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Billy Hufsey Will Be On Uncensored Net Noise Jan 9, 2009 at 9:30pm Eastern
Billy Hufsey (born December 8, 1958, in Brook Park, Ohio) is an American actor best known for his role on the hit television show Fame. Playing the role of Christopher, he became a minor singing sensation in the mid-80's. He went on to play the role of another singing hopeful, Emilio Ramirez, on the daytime drama Days of our Lives from 1988 to 1991.
Hufsey has also appeared in episodes of Married with Children, Rags to Riches, and The Young and the Restless. He's been credited as saying that Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley are his favorite singers.
Billy is also proud of raising money in his home town of Brook Park, Ohio. He raised nearly $2 million dollars for families in need.
Billy Hufsey was also on VH1's Confessions of a Teen Idol
The eight-part series features Christopher Atkins (The Blue Lagoon), David Chokachi (Baywatch), Billy Hufsey (Fame), Jeremy Jackson (Baywatch), Eric Nies (MTV’s The Real World and The Grind), Jamie Walters (Beverly Hills 90210), and Adrian Zmed (TJ Hooker, Grease 2). Each hour-long episode provides a rare, never-before-seen look at fame and its consequences as the guys live together, forming a unique and exclusive support group.
Click Here To Check Out Confessions of a Teen Idol "premieres January 4 at 8/7c on VH1."
Billy is currently recording an album of all new material, set for release in March 2009.
"My music is so personal," Billy says. "When I create a song, it gives voice to my soul, reveals my essence. When I give interpretation to an existing song, I identify with it and the version expresses a piece of my heart.
In addition to his musical and acting talents, Billy is also a former Golden Gloves champion in boxing and has a black belt in karate.
Click here to check out Billy's Official Website
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BILLY HUFSEY…CONFESSES!
FORMER HEARTTHROB MAKES A
HIGH SPIRITED RETURN TO TV
ON THE NEW VH1 REALITY SERIES
‘CONFESSIONS OF A TEEN IDOL’—AND
FULFILLS HIS LIFELONG MUSICAL DREAM
WITH HIS UPCOMING DEBUT ALBUM
‘CONFESSIONS’
The Multi-Talented Singer and Actor—Best
Known For His Roles on “Fame” and “Days Of Our
Lives”--Re-Emerges After Years In Corporate
America To Share Life And Screen Time With Fellow
Former Idols Jamie Walters, Eric Nies (The Real World),
Chris Atkins, Adrian Zmed and Baywatch’s
David Chokachi and Jeremy Jackson
In one of the more famous scenes from the pilot of the recent VH1 reality series “Scott Baio Is 45…And Single, the former teen idol complains to his onetime “Happy Days” co-star Erin Moran that he can’t stand when people call him by his longtime character name “Chachi.”
Billy Hufsey, who became a major heartthrob in the 80’s as Christopher on TV’s “Fame” and who wowed screaming teen girls as Emilio on “Days of Our Lives” into the early 90’s, then concertized around the world – including drawing 75,000 people in Israel - has no such issue with his onetime renown.
In fact, the multi-talented actor and singer/songwriter still gets a kick out of being recognized and is grateful for the incredible fortune he had in having visibility in the entertainment industry. “People like to fight the whole teen idol thing like it’s a stigma,” he says, “but I thank God I had a shot at it and found some success. The image I had may not have always reflected my real self or my versatile talents, but hey, I’m just happy to have had an image. I’ve had a very blessed life.”
That life is about to become an open book again as Hufsey enters a new phase of celebrity this January as one of the seven TV and film stars on VH1’s latest reality series “Confessions Of A Teen Idol.” The show, which is produced by Baio and Jason Hervey (“The Wonder Years”), debuts January 4, invites seven teen idols from the 80s and 90s to live together and reflect on the highs and lows of “hearthrobbery.”
Joining Hufsey in the fancy, camaraderie-filled digs are Jamie Walters (“Beverly Hills, 90210”), Adrian Zmed (“Grease 2,” “T.J. Hooker”), Christopher Atkins (“The Blue Lagoon”), Eric Nies (“The Real World”) and “Baywatch”’s David Chokachi and Jeremy Jackson. After receiving mentoring from a life coach and in their face industry experts (including stylists) - each one decides whether to attempt a career comeback or to pursue another career path.
