Billy, born in the Netherlands, studied music and drama in Amsterdam, and produced theatre, mostly for children during the 70s. While in his twenties, Billy became a Christian (in Amsterdam, 1979), and moved to London early 1980, where he lived until the spring of 2000, before moving to Wales, UK.
In London Billy met Marcia, who is American, who had also became a Christian just a few months earlier. Billy and Marcia married in Detroit, Marcia’s hometown, but continued to live in London, UK. They have one adopted son, Daniel, who was born in 1988.
At the invitation of a London based pastor/ evangelist, Billy ran a Gospel Theater Company FLAMES in the early 80s. This group saw many people turn to Christ, and toured the UK continuously for 2 years. The work ranged from street theater, children’s theater to a full-scale theater production. In the years following, after the Flames company had been disbanded, Billy continued the same ministry, running his own theater, based on testimony stories, and on biblical themes. Billy performed a solo-mime show, a children's theatre production doing 12 characters in the story of Joseph, and several elaborate evening productions.
Billy toured the UK many times; he also toured in many European countries and occasionally in the USA. In London, UK, Billy worked as a voice-over artist, and acted in TV commercials, as well as in several West-End Theater Productions. In 1992 Billy released his first CD album, Adam’s Dance.
During the first half of the nineties, Billy taught mime, mask & improvisation at Webber Douglas Drama Academy in London. During the same years Billy acted in a weekly television series for children in the Netherlands.
From 1995 Billy worked for the EO, a Christian Broadcasting Company in the Netherlands, for a period of 5 years as a writer and director, producing Jacob’s Ladder, a television drama series based on stories from the Old Testament. (In the Netherlands the program has a different name.) Billy appears on screen in the program as the Story- Teller.
Three series of Jacob’s Ladder were produced and televised (in the Netherlands), dramatizing the stories of Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob & Esau, Joseph, and Moses (32 half-hour episodes in all).
In 1999 the EO agreed to transfer the series to the UK, and became the place for the 4th series of Jacob’s Ladder, which was produced in English, with a Welsh cast & crew. For this reason the Angel Family moved from London to the hills of South Wales. The 13 half-hour episodes, all filmed on location in this beautiful country, are based on the
stories of Gideon, Naomi & Ruth, Samuel, Saul, and young David. Billy is the lighthouse keeper/ story-teller in Jacob’s Ladder. See the Jacob's Ladder page.
The Welsh series of Jacob’s Ladder (the Gideon Series) has been broadcast in the UK by ITV1Wales, and nationally through UCB Television. The program is being shown in the USA (and Internationally) on TBN (cable). Jacob’s Ladder is being distributed worldwide through Vision Video based in Philadelphia, USA. (www.vision-video.com) At the IVCM (Int. Christian Visual Media Conference in the USA) Jacob’s Ladder was awarded best drama series on two occasions.
In the years following writing, producing and directing the Gideon Series of Jacob’s Ladder, while still living in Wales, UK, Billy went back to singing and performing. He recorded a triple CD album, GREATER LOVE, with songs based on scripture and Biblical themes. Billy also recorded The THREE LIVES of MOSES, a double CD album with the telling of the Moses story, including a number of songs (script and narration by Billy).
After completing the Jacob's Ladder TV series, and still living in South Wales, UK, Billy and Marcia developed a Performing & Healing Arts Ministry, called REVOLUTION. They organized many Special Events in their home, in local churches and in local venues, and for three years running they produced a yearly Performing Arts Event: the REVOLUTION Festival.
Billy and Marcia worked with many (mostly young) people, training, directing and coaching them into their individual (performance) career/ ministry. Billy set up a Christian FILM Unit (multi-camera studio & single camera drama/ music video). Marcia set up a Christian PLAY BACK Theater Company which performed all over South Wales in the period 2004-2006.
In the summer of 2006 the Angel family moved to Florida, USA, where Billy began to develop the next Jacob’s Ladder series, based on the Gospel & The Book of Acts.
Billy performs & ministers through STORY & SONG, and Scripture-(spoken) by-Heart. He speaks on human issues & faith, subjects taken from the many Biblical stories that he has filmed for TV (Jacob’s Ladder). For more information see the 'Catching-the- Wind' page on the Entertaining Angels blog: billyangel.wordpress.com
Billy is writing a play with songs, UPPER ROOM STORY, set in the Upper Room, at the time during and directly after the crucifixion, which covers a 3 day period of heart and soul searching by the disciples, including flash-backs of the past 3 years. The play culminates in several personal testimonies of Jesus’ resurrection and the appearance of the resurrected Lord himself!
