Michael Gray, “Shazam” star and Marcia’s boyfriend on “The Brady Bunch”, dies at 75
Michael Gray, “Shazam” star and Marcia’s boyfriend on “The Brady Bunch”, dies at 75
Kathleen PerriconeThu, October 22, 2026 at 11:08 PM UTC
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Michael Gray starred on ‘Shazam!’ for three seasons from 1974 to 1977Credit: Courtesy EverettKey Points -
Shazam! star Michael Gray dies at 75.
The former 1970s teen idol also played Marcia’s boyfriend on an episode of The Brady Bunch.
Shazam! was a popular Saturday morning live-action series, based on the superhero Captain Marvel, that ran for three seasons.
Shazam! star Michael Gray, a teen idol who played Marcia’s boyfriend on The Brady Bunch, has died at the age of 75.
The actor passed away from natural causes on Oct. 16 in Palm Desert, Calif., his publicist tells Entertainment Weekly.
Gray, a native of Chicago, began his career with appearances on Room 222, The Flying Nun, and Marcus Welby, M.D., before he got his big break in 1972 with NBC’s The Little People starring Brian Keith and Shelley Fabares. The following year, the 22-year-old was cast as Marcia’s boyfriend Jeff for an episode of The Brady Bunch.
Michael Gray played Marcia’s boyfriend Jeff on ‘The Brady Bunch’ in 1973Credit: ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty
In 1974, Gray landed the lead role of Billy Batson on the Saturday morning live-action series, Shazam!, based on the superhero Captain Marvel.
His character, a teenage boy, could transform into Captain Marvel (played by both Jackson Bostwick and John Davey) by saying the magic word, “Shazam!,” and would travel the country seeking to fight injustice with The Mentor (Les Tremayne).
“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.”
Gray’s manager at the time, Charles Laufer, was also the publisher of Tiger Beat — and wisely publicized his client in the pages of the popular teen magazine.
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“The teen idol angle was orchestrated to some degree,” acknowledged the actor. “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.”
Feeling typecast as a teen idol, Gray made the decision to leave Hollywood. For years, he worked in children’s theater education and men’s fashion and also owned a West Hollywood floral business with his wife Stacy until the mid-2000s.
Michael Gray at the premiere of ‘Surge Of Power: Where There’s Smoke’ on Aug. 24, 2024Credit: Paul Archuleta/Getty
In 2015, he returned to acting, playing a fictionalized version of himself on the animated series Archer. Gray also made a cameo in 2023’s Shazam! Fury of the Gods starring Zachary Levi.
Decades after portraying Billy Batson, he was always amazed any time fans recognized him.
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“I did Comic-Con International in San Diego and was totally blown away by it. It was mind boggling,” Gray said at a Shazam! Q&A in 2012. “I did a Warner panel and saw 700 people — it almost brought tears to my eyes. One day someone screams, ‘Oh my God!’ and it’s a construction guy. I thought I’d have a problem there, but he recognized me and gave me a big hug. People still recognize me — I don’t know how. I look more like Mentor now.”
Gray is survived by his wife of three decades, Stacy Benon Gray, and his stepchildren Ryan Cooper and Laurel Cooper, and son-in-law Lee Barker.
on Entertainment Weekly
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
