Actors - Billie Lou Watt

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	Actors - Billie Lou Watt

Billie Lou Watt (June 22, 1924 - September 7, 2001) 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 character of the anime Astro Boy and the character Elsie the Cow for Borden Cheese's TV commercials.

Life & Career

Watt was born in St. Louis, Missouri, 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 Saint 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 Barker 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 successful project being Astro Boy for the NBC in 1963. Along the way, Billie Lou and Hal learned how to write character dialog and situations as Ladd went out to search for more shows to work on, resulting in the discovery of Kimba the White Lion and Gigantor. 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 Berman on Search for Tomorrow from 1968 to 1981. Watt's vocal talent continues in multiple roles for Superbook and The Flying House.

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 Ma Bagge on the series Courage the Cowardly Dog from 1999 to 2001. She would succumb to cancer in the lungs later that year, leaving her husband Hal and their three children with memories of a lady of multiple talents.

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