Billy Sands

Billy Sands, born William F. Sands on January 6, 1911, in Bergen, New York, was an American character actor whose career spanned Broadway, film, and television. He was the son of Samuel and Henrietta Epstein.

Sands began his professional career on Broadway, where he performed between 1940 and 1945. His stage credits included Heavenly Express and The High Road, as well as The Rugged Path, a production in which he appeared alongside Spencer Tracy and which was written by Robert E. Sherwood. He also appeared in additional Broadway productions during this period.

He became widely recognized for his recurring television roles, most notably as Private Dino Papparelli on The Phil Silvers Show, also known as Sgt. Bilko, and as Harrison "Tinker" Bell on McHale's Navy, a character whose nickname was derived from the fictional fairy Tinker Bell. Beyond these series regular roles, Sands made guest appearances on numerous television programs, including Car 54 Where Are You?, All in the Family, Here's Lucy, Happy Days, The Odd Couple, and season one of Alice.

His film work included a role in the 1976 film Rocky, in which he appeared as a club fight announcer in one of the film's opening scenes. He reprised his McHale's Navy character in the 1965 feature McHale's Navy Joins the Air Force. Additional film appearances included How to Frame a Figg, The Harrad Experiment, High Anxiety, and Serial, among others.

Sands died of lung cancer on August 27, 1984, at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles at the age of 73. He was buried at Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Culver City, California. He was survived by his wife Marsha, a daughter named Susan, a son named Eugene, two sisters, and a brother.