Jay Kirby
# Jay Kirby

Jay Kirby (born William Bennett George, January 28, 1920 – July 30, 1964) was an American actor in films and television. He was best known for playing Johnny Travers, the youthful sidekick of Hopalong Cassidy in six films in the 1940s.

In 1948, he and his wife Carmelle George were divorced and the custody of their one-year-old son, Jeffrey, was given to his wife.

## Career

Kirby was born n Kansas City, Missouri. He began acting in films in 1942, when he was cast to replace Russell Hayden as the boyish partner to cowboy hero Hopalong Cassidy. He was an aviation cadet in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II but does not appear to have served long, as his screen appearances are continuous throughout the war and afterward for several years. In 1949 he reverted to his real name, Bill George, for his last feature film and his subsequent television roles. He died at 44 and was buried in the Los Angeles National Cemetery.

## Filmography

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| - | - | - | - |
| 1942 | Undercover Man | Breezy Travers | |
| 1942 | Lost Canyon | Johnny Travers | |
| 1943 | Hoppy Serves a Writ | Johnny Travers | |
| 1943 | Border Patrol | Texas Ranger Johnny | |
| 1943 | The Leather Burners | Johnny Travers | |
| 1943 | Colt Comrades | Johnny Travers | |
| 1944 | Marshal of Reno | Danny Boyd | |
| 1944 | Zorro's Black Whip | Randolph Meredith | Serial, [Ch.1] |
| 1944 | Sheriff of Las Vegas | Tom Blackwell | |
| 1944 | Sundown Riders | Jay Kirby | |
| 1945 | Rockin' in the Rockies | Rusty Williams | |
| 1945 | Wagon Wheels Westward | Bob Adams | |
| 1946 | Days of Buffalo Bill | Jim Owens | |
| 1946 | King of the Forest Rangers | Hale - Forest Ranger at Assayer's Office | Serial, [Ch. 11], Uncredited |
| 1946 | Conquest of Cheyenne | Tom Dean | |
| 1947 | Bells of San Angelo | Rider | Uncredited |
| 1948 | Oklahoma Badlands | Ken Rawlins | |
| 1948 | Partners of the Sunset | Dan Thompson | |
| 1948 | Son of God's Country | Frank Thornton | |
| 1949 | Masked Raiders | Luke Trevitt | |

He starred in an episode of The Cisco Kid.

