An American Tail (1986 - Warner Bros., Universal Pictures, Amblin Enertainment, Lucasfilm Limited, Zoetrope Studios and Sullivan Studios Limited)
List activity
0 views
• 0 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
82 people
- Animation Department
- Director
- Producer
Don Bluth was one of the chief animators at Disney to come to the mantle after the great one's death. He eventually became the animation director for such films as The Rescuers (1977) and Pete's Dragon (1977). Unfortunately, the quality of animation that Disney was producing at this point was not up to par with the great works of Disney, and there was rumor that the production unit at Disney might be shut down indefinitely. In retaliation, Bluth and several other animators led a walkout, and went off to form their own independent animation firm. Bluth's first animated feature may still be his best. The Secret of NIMH (1982) was an animated film based on the children's book "Mrs. Frisbee and the Rats of Nimh". The film dealt with a widowed field mouse named Mrs. Brisbee and her plight to move her house before the farmer plants his field. The rats of Nimh, an organization of super intelligent rats, band together to help her. "The Secret of NIMH" was a visually ravishing film that hearkened back to the glory days of Disney. While animation buffs raved, the film did little business at the box office. (The growing number of VCR's in America would help the film reach a cult status on home video). Undaunted, Bluth persevered. He created the video games Dragon's Lair (1983) and Space Ace (1983), both of which allowed the player to control an actual cartoon. He later teamed up with Steven Spielberg for the films An American Tail (1986) and The Land Before Time (1988). While Bluth's ambition to restore animation to its previous glory was being realized, the Disney studio, whose recent films had failed to match Bluth's at the box office, was finally ready to return to true quality. With the release of The Little Mermaid (1989) and Beauty and the Beast (1991), Bluth had to compete with a Goliath. After his next film, All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989), received mixed opinions and failed to be more than a minor box office success, Bluth fell into a failing streak of films that were comparatively mediocre when placed alongside his previous work, including Rock-A-Doodle (1991), and Thumbelina (1994). Bluth later joined forces with 20th Century Fox where he made his first commercial hit in some time, Anastasia (1997). He followed up with the ambitious but hollow science fiction fantasy Titan A.E. (2000). While Bluth has yet to reach the glory of his earlier work, he nonetheless deserves credit as a champion of animation, and for surviving as an independent film maker.Director and Producer- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Francis Ford Coppola was born in 1939 in Detroit, Michigan, but grew up in a New York suburb in a creative, supportive Italian-American family. His father, Carmine Coppola, was a composer and musician. His mother, Italia Coppola (née Pennino), had been an actress. Francis Ford Coppola graduated with a degree in drama from Hofstra University, and did graduate work at UCLA in filmmaking. He was training as assistant with filmmaker Roger Corman, working in such capacities as sound-man, dialogue director, associate producer and, eventually, director of Dementia 13 (1963), Coppola's first feature film. During the next four years, Coppola was involved in a variety of script collaborations, including writing an adaptation of "This Property is Condemned" by Tennessee Williams (with Fred Coe and Edith Sommer), and screenplays for Is Paris Burning? (1966) and Patton (1970), the film for which Coppola won a Best Original Screenplay Academy Award. In 1966, Coppola's 2nd film brought him critical acclaim and a Master of Fine Arts degree. In 1969, Coppola and George Lucas established American Zoetrope, an independent film production company based in San Francisco. The company's first project was THX 1138 (1971), produced by Coppola and directed by Lucas. Coppola also produced the second film that Lucas directed, American Graffiti (1973), in 1973. This movie got five Academy Award nominations, including one for Best Picture. In 1971, Coppola's film The Godfather (1972) became one of the highest-grossing movies in history and brought him an Oscar for writing the screenplay with Mario Puzo The film was a Best Picture Academy Award-winner, and also brought Coppola a Best Director Oscar nomination. Following his work on the screenplay for The Great Gatsby (1974), Coppola's next film was The Conversation (1974), which was honored with the Golden Palm Award at the Cannes Film Festival, and brought Coppola Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay Oscar nominations. Also released that year, The Godfather Part II (1974), rivaled the success of The Godfather (1972), and won six Academy Awards, bringing Coppola Oscars as a producer, director and writer. Coppola then began work on his most ambitious film, Apocalypse Now (1979), a Vietnam War epic that was inspired by Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness (1993). Released in 1979, the acclaimed film won a Golden Palm Award at the Cannes Film Festival, and two Academy Awards. Also that year, Coppola executive produced the hit The Black Stallion (1979). With George Lucas, Coppola executive produced Kagemusha: The Shadow Warrior (1980), directed by Akira Kurosawa, and Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985), directed by Paul Schrader and based on the life and writings of Yukio Mishima. Coppola also executive produced such films as The Escape Artist (1982), Hammett (1982) The Black Stallion Returns (1983), Barfly (1987), Wind (1992), The Secret Garden (1993), etc.
