Peter Billingsley
Encyclopedia
Peter Billingsley also known as Peter Michaelsen and Peter Billingsley-Michaelsen, is an American actor, director, and producer best known for his role as Ralphie in the 1983 movie A Christmas Story
. He began his career as an infant, in television commercials.
in 1954, and his mother, Gail Billingsley was once Alwin's secretary. Gail is the niece of Stork Club
owner Sherman Billingsley
. Gail's cousin, Glenn Billingsley, was briefly married to actress Barbara Billingsley
(1915–2010); she continued to use his last name for her stage name. Gail was the one who initially took the children around to auditions. All five of the children in the family had acting careers when they were young. The oldest of Billingsley's siblings, Dina and Win, had the briefest acting careers working mostly in commercials with brief guest spots on television shows. Dina and her current husband live in Chester County, Pennsylvania
. Win is now an attorney in Istanbul, Turkey. Billingsley's older sister Melissa Michaelsen
was probably best known for her role as Maxx Davis in the 1980 television show Me and Maxx
. Slightly older than Peter is brother Neil Billingsley
who began playing Danny Walton on the daytime soap opera Search for Tomorrow
in 1975 and had numerous roles in commercials and guest shots on TV series. Following his acting career, Neil entered the world of finance and works in New York City.
Billingsley received his early childhood education from a combination of tutors (including child actor tutor Wesley Staples), public schools and private institutions (including the Professional Children's School
in New York City), Phoenix Country Day School
in Paradise Valley, AZ, and eventually passed his California High School Proficiency Exam
at the age of fourteen. He seems to have also attended some public secondary schools following the GED including Arcadia High School
in Phoenix
. In the late 1980s, Billingsley took a brief break from show business to attend Phoenix College
.
commercial with Betty Buckley
playing his mom. He went on to star in about 120 television ads throughout the 1970s and early 80s. At 12 he was quoted as saying: "After 100 (commercials), you lose count." He was likely best known for a series of commercials for Hershey's
chocolate syrup in which he portrayed the popular character Messy Marvin.
One of Billingsley's earliest film roles was 1978's If Ever I See You Again (film), written and directed by Joseph Brooks
.
His role in 1981's Paternity
opposite Burt Reynolds
earned a nomination for "Best Young Comedian - Motion Picture or Television" at The Young Artist Awards. Also in 1981, he appeared in Honky Tonk Freeway
, and that October was a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
.
In 1982 Billingsley starred in several features, including Death Valley
, Massarati and the Brain, and the made-for-TV movie Memories Never Die with Lindsay Wagner
and his sister, Melissa Michaelsen
. He had a featured guest role as Gideon Hale on Little House on the Prairie
, began a three-year stint as a co-host on NBC's popular Real People
(which would land him another Young Artist Award nomination), and he hosted a two-episode offshoot of the show called Real Kids.
In 1983 Billingsley starred in A Christmas Story
, based on Jean Shepherd
's In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash
, which built its audience slowly over the years and is now broadcast for twenty-four hours from Christmas Eve until Christmas Day on TBS. A Christmas Story tells of a boy named Ralphie who wants nothing more than a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas, while all the grown-ups in his life discourage him with the warning that "you'll shoot your eye out." This film earned Billingsley another Young Artist Award nomination, and is arguably the one role he is most associated with. Billingsley himself has been quoted as saying that people still approach him on the street, only to say "you'll shoot your eye out, kid!"
In 1984 Billingsley starred in an adaptation of The Hoboken Chicken Emergency
with Dick Van Patten
and Gabe Kaplan
, a special Thanksgiving
episode of the PBS series WonderWorks
. He also appeared on a "Super Teen" special edition of the popular Family Feud
and on the game show Celebrity Hot Potato. As the late 1980s approached, Billingsley's acting career slowed. He was a guest star on Who's The Boss?
, Punky Brewster
, The Wonder Years
, and Highway To Heaven
, and appeared in the film The Dirt Bike Kid
(for which he won a Young Artist Award), and Carly's Web, Russkies
(alongside a young Joaquin Phoenix
) and Beverly Hills Brats
.
