Jill Rainsford (1905-1994) was born Marguerite Rainsford and known as Billy. She was an actress, songwriter, painter and author. Born in Brooklyn, she was the second child of Henry and Julia Rainsford. From an early age, Rainsford aspired to have a career on the stage, and began violin and dance lessons at the age of eight. Her sister, Doris (4 years her senior), was devoted to Billy and she was her nearly constant companion throughout her life. Rainsford was a member of New York's famous Kiddie Klub and performed with such stars as Paulette Goddard, Gene Raymond, and Arlin Riggin, former Olympic champion. She honed her dance techniques in Rutherford High School Productions. In 1922, at the age of 17 she joined Pat Rooney's "Rings of Smoke" Vaudeville act on a cross-country tour where she played the "French girl" and gained valuable Vaudeville experience.
Following the Vaudeville tour, Billy joined the D.W. Griffith Company in Mamraroneck, New York. When the Griffith Studio closed, Billy continued her silent film career at other New York studios including the Spitz, Pathé, Famous Players-Lasky, and Tech Art. 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. When the film industry moved west, Billy remained in New York with her mother and sister and performed in nightclubs. Following a brief marriage and the birth of her son, Richard Rainsford, she performed on the cruise ship circuit to Havana. Wanting to spend more time with her son, Billy began writing songs for notable songwriters such as Arhur Gutman, Gilbert Wall, Ray Dallas, as well as for performers such as Spivy LeVoe, Florence Herbert, Harriet Hutchins, Beth Challis, and Irene Bordoni. Later in life Billy went on to own a wholesale antiques shop in upstate New York. She then followed her son's academic career to eventually ended up in Ohio where she painted miniature landscapes and wrote her unpublished biography "I Was There." Billy died on July 5, 1994 at the age of 89.
From the description of The papers of Jill "Billy" Rainsford, [1922-1991]. (New York University). WorldCat record id: 476927445
