Billie Mae Richards Biography

Fast Facts

• Entertained troops in Canada and Europe during World War II as a member of the Canadian Navy
• Trained at the Lorne Greene Academy of Radio Arts in Toronto
• Began dancing and singing in stage revues at the age of 5
• Quote: "[on voicing Rudolph] "What better legacy can you leave than a show that everybody loves?""
• Best known as the voice of the title character in 1964's "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and of Tenderheart Bear in the first two "Care Bears" movies
• Began her career at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation as an actor in radio dramas, which she continued to appear in for more than 25 years