The early 1990s saw Billingsley tackling older roles such as a would-be jock who gets hooked on steroids in the CBS Schoolbreak Special
The Fourth Man. On that project he formed a close friendship with Vince Vaughn
.
His next Schoolbreak Special appearance was in 1994's The Writing on the Wall
, starring Hal Linden
as a rabbi who teaches three boys about the horrors of intolerance after they are caught defacing his home, temple, and car with swastika
s and anti-Semitic
graffiti
. Billingsley was nominated for an Emmy Award
for this role.
, in which he starred as a teenaged "virtual reality
" addict, and also worked as the post-production supervisor (credited as Peter Michaelsen). He made some career decisions and began working behind the scenes more. Known as Peter Michaelsen, he was assistant editor on Knights, a film which featured Kris Kristofferson
. In 1994 Peter starred in, wrote, and directed (credited as Peter Billingsley) the short film The Sacred Fire, and credited as Peter Michaelsen in the executive producer function. This film won an Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films' Golden Scroll Award. His career behind the scenes continued, including work on The Discovery Channel's A.R.K., The Adventures of Animal Rescue Kids, Patriot Son, The X Show
, Made
, and Elf
, in which he has a cameo appearance. In 2001 he was nominated for an Emmy Award
as co-executive producer for the show Dinner for Five
. In 2005 he helped produce the movie Zathura
. He was an executive producer for the Universal Pictures
production The Break-Up
starring Jennifer Aniston
and Vince Vaughn
in which he also plays Andrew appearing alongside frequent collaborator Jon Favreau
. Billingsley served as executive producer on director Favreau's Iron Man
feature film; he also acted in the film, playing a scientist who works for Obadiah Stane
. Billingsley, Favreau and Vaughn all appear in 2008's Four Christmases
. He also directed 2009's Couples Retreat
starring Favreau and Vaughn.
Billingsley's acting career continues as well, with small roles in Sherman Oaks, Family Reunion: A Relative Nightmare, Elf
, L.A. Heat
and No Deposit, No Return, which was voted Best Feature Film at the New York International Independent Film and Video Festival
in 2000. He also took an acting part in an experimental film for the new Maxivision 48 projection system developed by Dean Goodhill.
Billingsley released a CD titled Christmas Stories...Christmas Songs on Run For Cover Records in 1999 with longtime friend Brian Evans.
Billingsley has recently signed on as Executive Producer of a musical adaptation of A Christmas Story that is scheduled to open in Seattle during the second week of December 2010. He is "...honored to be a part of this project and look forward to bringing the play to more stages... Just think about the idea of a leg-lamp kickline."
A Christmas Story
A Christmas Story is a 1983 American Christmas comedy film based on the short stories and semi-fictional anecdotes of author and raconteur Jean Shepherd, including material from his books In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash, and Wanda Hickey's Night of Golden Memories. It was directed by Bob Clark...
. He began his career as an infant, in television commercials.
Early life, family and education
Billingsley was born in New York, New York. His father, Alwin Michaelsen, is a financial consultant who graduated from PrincetonPrinceton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
in 1954, and his mother, Gail Billingsley was once Alwin's secretary. Gail is the niece of Stork Club
Stork Club
The Stork Club was a nightclub in New York City from 1929 to 1965. From 1934 onwards, it was located at 3 East 53rd Street, just east of Fifth Avenue...
owner Sherman Billingsley
Sherman Billingsley
Sherman Billingsley was an American nightclub owner and former bootlegger who was the founder and owner of New York's Stork Club....
. Gail's cousin, Glenn Billingsley, was briefly married to actress Barbara Billingsley
Barbara Billingsley
Barbara Billingsley was an American film, television, voice and stage actress. She gained prominence in the 1950s movie The Careless Years, acting opposite Natalie Trundy, followed by her best–known role, that of June Cleaver on the television series Leave It to Beaver and its sequel Still...
