Profile Text
Birth Name: William Darrell Mays, Jr.
Date of Birth: July 20, 1958
Place of Birth: McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Date of Death: June 28, 2009
Place of Death: Tampa, Florida, U.S.
Ethnicity: German, about one quarter Polish, Italian, Czech, Scottish, English
Billy Mays was an American television pitchman and direct-response advertisement salesperson. Produced by his company, Mays Promotions, Inc., and airing predominantly on the Home Shopping Network, he starred in infomercials promoting products including OxiClean, Orange Glo, Kaboom, Zorbeez, and Mighty Mendit. He and his business partner, Anthony Sullivan, were featured on the show PitchMen . He was known for his catch phrase “Hi, Billy Mays here,” and his shouted delivery of lines. He was nicknamed “King of the Pitch.”
Billy was born in McKees Rocks, and raised in nearby Pittsburgh, the son of Joyce and William Darrell Mays. His brother was a minister. He had a son with his former wife Dolores “Dee Dee” Mays; and a daughter with his second wife Deborah Mays. He was Catholic.
Billy’s paternal grandfather was William Benton Mays (the son of Loama Wilkens Mays and Anna Magdalena Heckele). William was born in McKees Rocks, Allegheny, Pennsylvania. Loama was born in Venango, Pennsylvania, the son of Phylander Mays and Sarah J. Wilkins. Anna was born in Pittsburgh, Allegheny, the daughter of Joshua Heckele and Elizabeth Friederike Friesse, who was German.
Billy’s paternal grandmother was named Lena Helen Shones.
Billy’s maternal grandfather was Henry Frank Hoffman (the son of Joseph John Hoffman and Veronica Mokwa). Henry was born in Pittsburgh, Allegheny, Pennsylvania, and was of mostly or entirely ethnic Polish descent, including with ancestors from what is now Germany. Joseph was born in Prussia, Germany, the son of Frank Hoffman, who was from Grudziądz, Kuyavia-Pomerania; and of Julia Cieplinski. Billy’s great-grandmother Veronika was born in Pittsburgh, the daughter of Peter Mokwa and Franciska Muchowski, who were from Bordzichow, Preußisch Stargard, West Prussia, Germany.
Billy’s maternal grandmother was Alma Margaret Panizzi (the daughter of Michael Salvadore Panizzi and Sophie/Sophia Kurtulik). Alma was born in McKees Rocks, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, to an Italian father and a Czech mother. Michael was born in Noepoli, Provincia di Potenza, Basilicata, the son of Biase Panizzi and Porsia Fucci.
Sources: Genealogies of Billy Mays (focusing on his mother’s side) – https://www.geni.com https://www.findagrave.com