Billy intents to develop the script of the play into a Feature Film script.
What colleagues and leaders have said:
“Billy has a passion for Jesus, a passion to serve the body of Christ here in Wales, a compassion for young people, and a gift to share the good news creatively- what more could you ask for?”
-Nigel James, Director of Ignite, Cardiff, UK.
“Billy Angel combines creativity and pathos to offer a powerful message of redemption in his musical presentation of the David and Bathsheba story. St. Lukan’s were deeply impacted by this profound work. I highly commend it!”
-The Rev’d. Dr. John Roddam Rector: St. Luke’s, Seattle
“Communication is an art and Billy Angel is most definitely an artist. Be it in acting, mime, singing, Scripture Speaking, Billy is one of those rare people who has worked hard enough to be an expert at several things. He is an accomplished musician and he can communicate the gospel to all ages through the performing arts in a unique manner.
Billy has the ability to minister the life of Christ in a way that few people can - first class, his ministry is life-changing!”
-Rev. John Bullock,
Senior Pastor of Porth Christian Centre, South Wales, UK.
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Media & Film Company
Part of the ENTERTAINING ANGELS mother-ship is Billy's MEDIA COMPANY: Angel Vision. Billy has written and directed many hours of TV drama (Jacob's Ladder) in the Netherlands and in the UK. Apart from 45 half-hours of TV drama, Billy has filmed a 6 hour teaching series for professional dental studies in the Netherlands, and has done several corporate films. Billy has filmed 22 psalms on location in Florida (Psalms Alive) which are distributed by Vision Video in Pennsylvania.
Billy has connected with other film makers in Grand Rapids (and beyond) and can pull together a tailer-made team for each job. Because Billy has ample experience as a writer, as a producer, and as a director, he is well placed to explore and develop script ideas and prepare and produce a variety of films, be it teaching/ training, corporate, promotional, infomercial, documentary, or indeed TV drama (like Jacob's Ladder) or Poetry (like Psalms Alive). Billy also works as a script advisor.
Contact Billy via e-mail at billy.angel@me.com, or by phone on 616-334.7028.
In the late 80s, while living in the UK, Billy was invited by a national broadcaster in the Netherlands to participate in a weekly children’s Television show. The show ran for 5 seasons with great success, with Billy as one of the main three characters.
During the same years Billy participated in several TV commercials in London, UK.
Billy begun his career in the theater as an actor, gradually moving into writing, directing and producing his own theater productions. So when Billy became involved as an actor in the children’s TV show, he naturally took an interest in writing and directing Television drama, if the opportunity would come his way.
When some years later the kids show came to an end, Billy was invited to create a new TV show of which Billy became the writer/ director and eventually also the producer.
The new program, Jacob’s Ladder, ran for 4 seasons in the Netherlands before being moved to Wales, UK, for the latest series (of 13 half hour episodes). Jacob’s Ladder (Gideon Series) won several International awards, and was seen around the globe through TBN, USA, International broadcaster based in California.
Billy says:
“I love film making. The whole process is fascinating and can be very rewarding. Of course there will be difficult days and times of stress, but in my experience the hardship involved usually produces quality results and moments of great film making.”
In the early days of Jacob’s Ladder Billy was able to hire a top camera man/ director of photography for a period of 2 years, with whom Billy shared directing the series. After this time period, having done a thorough study of camera work and editing, Billy was ready to take the job of directing by himself.
Since that time Jacob’s Ladder has grown considerably and has led Billy to move to Wales in 2000 (for the Gideon series), and move again in 2006, this time to the USA where Billy plans to film the next series of Jacob’s Ladder (to be based on the Gospel and the Book of Acts).
Since moving to Florida in 2006, Billy has filmed the first series of a new TV series: Psalms Alive. Here Billy speaks 22 Psalms -by heart- while also directing, and acting as the Director of Photography. Beautiful Floridian scenery, like great parks and beaches, feature impressively in every Psalm recorded. The DVD, distributed by Vision Video (in Philadelphia), has been well received by the USA public.
Now living in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Billy is preparing to set-up a TV studio, suitable for interviews and small scale studio productions. This facility will be linked to Story Cafe that is up and running.