(1915–2010); she continued to use his last name for her stage name. Gail was the one who initially took the children around to auditions. All five of the children in the family had acting careers when they were young. The oldest of Billingsley's siblings, Dina and Win, had the briefest acting careers working mostly in commercials with brief guest spots on television shows. Dina and her current husband live in Chester County, Pennsylvania
Chester County, Pennsylvania
-State parks:*French Creek State Park*Marsh Creek State Park*White Clay Creek Preserve-Demographics:As of the 2010 census, the county was 85.5% White, 6.1% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American or Alaskan Native, 3.9% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian, 1.8% were two or more races, and 2.4% were...
. Win is now an attorney in Istanbul, Turkey. Billingsley's older sister Melissa Michaelsen
Melissa Michaelsen
Melissa Michaelsen was an American child actress probably best known for her role as the title character in the James Komack television show Me and Maxx.-Family:...
was probably best known for her role as Maxx Davis in the 1980 television show Me and Maxx
Me and Maxx
Me and Maxx was an American sitcom broadcast on NBC starting in 1980. The plot involved a young girl, Maxx , moving in with her dad, Norman , who had created a life for himself as a swinging bachelor.-Cast:...
. Slightly older than Peter is brother Neil Billingsley
Neil Billingsley
Neil Billingsley was an American child actor during the seventies and eighties. His four siblings were also child actors, most notably Peter Billingsley and Melissa Michaelsen....
who began playing Danny Walton on the daytime 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...
in 1975 and had numerous roles in commercials and guest shots on TV series. Following his acting career, Neil entered the world of finance and works in New York City.
Billingsley received his early childhood education from a combination of tutors (including child actor tutor Wesley Staples), public schools and private institutions (including the Professional Children's School
Professional Children's School
Professional Children's School is a not for profit, college preparatory school that was founded in New York City in 1914 to provide an education to young people working on the New York stage, in Vaudeville, or "on the road."-History:...
in New York City), Phoenix Country Day School
Phoenix Country Day School
Phoenix Country Day School is an independent, nonsectarian, college-preparatory private school in the Phoenix, Arizona metropolitan area; the school has an approximate total enrollment of 700 in pre-kindergarten through Grade 12. The Upper School has 239 students with around 60 students in each...
in Paradise Valley, AZ, and eventually passed his California High School Proficiency Exam
California High School Proficiency Exam
The California High School Proficiency Exam is an early-exit exam for high school students in California. Students who pass the CHSPE receive a Certificate of Proficiency from the State of California...
at the age of fourteen. He seems to have also attended some public secondary schools following the GED including Arcadia High School
Arcadia High School (Arizona)
Arcadia High School is a public high school located in Phoenix, Arizona. The school enrolls 1,680 who primarily come from feeder schools in the Scottsdale Unified School District. Arcadia completed a significant renovation in the summer of 2008....
in Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
. In the late 1980s, Billingsley took a brief break from show business to attend Phoenix College
Phoenix College
Phoenix College is a community college located in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. Founded in 1920, it is one of the oldest community colleges in the country....
.
Career
Billingsley's first acting role was as a two-year-old in a GeritolGeritol
Geritol is a US trademarked name for various dietary supplements, past and present. Geritol is currently a brand name for several vitamin complexes plus iron or multimineral products in both liquid form and tablets, containing from 9.5 to 18 mg of iron per daily dose...
commercial with Betty Buckley
Betty Buckley
Betty Lynn Buckley is an American theater, film and television actress and singer. She is a Tony Award winner and Grammy Award nominee.-Early life:...
playing his mom. He went on to star in about 120 television ads throughout the 1970s and early 80s. At 12 he was quoted as saying: "After 100 (commercials), you lose count." He was likely best known for a series of commercials for Hershey's
Hershey's
Hershey's may refer to:* Hershey's, a nickname for The Hershey Company* Hershey's Ice Cream produced by Hershey Creamery Company* Hershey's Chocolate World, a theme-park/visitor-center facility...
chocolate syrup in which he portrayed the popular character Messy Marvin.
One of Billingsley's earliest film roles was 1978's If Ever I See You Again (film), written and directed by Joseph Brooks
Joseph Brooks (songwriter)
Joseph Brooks was an American screenwriter, director, producer, and composer. He composed the song "You Light Up My Life" for the film of the same name that he also wrote, directed, and produced. In his later years he became the subject of an investigation after being accused of a series of...