He helped to make a star of his nephew, Nicolas Cage. Personal tragedy hit in 1986 when his son Gio died in a boating accident. Francis Ford Coppola is one of America's most erratic, energetic and controversial filmmakers.Director, Producer, Executive Producer, Story, Screenplay and Creator (as Francis Coppola)- Producer
- Animation Department
- Director
When Gary Goldman met Don Bluth at Walt Disney Studios in 1972, they formed an instant friendship, soon realizing that they both shared the desire of restoring the heritage of classical animation to today's animated films, their friendship eventually turned into a creative partnership that has lasted over 30 years.
Born in Oakland and raised in Watsonville, California, as a youth, Goldman studied piano and enjoyed model-making and drawing. Before devoting himself entirely to the arts, he served as an electronics technician in the United States Air Force (1962-1967). He received his Associate of Arts Degree (1969) from Cabrillo College near Santa Cruz, California, and in December, 1971, he graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Life Drawing and Art History from the University of Hawaii.
In early 1972, he began his career in animation when he joined Walt Disney Productions. His first assignment was as an "in-betweener" to legendary Disney animator Frank Thomas on the film Robin Hood (1973). He then worked alongside Don Bluth, as an animator, on Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too (1974) and The Rescuers (1977) before serving as directing animator on Pete's Dragon (1977) and The Small One (1978).
In an effort to accelerate their skills in preparation for leadership assignments within the Disney organization, Goldman and Bluth began to probe every aspect of animated production. United by the same goal of restoring the lost techniques of classical animation, Goldman and Bluth, with animator John Pomeroy, produced (in Bluth's garage) the classically animated television special Banjo the Woodpile Cat (1979). It took four years, working nights and weekends. It won the National Film Advisory Board Award for excellence and the Golden Scroll Award from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. Using what they learned on their "GARAGE" project, they implemented their techniques on projects at Disney. Divided by disagreements over story and production values, Goldman, along with Bluth and Pomeroy, resigned from Walt Disney Productions to establish their independent animation studio, Don Bluth Productions, Inc. (1979).
Since leaving Disney, the team produced several feature films, starting with The Secret of NIMH (1982), which won the Saturn Award for 'Best Animated Feature' from the Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Film Academy. Their follow-up effort, An American Tail (1986), ushered in a new era of success for the full-length animated feature, becoming the highest-grossing animated film of its time. The film's theme song 'Somewhere Out There', also received two Grammy Awards and an Oscar nomination for 'Best Original Song'.
Goldman was producer on the animated laser disc interactive video games, Dragon's Lair (1983), Space Ace (1983) and Dragon's Lair II: Timewarp (1991). "Dragon's Lair" received the Inkpot Award for the 'First Interactive Laser Disc Arcade Game' and an Arkie Award for the 'Best Arcade Audio/Visuals'. Dragon's Lair has experienced an incredible tenure as a popular interactive game on 16 different platforms for home entertainment. It remained in the top 10 sales through 1999. The title is in final stages of production (September 2002) as a 3D game for PC, MAC, Sony Playstation 2, Nintendo's Game Cube and Microsoft's Xbox.
In 1986, Goldman and Bluth moved their entire operation, including 87 employees and their families to Dublin, Ireland, at the invitation of the Irish Government. Their third feature film The Land Before Time (1988), was their first production created entirely in Ireland. Released by Universal Pictures during the 1988 Thanksgiving holiday, it achieved a record-breaking opening weekend gross for an animated film.
