Peter Billingsley

Peter Billingsley is a well-known director, producer, and actor. He has been in the entertainment industry for a long time but is most famous for playing Ralphie in the legendary holiday film, A Christmas Story.

Background

Peter was born on April 16, 1971 in New York City to Alwin and Gail Michaelsen. His father was a consultant in the finance industry and his mother was a secretary. Peter’s brother Neil Billingsley and sister Melissa Michaelsen are also actors. Being the grandnephew of actor Sherman Billingsley, Peter had a great penchant for acting from his early childhood. Not only Sherman Billingsley, but many of his relatives were in the industry of acting and this made quite an impact on Peter as he made his decision to pursue acting as his profession. His grandfather was the longtime owner of the Stork Club. His grandma, Barbara Billingsley was also in the acting business. Peter’s family had the acting bug in their veins.

Peter attended numerous schools in his life. He went to prominent schools such as the Phoenix country day School, Paradise Valley and Professional Children School. Peter was a bright boy and he eventually finished his high school successfully after passing the California High School proficiency exam. After the completion of his high school education from Arcadia High School, Billingsley went on to attend Phoenix College to further his education.

Acting Career

Peter started his main career as an actor at a very tender age when he was only 2 years old. As a toddler, he starred in a commercial advertisement. He completed approximately 120 commercials as a child actor.

Taking a break from acting in commercials, Peter got into serious characters as his acting career developed. His first notable role was in 1978 when he appeared in the “If I Ever See You Again” film. In the 80’s, he played different roles in various movies such as “Paternity” in 1981. That role actually got him nominated for the Young Artist Awards due his excellent performance in the movie. The specific category he won was “Best Young Comedian – Motion Picture or Television". Peter even starred in a movie called “Memories Never Die” together with his sister Mellissa.

Adapting A Classic Film Into A Stage Play

In 1983, Billingsley starred in a classic holiday movie called “A Christmas Story” which is still widely watched around the country. It is usually played from Christmas Eve to Christmas day on the TBS channel. Billingsley earned another Young Artist Award nomination for his role in the film.

In an interview with Playbill, Peter spoke about the process of adapting his iconic movie, A Christmas Story into a stage play. The movie premiered many decades ago but it has gained new fans every year. Since it is such a Christmas classic, it always gets broadcast during the holiday season.

[page-break]

On the stage version, the team of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul wrote the songs for the play. They weren’t even born when the movie first came out. They are very talented but still young and in their twenties. Peter was asked if he felt there was a risk with going with such young collaborators, “I think you always win in storytelling when you let the best creative ideas guide you. These guys submitted some songs to us that were the most inspired music we had heard from anybody. You’re right, you could look and think there’s somewhat of an inexperience of an age, but when you spend time with Benj and Justin, they make you feel so comfortable. They’re so smart, they’re so connected with the story and with the intentions, and they’re so talented.”

Peter and the producers of the show were well aware with the risk they were taking. They still felt it was a worthy route to go because the young team brought on a new and fresh perspective on the story, “There might have been a moment where we said, “You know these guys are young,” but you know what? That’s wonderful. Their energy and their point of view has helped give this piece an energy and a youthful point of view. But their songs are also sophisticated, and they’re fun, and they’re interesting, and they’re satisfying. You don’t want to outthink yourself. They flat-out earned it. They’re going to have a really long and prosperous career, so the truth is we feel lucky to have them.”

The young songwriting duo heavily relied on Peter during the development of the play. They knew that Peter was the one to go to for questions about the material because of his firsthand experience with it as a young actor, “It’s two-fold. I stopped acting a long time ago and my primary career has been producing-directing film. So storytelling is something I’ve been doing now for a long time. On this film, I do understand it; I lived with it. I spent a lot of time with Bob Clark after the film. We did the commentary on the 20th anniversary on the DVD release. I think I understand the intentions and the points of view of the characters very well. “

When the team was going through and adapting the film to a musical format, they were trying to stay true to the source material and avoid going too far away from the theme of the story. The team of Benji and Justin were able to create two amazing songs for the show called “Genius On Cleveland Street” and “Major Award,”

Personal Life

Peter Billingsley is not married at the moment, but he is engaged to Buffy Bains. His net worth is approximately 2 million dollars that he has gathered from his career in entertainment.

Peter is an idol that many children and adults admire. His talent goes without saying. He is dedicated and committed to becoming even better at what he does. Unlike many other stars, handsome multi-talented Peter Billingsley is a whole hearted giver. He loves giving to charities and impacting the lives of less fortunate people. He is quite a philanthropist that has kept the spirit of giving ever since he was a young boy.

Related Biographies