.
His role in 1981's Paternity
Paternity (film)
Paternity is a 1981 film comedy that stars Burt Reynolds, Beverly D'Angelo, Paul Dooley, Elizabeth Ashley and Lauren Hutton, directed by David Steinberg. The film was released by Paramount Pictures on October 2, 1981.-Plot:...
opposite Burt Reynolds
Burt Reynolds
Burton Leon "Burt" Reynolds, Jr. is an American actor. Some of his memorable roles include Bo 'Bandit' Darville in Smokey and the Bandit, Lewis Medlock in Deliverance, Bobby "Gator" McCluskey in White Lightning and sequel Gator, Paul Crewe and Coach Nate Scarborough in The Longest Yard and its...
earned a nomination for "Best Young Comedian - Motion Picture or Television" at The Young Artist Awards. Also in 1981, he appeared in Honky Tonk Freeway
Honky Tonk Freeway
Honky Tonk Freeway is a UK comedy film directed by John Schlesinger. It was released in August 1981 by Universal Studios. The film, conceived and co-produced by Don Boyd, was one of the most expensive box office flops in history, losing its British backers Thorn-EMI an estimated $11,000,000 and...
, and that October was a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson is a talk show hosted by Johnny Carson under the Tonight Show franchise from 1962 to 1992. It originally aired during late-night....
.
In 1982 Billingsley starred in several features, including Death Valley
Death Valley (1982 film)
Death Valley is a horror film starring Catherine Hicks, Edward Herrmann, Peter Billingsley, Stephen McHattie, Paul Le Mat, Mary Steelsmith and Earl W. Smith.It was directed by Dick Richards and written by Richard Rothstein....
, Massarati and the Brain, and the made-for-TV movie Memories Never Die with Lindsay Wagner
Lindsay Wagner
Lindsay Jean Wagner is an American actress. She is probably best known for her portrayal of Jaime Sommers in the 1970s television series The Bionic Woman , though she has maintained a lengthy career in a variety of other film and television productions since.-Early life:Wagner was born in Los...
and his sister, Melissa Michaelsen
Melissa Michaelsen
Melissa Michaelsen was an American child actress probably best known for her role as the title character in the James Komack television show Me and Maxx.-Family:...
. He had a featured guest role as Gideon Hale on Little House on the Prairie
Little House on the Prairie (TV series)
Little House on the Prairie is an American Western drama television series, starring Michael Landon and Melissa Gilbert, about a family living on a farm in Walnut Grove, Minnesota, in the 1870s and 1880s. The show was an adaptation of Laura Ingalls Wilder's best-selling series of Little House books...
, began a three-year stint as a co-host on NBC's popular Real People
Real People
Real People is an NBC reality television series that aired from 1979 to 1984, on Wednesday and then Sunday nights. Its initial episodes aired live in the Eastern and Central Time Zones.-Synopsis:...
(which would land him another Young Artist Award nomination), and he hosted a two-episode offshoot of the show called Real Kids.
In 1983 Billingsley starred in A Christmas Story
A Christmas Story
A Christmas Story is a 1983 American Christmas comedy film based on the short stories and semi-fictional anecdotes of author and raconteur Jean Shepherd, including material from his books In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash, and Wanda Hickey's Night of Golden Memories. It was directed by Bob Clark...
, based on Jean Shepherd
Jean Shepherd
Jean Parker Shepherd was an American raconteur, radio and TV personality, writer and actor who was often referred to by the nickname Shep....
's In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash
In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash
In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash is a book of short stories by Jean Shepherd .It was first published by Doubleday in New York in October 1966....
, which built its audience slowly over the years and is now broadcast for twenty-four hours from Christmas Eve until Christmas Day on TBS. A Christmas Story tells of a boy named Ralphie who wants nothing more than a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas, while all the grown-ups in his life discourage him with the warning that "you'll shoot your eye out." This film earned Billingsley another Young Artist Award nomination, and is arguably the one role he is most associated with. Billingsley himself has been quoted as saying that people still approach him on the street, only to say "you'll shoot your eye out, kid!"
