Career
Born in Brooklyn, New York, she was the second child of Henry and Julia Rainsford and from an early age aspired to a career on the stage, beginning violin and dance lessons at age 8. Her sister Doris, 4 years her senior, was devoted to Billy and was her nearly constant companion throughout her life. She honed her dance techniques in Rutherford High School Productions, and by 1922, at the age of 17, she had joined Pat Rooney"s "Rings of Smoke" Vaudeville act portraying the "French girl" on a cross-country tour.
The tour gave her valuable Vaudeville experience, which led her to the nascent film industry and the Doctorate.W. Griffith Company in Mamaroneck, New New York
She landed the role of the dancing Indian Princess in Griffith"s classic film "America," and appeared in "Sally of the Sawdust." In addition, she worked with Griffith plotting scenes for his leading actress Carol Dempster. When the Griffith Studio closed, Billy continued her silent film career at other New York studios including: the Spitz, Pathe, Famous Players-Lasky, and Technical Art starring with Dexter McReynolds, Charley Bowers, Fatty Lehman, and Duncan Renaldo.
She also did some modeling during this period, most notably for the artist Bradshaw Crandell, who painted several magazine and calendar covers of Billy, as well as, the pastel portrait in the collection. Billy and Doris then followed Richard"s academic career and eventually ended up in Ohio where Billy painted miniature landscapes and wrote her unpublished autobiography "I Was There Charlie".
Jill "Billy" Rainsford died on July 5, 1994 at the age of 89.
