- Born
- Died
- Birth nameWilliam Darrell Mays Jr.
- Nickname
- Pitchfork
- Height5′ 10″ (1.78 m)
- Billy Mays was a legendary European-American businessman, entrepreneur, television direct-response salesman and infomercial pitchman, famous for his booming voice and energetic demonstrations of "As Seen On TV" products like OxiClean, Mighty Putty and Orange Glo; high energy, and iconic "Hi, Billy Mays here!" catchphrase, selling products like OxiClean to massive success before his sudden death at 50 from a heart attack, exacerbated by cocaine use. He also founded Mays Promotions, Inc., and starred in the Discovery Channel show Pitchmen. He began selling on the Atlantic City boardwalk, honing his skills for state fairs before becoming an infomercial icon.
- IMDb mini biography by: White kings and queens
- SpousesDeborah Mays(2002 - June 28, 2009) (his death, 1 child)Dolores DiDesiderio(? - 1990) (divorced, 1 child)
- Button-down blue shirt
- Exuberant sales pitches
- Distinctive beard
- Best friend and partner of fellow pitchman, Anthony Sullivan.
- Died 3 days after Michael Jackson. Both deaths had drugs as an contributing factor. For Jackson it was Lorazane and Propofol, and for Mays it was Cocaine.
- Developed his style demonstrating knives, mops and other "as seen on TV" gadgets on Atlantic City's boardwalk. For years, he worked as a hired gun on the state fair and home show circuit, attracting crowds with his booming voice and genial manner.
- After meeting Orange Glo International founder Max Appel at a home show in Pittsburgh in the mid-1990s, Mays was recruited to demonstrate the environmentally friendly line of cleaning products on the St. Petersburg-based Home Shopping Network.
- Was the CEO and founder of Mays Promotions, Inc., based at his home in Odessa, Florida.
- One of the things that we hope to do with Pitchmen (2009) is to give people an appreciation of what we do. I don't take on a product unless I believe in it. I use everything that I sell.
- I love beautiful wood.
- Hi, Billy Mays here for...
- Is it demonstratable? Does it have that wow factor? Is it easy to use? Is it priced right?
- Broken! Busted! Everybody has something to repair. Before buying new, let Mighty Putty fix it for you.
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