In 1984 Billingsley starred in an adaptation of The Hoboken Chicken Emergency
The Hoboken Chicken Emergency
The Hoboken Chicken Emergency is a children's book by Daniel and Jill Pinkwater.The main character, Arthur, is asked to pick up a bird for Thanksgiving dinner, so he brings home a 266-pound chicken named Henrietta. The family welcome her with open arms, but the neighbors are not so sure and then...
with Dick Van Patten
Dick Van Patten
Richard Vincent "Dick" Van Patten is an American actor, best known for his role as patriarch Tom Bradford on the television sitcom Eight is Enough. He began work as a child actor and was successful on the [New York] stage, appearing in more than a dozen plays as a teenager...
and Gabe Kaplan
Gabe Kaplan
Gabriel W. "Gabe" Kaplan is an American comedian, actor, poker commentator, and professional poker player.He was born in Brooklyn, New York...
, a special Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Day is a holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Thanksgiving is celebrated each year on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. In Canada, Thanksgiving falls on the same day as Columbus Day in the...
episode of the PBS series WonderWorks
WonderWorks
WonderWorks was a project jointly owned by The Walt Disney Company and PBS that made short, made for TV movies out of acclaimed children's books...
. He also appeared on a "Super Teen" special edition of the popular Family Feud
Family Feud
Family Feud is an American television game show created by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman. Two families compete against each other in a contest to name the most popular responses to a survey question posed to 100 people...
and on the game show Celebrity Hot Potato. As the late 1980s approached, Billingsley's acting career slowed. He was a guest star on Who's The Boss?
Who's the Boss?
Who's the Boss? is an American sitcom created by Martin Cohan and Blake Hunter, which aired on ABC from September 20, 1984 to April 25, 1992...
, Punky Brewster
Punky Brewster
Punky Brewster was an American sitcom about a girl named Punky Brewster being raised by her foster parent...
, The Wonder Years
The Wonder Years
The Wonder Years is an American television comedy-drama created by Carol Black and Neal Marlens. It ran for six seasons on ABC from 1988 through 1993. The pilot aired on January 31, 1988 after ABC's coverage of Super Bowl XXII....
, and Highway To Heaven
Highway to Heaven
Highway to Heaven is an American television drama series which ran on NBC from 1984 to 1989.- Season 1 :- Season 2 :- Season 3 :- Season 4 :- Season 5 :...
, and appeared in the film The Dirt Bike Kid
The Dirt Bike Kid
The Dirt Bike Kid is a 1985 film directed by Hoite Caston, produced by Julie Corman, starring Peter Billingsley and Stuart Pankin, about a boy who discovered a magic dirt bike that has a mind of its own.-Plot:...
(for which he won a Young Artist Award), and Carly's Web, Russkies
Russkies
Russkies is a 1987 film starring Whip Hubley and Joaquin Phoenix . It was directed by Rick Rosenthal, with cinematography by Reed Smoot...
(alongside a young Joaquin Phoenix
Joaquin Phoenix
Joaquin Rafael Phoenix , formerly credited as Leaf Phoenix, is an American film actor. He was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and his family returned to the continental United States four years later...
) and Beverly Hills Brats
Beverly Hills Brats
Beverly Hills Brats is a 1989 American comedy film. Directed by Jim Sotos, the film starred Peter Billingsley, Martin Sheen, Burt Young, Terry Moore, George Kirby, Ruby Keeler and Whoopi Goldberg in a cameo role.-Plot:...
.
The early 1990s saw Billingsley tackling older roles such as a would-be jock who gets hooked on steroids in the CBS Schoolbreak Special
CBS Schoolbreak Special
CBS Schoolbreak Special is an American anthology series for teenagers that aired on CBS from April 1980 to January 1996. The series originally premiered under the title CBS Afternoon Playhouse, and was later changed during the 1984 - 85 season...
