Billy Gilbert

Birth Name:

William Gilbert Barron

Birth Place:

Louisville, Kentucky, United States

Profession

Actor, Soundtrack, Director

Entertained the US Marines stationed Londonderry with the USO in 1943
Fellow film comic Charley Chase was the best man at his wedding to Ella McKenzie
Started working in vaudeville when he was 12 years old
Quote: "People remember me as the comedian with the funny sneeze․ Funny thing is I didn't use it in more than five or six of the films I made, but the way it sticks in people's memories you'd think that was all I ever did․"
A comedian and actor, he was known for his comic sneeze routines, which inspired the Sneezy character in Walt Disney's "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs․"
Used his burly frame and gruff voice to play many comic villains
Competed as a middleweight prizefighter in his youth
Frequently attended meetings of the Laurel & Hardy fan club in his later years
His epitaph reads "He sneezed his way into our hearts․"
Was born to two opera singers in the dressing room at the Hopkins Opera House in Louisville, Ky

Fast Facts