In August 1994, Goldman returned from Ireland to head up the Fox Animation Studio located in Phoenix, Arizona where he shared the creative leadership with Don Bluth. The first production completed by the studio was the award winning, family favorite Anastasia (1997). Also produced at the Phoenix studio was, the direct-to-video animated musical, Bartok the Magnificent (1999), and the animated science fiction film, Titan A.E. (2000).
In 1999, Goldman, with Don Bluth, John Pomeroy, Rick Dyer and David Foster formed a new company, Dragon's Lair LLC. The company was formed to develop new 3D games, starting with a revamp of the hit 1983 game Dragon's Lair. Goldman and Bluth have reestablished their independence with their production company, Don Bluth Films, Inc., based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are in pre-production on "Dragon's Lair" as a feature film. They have developed several feature film concepts and short stories for a direct-to-video library. The company has established a web site, www.donbluth.com, where they will communicate with their audience on a personal level, and will provide animation information on-line. Gary Goldman has been a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences since 1976.Producer- Art Department
- Animation Department
- Producer
John Pomeroy was born on 26 March 1951 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is a producer, known for The Secret of NIMH (1982), All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989) and An American Tail (1986).Producer- Casting Director
- Producer
- Casting Department
Fred Roos was born on 22 May 1934 in Santa Monica, California, USA. He was a casting director and producer, known for St. Vincent (2014), The Godfather Part II (1974) and Apocalypse Now (1979). He was married to Nancy Drew. He died on 18 May 2024 in Beverly Hills, California, USA.Producer- Producer
- Production Manager
- Actor
Gray Frederickson was born on 21 July 1937 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA. He was a producer and production manager, known for The Godfather Part II (1974), Apocalypse Now (1979) and UHF (1989). He was married to Karen. He died on 20 November 2022 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA.Producer- Producer
- Writer
- Director
One of the most influential personalities in the history of cinema, Steven Spielberg is Hollywood's best known director and one of the wealthiest filmmakers in the world. He has an extraordinary number of commercially successful and critically acclaimed credits to his name, either as a director, producer or writer since launching the summer blockbuster with Jaws (1975), and he has done more to define popular film-making since the mid-1970s than anyone else.
Steven Allan Spielberg was born in 1946 in Cincinnati, Ohio, to Leah Frances (Posner), a concert pianist and restaurateur, and Arnold Spielberg, an electrical engineer who worked in computer development. His parents were both born to Russian Jewish immigrant families. Steven spent his younger years in Haddon Township, New Jersey, Phoenix, Arizona, and later Saratoga, California. He went to California State University Long Beach, but dropped out to pursue his entertainment career. Among his early directing efforts were Battle Squad (1961), which combined World War II footage with footage of an airplane on the ground that he makes you believe is moving. He also directed Escape to Nowhere (1961), which featured children as World War Two soldiers, including his sister Anne Spielberg, and The Last Gun (1959), a western. All of these were short films. The next couple of years, Spielberg directed a couple of movies that would portend his future career in movies. In 1964, he directed Firelight (1964), a movie about aliens invading a small town. In 1967, he directed Slipstream (1967), which was unfinished. However, in 1968, he directed Amblin' (1968), which featured the desert prominently, and not the first of his movies in which the desert would feature. Amblin' also became the name of his production company, which turned out such classics as E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982). Spielberg had a unique and classic early directing project, Duel (1971), with Dennis Weaver. In the early 1970s, Spielberg was working on TV, directing among others such series as Rod Serling's Night Gallery (1969), Marcus Welby, M.D. (1969) and Murder by the Book (1971). All of his work in television and short films, as well as his directing projects, were just a hint of the wellspring of talent that would dazzle audiences all over the world.