The Fourth Man. On that project he formed a close friendship with Vince Vaughn
Vince Vaughn
Vincent Anthony "Vince" Vaughn is an American film actor, screenwriter, producer and comedian. He began acting in the late 1980s, appearing in minor television roles before attaining wider recognition with the 1996 movie Swingers...
.
His next Schoolbreak Special appearance was in 1994's The Writing on the Wall
The writing on the wall
"The writing on the wall" , an idiom, is a portent of doom or misfortune. It originates in the Biblical book of Daniel—where supernatural writing foretells the demise of the Babylonian Empire...
, starring Hal Linden
Hal Linden
Hal Linden is an American stage and television actor and television director, best known for his role in the television comedy series Barney Miller and as presenter on the ABC educational series Animals, Animals, Animals....
as a rabbi who teaches three boys about the horrors of intolerance after they are caught defacing his home, temple, and car with swastika
Swastika
The swastika is an equilateral cross with its arms bent at right angles, in either right-facing form in counter clock motion or its mirrored left-facing form in clock motion. Earliest archaeological evidence of swastika-shaped ornaments dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization of Ancient...
s and anti-Semitic
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
graffiti
Graffiti
Graffiti is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property....
. Billingsley was nominated for an Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
for this role.
Other work
The most rewarding of his later film acting assignments was 1993's ArcadeArcade (film)
Arcade is the title of a B-science fiction/horror film released in 1993. Produced by Full Moon Entertainment, the film features a heavy use of CGI, which was fully redone after the film was completed due to producer Charles Band and director Albert Pyun not being satisfied with the end result...
, in which he starred as a teenaged "virtual reality
Virtual reality
Virtual reality , also known as virtuality, is a term that applies to computer-simulated environments that can simulate physical presence in places in the real world, as well as in imaginary worlds...
" addict, and also worked as the post-production supervisor (credited as Peter Michaelsen). He made some career decisions and began working behind the scenes more. Known as Peter Michaelsen, he was assistant editor on Knights, a film which featured Kris Kristofferson
Kris Kristofferson
Kristoffer "Kris" Kristofferson is an American musician, actor, and writer. He is known for hits such as "Me and Bobby McGee", "For the Good Times", "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and "Help Me Make It Through the Night"...
. In 1994 Peter starred in, wrote, and directed (credited as Peter Billingsley) the short film The Sacred Fire, and credited as Peter Michaelsen in the executive producer function. This film won an Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films' Golden Scroll Award. His career behind the scenes continued, including work on The Discovery Channel's A.R.K., The Adventures of Animal Rescue Kids, Patriot Son, The X Show
The X Show
The X Show was a magazine, variety, and interview/talk program that aired on FX Network in the US from May 1999 to April 2001. Running time was originally one hour, but this was later reduced to a half-hour. The show was 'guy-themed' much like a TV equivalent of Maxim magazine , though seldom as...
, Made
Made (2001 film)
Made is a 2001 film written and directed by Jon Favreau. It stars Favreau, Vince Vaughn, Peter Falk, and Sean Combs.-Plot:Bobby has ties to the local mafia boss, Max, but works as an honest mason for Max's construction projects. He fights in amateur boxing matches on the side, but his career is...
, and Elf
Elf (film)
Elf is a 2003 comedy film directed by Jon Favreau, written by David Berenbaum and starring Will Ferrell, James Caan, and Zooey Deschanel. It was released in the United States on November 7, 2003 and grossed over $220,400,000 worldwide.-Plot:A baby crawls into Santa Claus' sack while he is...
, in which he has a cameo appearance. In 2001 he was nominated for an Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
as co-executive producer for the show Dinner for Five
Dinner for Five
Dinner for Five is a television program in which actor/filmmaker Jon Favreau and a revolving guest list of celebrities eat, drink and talk about life on and off the set and swap stories about projects past and present...
. In 2005 he helped produce the movie Zathura
Zathura (film)
Zathura: A Space Adventure is a 2005 fantasy science fiction film directed by Jon Favreau, and is loosely based on the illustrated book Zathura by Chris Van Allsburg, author of Jumanji. It stars Jonah Bobo as Danny and Josh Hutcherson as Walter. Tim Robbins also had a small role as the boys'...
