Introduction
Billy Beck (born Frank Billerbeck; May 26, 1920 – June 29, 2011) was an American clown and character actor.
Career
Beck began his career as a clown at the legendary Cirque Medrano in Paris, France, in the late 1950s, and appeared in small roles beginning in the 1950s, Beck appeared in the 1954 made for television series Sherlock Holmes, starring Ronald Howard. He portrayed Coco the Clown in episode #24, "The Night Train Mystery", and in such films as Irma la Douce (1963), The Patsy (1964), The Fortune Cookie (1966), Nickelodeon (1976), House (1986), and the 1988 remake The Blob as the first victim of the title creature. In 2000, he appeared in an episode of the sitcom The King of Queens.
Death
Beck died in his Glendale home of natural causes on June 29, 2011 at age 91.