Billie Mae Richards (previously Dinsmore) (November 21, 1921 – September 10, 2010) was a Canadian voice actress who voiced Rudolph in the 1964 film Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and it's sequels Rudolph's Shiny New Year (1976) and Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July (1979).
Early Life[]
Richards was born as Billy Mae Dinsmore in Toronto, Canada, was the daughter of silverware salesmen, Garnet Dinsmore and Eva May Dinsmore. Billie began her career in the entertainment industry at an early age. She began performing in stages and theatres in her home city in her youth during the 1920s and 1930s.
During WWII, she joined the Royal Canadian Navy and made an appearence in the show Meet the Navy (1946) that traveled across Canada and Europe. She then attended and graduated from the Lome Greene Academy of Radio Arts in Canada after WWII.
Specials[]
- Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)
- Rudolph's Shiny New Year (1976)
- Rudolph & Frosty's Christmas in July (1979)