. He was an executive producer for the Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures
-1920:* White Youth* The Flaming Disc* Am I Dreaming?* The Dragon's Net* The Adorable Savage* Putting It Over* The Line Runners-1921:* The Fire Eater* A Battle of Wits* Dream Girl* The Millionaire...
production The Break-Up
The Break-Up
The Break-Up is a 2006 American comedy-drama romance film directed by Peyton Reed, starring Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn. It was written by Jay Lavender and Jeremy Garelick and produced by Universal Pictures.-Plot:...
starring Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Joanna Aniston is an American actress, film director, and producer, best known for her role as Rachel Green on the television sitcom Friends, a role which earned her an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.Aniston has also enjoyed a successful film career,...
and Vince Vaughn
Vince Vaughn
Vincent Anthony "Vince" Vaughn is an American film actor, screenwriter, producer and comedian. He began acting in the late 1980s, appearing in minor television roles before attaining wider recognition with the 1996 movie Swingers...
in which he also plays Andrew appearing alongside frequent collaborator Jon Favreau
Jon Favreau
Jonathan Kolia "Jon" Favreau is an American actor, screenwriter, film director and comedian. As an actor, he is best known for his roles in Rudy, Swingers , Very Bad Things, and The Break-Up. His notable directorial efforts include Elf, Iron Man and its sequel, and Cowboys & Aliens...
. Billingsley served as executive producer on director Favreau's Iron Man
Iron Man (film)
Iron Man is a 2008 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Directed by Jon Favreau, the film stars Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark, an industrialist and master engineer who builds a powered exoskeleton and becomes the technologically advanced superhero, Iron...
feature film; he also acted in the film, playing a scientist who works for Obadiah Stane
Iron Monger
The Iron Monger is an identity used by several fictional supervillains published by Marvel Comics. The first and most notable person to take up the identity is Obadiah Stane...
. Billingsley, Favreau and Vaughn all appear in 2008's Four Christmases
Four Christmases
Four Christmases is a Christmas-themed romantic comedy film about a couple who go to see their divorced parents in one day...
. He also directed 2009's Couples Retreat
Couples Retreat
Couples Retreat is a 2009 American comedy film written and directed by Peter Billingsley with contributions to the script by Jon Favreau, Vince Vaughn, Dana Fox, Curtis Hanson, and Greg Beeman. Vaughn and Favreau star with Faizon Love, Jason Bateman, Kristin Davis, Kristen Bell, Malin Åkerman and...
starring Favreau and Vaughn.
Billingsley's acting career continues as well, with small roles in Sherman Oaks, Family Reunion: A Relative Nightmare, Elf
Elf (film)
Elf is a 2003 comedy film directed by Jon Favreau, written by David Berenbaum and starring Will Ferrell, James Caan, and Zooey Deschanel. It was released in the United States on November 7, 2003 and grossed over $220,400,000 worldwide.-Plot:A baby crawls into Santa Claus' sack while he is...
, L.A. Heat
L.A. Heat
L.A. Heat is an American action series starring Wolf Larson and Steven Williams as Los Angeles police detectives, in the tradition of films like Lethal Weapon. The series aired on TNT from March 15, 1999.-Show history:...
and No Deposit, No Return, which was voted Best Feature Film at the New York International Independent Film and Video Festival
New York International Independent Film and Video Festival
New York International Independent Film and Video Festival is a film screening event in various American cities. It was founded in 1993, and its website claims it has been recognized by the film and entertainment industry as one of the leading film events on the independent festival circuit...
in 2000. He also took an acting part in an experimental film for the new Maxivision 48 projection system developed by Dean Goodhill.
Billingsley released a CD titled Christmas Stories...Christmas Songs on Run For Cover Records in 1999 with longtime friend Brian Evans.
Billingsley has recently signed on as Executive Producer of a musical adaptation of A Christmas Story that is scheduled to open in Seattle during the second week of December 2010. He is "...honored to be a part of this project and look forward to bringing the play to more stages... Just think about the idea of a leg-lamp kickline."