Billy Miller
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Billy Miller, the three-time Emmy winner for “The Young and the Restless” who also had long-running roles on “All My Children” and “General Hospital,” has died. He was 43.
The actor died Friday in Austin, Texas, struggling with manic depression at the time, his manager told on Sunday, what would have been Miller’s 44th birthday. His cause of death is currently unknown.
Miller’s breakthrough came when he landed the role of Richie Novak in the ABC series “All My Children.” Shortly after leaving the soap opera, he was cast in the role of Billy Abbott on the CBS series The Young and the Restless. He portrayed the character in over 700 episodes with great success. The same year that Miller left the CBS soap, he took on another long-running role as Jason Morgan/Drew Cain on the ABC series General Hospital.
After three long, consecutive appearances on some of cable’s biggest soap operas, Miller moved on to recurring roles on drama series such as “Suits” and “Truth Be Told.” During his career he also appeared in Ray Donovan, Fatal Honeymoon, American Sniper, Ringer, Castle and Justified.
William John Miller II was born on September 17, 1979 in Tulsa, Oklahoma and grew up in Grand Prairie, Texas. He attended the University of Texas at Austin and studied production sequencing. After graduating, he moved to Los Angeles and began working in the mailroom of an entertainment management/production company.
After some friends urged him to pursue a career in acting, he did, and his first successes came in the commercial world, where he booked several national commercials. In addition to acting, Miller also owned several restaurants and bars in Los Angeles for many years.
He is survived by his mother Patricia, his sister Megan, his brother-in-law Ronnie, his nephew Grayson and his niece Charley.