigantor is an American adaptation of the anime version of Tetsujin 28-go, a manga by Mitsuteru Yokoyama released in 1956. It debuted on U.S. television in 1964. As with Speed Racer, the characters' original names were altered and the original series' violence was toned down for American viewers...
(as Jimmy Sparks). Ladd's cast remained close during Watt's career, including her friend Ray Owens, his wife Sonia, and Gilbert Mack. Watt returned to acting as herself on the soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
The Edge of Night
The Edge of Night
The Edge of Night is an American television mystery series/soap opera produced by Procter & Gamble. It debuted on CBS on April 2, 1956, and ran as a live broadcast on that network until November 28, 1975; the series then moved to ABC, where it aired from December 1, 1975, until December 28, 1984...
in the role of Florence Hatcher in 1967, but her longest TV role would be Ellie Harper Bergman on Search for Tomorrow
Search for Tomorrow
Search for Tomorrow is an American soap opera which premiered on September 3, 1951 on CBS. The show was moved from CBS to NBC on March 29, 1982. It continued on NBC until the final episode aired on December 26, 1986, a run of thirty-five years. At the time of its final broadcast it was the...
from 1968 to 1981. In the meantime, Watt continued to provide voice-acting and script-writing duties for English redubs of Japanese anime, such as the 1970s feature-length Jack and the Beanstalk
Jack and the Beanstalk
Jack and the Beanstalk is a folktale said by English historian Francis Palgrave to be an oral legend that arrived in England with the Vikings. The tale is closely associated with the tale of Jack the Giant-killer. It is known under a number of versions...
(as Jack), Taro the Dragon Boy (as the title character), and the Biblical-based TV series Superbook
Superbook
Superbook, also known as , is an anime television series produced by Tatsunoko Productions in Japan in conjunction with the Christian Broadcasting Network in the United States....
(as Christopher Peepers and various other characters) and The Flying House
The Flying House
The Flying House, full title , is a 52 episodes anime series produced by Tatsunoko Productions broadcast between April 1982 and March 1983 on TV Tokyo, and distributed by the Christian Broadcasting Network in the United States. In 2010, the Christian Broadcasting Network made the 52 episodes...
(as Justin Casey and various other characters).
Later in life, Watt and her voice became of great help for radio listeners of In-Touch Networks who are hearing impaired or completely blind
Blindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
. Watt's final acting role was the voice of Muriel Bagge on the series Courage the Cowardly Dog
Courage the Cowardly Dog
Courage the Cowardly Dog is an American animated television series created by John R. Dilworth for Cartoon Network. Its central plot revolves around a somewhat anthropomorphic dog named Courage who lives with his owners, Muriel and Eustace Bagge, an elderly, married farming couple in the "Middle of...
from 1999 to 2001. She would succumb to lung cancer in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
later that year, leaving her husband Hal and their three children.
For her contributions to the entertainment industry, and for her charitable work, Watt was inducted into the Ritenour Alumni Hall of Fame in 2005.