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Billy Gibbons is many things. He’s one of the core members of the band ZZ Top, a wildly popular rock band that has sold more than 50 million albums worldwide and is known best for their hit “Sharp Dressed Man.” Gibbons himself is easy to recognize thanks to his very distinctive look, which includes a beard that instantly makes him stand out (even to those who aren’t particularly big ZZ Top fans). He’s also an actor, on occasion, perhaps most notably on the TV show “Bones.”
Fox’s procedural “Bones,” starring Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz, was wildly successful, airing for 12 seasons. While Deschanel’s Brennan and Boreanaz’s Booth, among several others, helped anchor the show during that long run, there were also quite a few memorable guest stars along the way. Gibbons first entered the fold in the season 1 episode “The Man in the Fallout Shelter.” There, he played the father of Angela Montenegro, portrayed by Michaela Conlin.
Angela’s father is never technically given a name in the show, though he was written into the script as “Billy F. Gibbons.” He remained somewhat mysterious throughout the show’s run, showing up in a total of seven episodes. The musician’s final appearance came in the season 10 episode “The 200th in the 10th.” Rather hilariously, there was a belief amongst some “Bones” fans that Gibbons is Conlin’s actual father. Untrue though it may be, it would’ve added a bit of meta flavor to the casting.
Bones allowed Billy Gibbons to play a version of himself
Given that Angela is one of only four characters to appear in every episode of “Bones,” her father is by default an important character as well. It could be viewed as stunt casting to put a rock star in the show and, in some ways, maybe it was. But Angela’s father returned several times and the fan response was quite positive. Gibbons also has some other acting credits in shows like “Yes, Dear” and “Deadwood,” but this is certainly his meatiest role to date.
“The character I play on ‘Bones,’ I’m sort of familiar with,” Gibbons once said of his character in a featurette for the show. “I get to play Billy F. Gibbons.” Indeed, the rock star is playing a fictionalized version of himself (one that ended up inspiring an entire plotline for “Bones”). In that same video, the rocker went on to explain how he approached the character, while also having some nice things to say about his on-screen daughter.
“I go out of my way to be the protective dad, somewhat overly so. When you get an opportunity to have a daughter as sweet and charming as Angie, you want to make sure that protection is there when needed.”
“Bones” is currently streaming on Hulu, or you can grab the show on DVD via Amazon.