William Leroy
Birth Name:
William Leroy
Birth Place:
Amiens, France
Profession
Actor, Producer
Fast Facts
- Studied painting and sculpture at the Art Institute of Boston
- Directly descended from the Marquis de Montflabert and heir to the title
- Though he was born in France, he grew up in the Upper East Side of Manhattan
- Quote: "Always buy with your gut and never, ever say, 'I'll think about it․'"
- Quote: "Bowery and Houston is the crossroads of the world․ Even though Billy's is closing--beware․ The ghosts of 'Ye Olde Bowery' still roam․"
- An outspoken defender of New York's independent retailers, he opened an antique store in a tent in downtown Manhattan in 2003 and became a local legend
- Gained nationwide fame as the host of the reality television show "Baggage Battles" and also as the star of "Dirty Old Town," in which he plays a fictionalized version of himself
- Put up a sign outside his shop reading "Euros Only" during the 2008 financial crisis
- Was interviewed for the "New York Times" twice in 2011
- When he closed "Billy's Antiques & Props," his iconic antique store run out of a tent on the corner of New York City's Houston and Bowery, he held a funeral, placing the tent's tarps in a coffin and painting the metal framework red