Billy said that he had what he calls a “void in my soul, and missing putting smiles on people’s faces,” so the answer screamed at him – and brought him back to Hollywood after eight years in self-imposed showbiz exile. A lifelong entrepreneur who bought, built up and sold mortgage, investment and limousine companies while working as a full-time performer, he quit acting and singing to devote more time to these endeavors which demanded a great deal of his time. He later took the leap into corporate America and worked his way to a plum upper management position with Wachovia Bank.
Hufsey, whose array of credits during his heyday include appearances on “Married…With Children,” “The Young & The Restless,” “Baby Talk” and the films “Tomcats,” “Magic Kid” and “Graduation Day,” jumped back in the fray a year ago. He had already appeared in the film “Crazy Girls” and the pilot for a series called “Son of a Gun” when Baio and Hervey invited him join the gang on “Confessions of a Teen Idol.”
“During my years away from Hollywood, I learned to have a great appreciation for how hard people in the business world work in this country,” he says. “These experiences opened my eyes to a reality beyond my career on television and film and the fact that if your job is your passion, you’ll never work a day in your life. All of that real world knowledge will also come in handy if I am able to get acting roles playing executives and businessmen. I will bring authenticity to the role. I put a lot of heart and energy into that other life and was fortunate to find success, but eventually came back to that artistic seed deep in my soul that I needed to keep enriching let grow .”
Besides giving him exposure before an entire new generation of viewers, “Confessions of a Teen Idol” is also a springboard for Hufsey to fulfill another great passion of his—singing, and more specifically, his lifelong dream of being a recording artist. On one of the episodes, he will be singing “Better Man,” the inspirational first single from his upcoming CD called—what else?—Confessions.
The track will soon be released to AC radio and Confessions will follow in late winter. VH1 also approached Hufsey about making a video for “Better Man,” which will begin filming soon. He expects it to run on the network and be in rotation on VH1.com.
His official recording debut on the indie label Zoey Records and his performance on VH1 follow the success of his 90’s dance single “Contagious” for Vision Records and the opportunities he had to sing several of his own songs when he was a regular on “Days Of Our Lives.” Confessions is also a natural extension of the hundreds of acclaimed shows he has performed over the years for corporate events and in showrooms throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe and the Middle East. He currently does from 20-60 of these gigs per year, putting his unique stamp on classic songs by everyone from Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett to Bon Jovi and Journey.
Hufsey also starred in “Tease,” a sexy musical comedy on the Blue Note’s Insomnia stage in Las Vegas; created and starred in two shows, “Dancin’ to the Hitz!” and “Hitz and Dancin’ to the Oscars” at the Flamingo Hilton in Laughlin, Nevada; starred in the musical production “Reunion” at Canada’s famous Stage West Theater both in Toronto and Calgary; and starred in various productions of “Razzle Dazzle,” “Bell Bottom Fever” and many others.
“I’m kind of a mushy cat,” he laughs, “so the CD’s got some heart-tugging love songs in addition to the uptempo material. My music is very personal. When I create a song, it gives voice to my soul, reveals my essence. When I give interpretation to an existing song, I identify with it and the version expresses a piece of my heart. Acting in a character role is an expression of someone else’s vision. You can bring part of yourself to it, but it’s not as satisfying as music is for me.”
Even when he’s been away from the spotlight, Hufsey has shone brightly in other arenas even beyond his incredibly profitable life as an entrepreneur. He’s found success as a real estate investor and motivational speaker, and is an avid golfer and pilot. In the 90’s, he was also the founder of “Steppin’ Up,” a non-profit organization geared towards helping economically disadvantaged youth and funding alternative schools. During this time, he wrote an inspirational book with the same title, “Steppin’ Up,” which advocated a drug and gang free life while chronicling the challenges kids face in overcoming adversity and dealing with peer pressure.
So where does Hufsey go now that he’s making his Confessions? “I’m open to all the good acting role auditions that arise ,” he says, “but the coolest thing for me is going back to the one true passion that gives me inner peace, and that’s singing. Showbiz and being a teen idol is a lot of fun, but they are pretty superficial things. My goal is to do more than just be a celebrity, but to develop as an artist. I just want to entertain and sing. Whether I am performing for 75 or 75,000 people, I always perform at my peak and give my all. I am committed to living every day fully. I do everything to put smiles on people’s faces and in their hearts. I’ve always felt that was what I was put on this earth to do, and that’s why I’m back confessing! I am enthused by the challenges ahead!”
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