Billy Ray Cyrus (born August 25, 1961) is a American country music singer, songwriter and actor, that helped make the country music a worldwide phenomenon. He is best know to this wikia for his playing Robby Ray Stewart in Hannah Montana. He is also the father of Miley Cyrus.
Early life[]
Cyrus was born Bellefonte, Kentucky to Ron Cyrus, a politician, and his wife, the former Ruth Ann Casto. His grandfather was a Pentecostal preacher. Growing up, he was surrounded by bluegrass and gospel music from his family. His father, a right-handed man, played guitar. Billy Ray, on the other hand, was a lefty. He tried to play his father's guitar, but could never learn. Cyrus attended Georgetown College on a baseball scholarship before switching his focus to music. During the 1980s, Cyrus played in the bar band Sly Dog before getting a record deal with Mercury Nashville Records. In 2018, Him, Lil Nas X, Young Thug, Mason Ramsey and Kimjoon made a song called "Old Town Road".
Role in Hannah Montana[]
In Hannah Montana, Billy Ray plays Robby Ray Stewart, having gotten the role after his daughter Miley got the titular lead role (Miley originally auditioned for Lilly, which then went to Emily Osment). Several aspects of the character are of Billy Ray himself, including his country music career (to the point Cyrus' signature song "Achy Breaky Heart" is referenced by Robby on injuring his back) and mullet.
Trivia[]
- Billy Ray is one of two actors to play the father of their real-life child's character in a Disney program because his role as Robby Ray was the result of Miley (who originally auditioned for Lilly) landing the role of the titular blonde pop star. The other is David Reivers, who TWICE portrayed the father of his son Corbin Bleu's character (Jump In!, with Corbin as lead character Izzy, and the third installment of the High School Musical series, where Corbin portrayed Chad Danforth).