Spielberg's first major directorial effort was The Sugarland Express (1974), with Goldie Hawn, a film that marked him as a rising star. It was his next effort, however, that made him an international superstar among directors: Jaws (1975). This classic shark attack tale started the tradition of the summer blockbuster or, at least, he was credited with starting the tradition. His next film was the classic Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), a unique and original UFO story that remains a classic. In 1978, Spielberg produced his first film, the forgettable I Wanna Hold Your Hand (1978), and followed that effort with Used Cars (1980), a critically acclaimed, but mostly forgotten, Kurt Russell/Jack Warden comedy about devious used-car dealers. Spielberg hit gold yet one more time with Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), with Harrison Ford taking the part of Indiana Jones. Spielberg produced and directed two films in 1982. The first was Poltergeist (1982), but the highest-grossing movie of all time up to that point was the alien story E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982). Spielberg also helped pioneer the practice of product placement. The concept, while not uncommon, was still relatively low-key when Spielberg raised the practice to almost an art form with his famous (or infamous) placement of Reese's Pieces in "E.T." Spielberg was also one of the pioneers of the big-grossing special-effects movies, like "E.T." and "Close Encounters", where a very strong emphasis on special effects was placed for the first time on such a huge scale. In 1984, Spielberg followed up "Raiders" with Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), which was a commercial success but did not receive the critical acclaim of its predecessor. As a producer, Spielberg took on many projects in the 1980s, such as The Goonies (1985), and was the brains behind the little monsters in Gremlins (1984). He also produced the cartoon An American Tail (1986), a quaint little animated classic. His biggest effort as producer in 1985, however, was the blockbuster Back to the Future (1985), which made Michael J. Fox an instant superstar. As director, Spielberg took on the book The Color Purple (1985), with Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey, with great success. In the latter half of the 1980s, he also directed Empire of the Sun (1987), a mixed success for the occasionally erratic Spielberg. Success would not escape him for long, though.
The late 1980s found Spielberg's projects at the center of pop-culture yet again. In 1988, he produced the landmark animation/live-action film Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988). The next year proved to be another big one for Spielberg, as he produced and directed Always (1989) as well as Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), and Back to the Future Part II (1989). All three of the films were box-office and critical successes. Also, in 1989, he produced the little known comedy-drama Dad (1989), with Jack Lemmon and Ted Danson, which got mostly mixed results. Spielberg has also had an affinity for animation and has been a strong voice in animation in the 1990s. Aside from producing the landmark "Who Framed Roger Rabbit", he produced the animated series Tiny Toon Adventures (1990), Animaniacs (1993), Pinky and the Brain (1995), Freakazoid! (1995), Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain (1998), Family Dog (1993) and Toonsylvania (1998). Spielberg also produced other cartoons such as The Land Before Time (1988), We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story (1993), Casper (1995) (the live action version) as well as the live-action version of The Flintstones (1994), where he was credited as "Steven Spielrock". Spielberg also produced many Roger Rabbit short cartoons, and many Pinky and the Brain, Animaniacs and Tiny Toons specials. Spielberg was very active in the early 1990s, as he directed Hook (1991) and produced such films as the cute fantasy Joe Versus the Volcano (1990) and An American Tail: Fievel Goes West (1991). He also produced the unusual comedy thriller Arachnophobia (1990), Back to the Future Part III (1990) and Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990). While these movies were big successes in their own right, they did not quite bring in the kind of box office or critical acclaim as previous efforts. In 1993, Spielberg directed Jurassic Park (1993), which for a short time held the record as the highest grossing movie of all time, but did not have the universal appeal of his previous efforts. Big box-office spectacles were not his only concern, though. He produced and directed Schindler's List (1993), a stirring film about the Holocaust. He won best director at the Oscars, and also got Best Picture. In the mid-90s, he helped found the production company DreamWorks, which was responsible for many box-office successes.
As a producer, he was very active in the late 90s, responsible for such films as The Mask of Zorro (1998), Men in Black (1997) and Deep Impact (1998). However, it was on the directing front that Spielberg was in top form. He directed and produced the epic Amistad (1997), a spectacular film that was shorted at the Oscars and in release due to the fact that its release date was moved around so much in late 1997. The next year, however, produced what many believe was one of the best films of his career: Saving Private Ryan (1998), a film about World War Two that is spectacular in almost every respect. It was stiffed at the Oscars, losing best picture to Shakespeare in Love (1998).
Spielberg produced a series of films, including Evolution (2001), The Haunting (1999) and Shrek (2001). he also produced two sequels to Jurassic Park (1993), which were financially but not particularly critical successes. In 2001, he produced a mini-series about World War Two that definitely *was* a financial and critical success: Band of Brothers (2001), a tale of an infantry company from its parachuting into France during the invasion to the Battle of the Bulge. Also in that year, Spielberg was back in the director's chair for A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001), a movie with a message and a huge budget. It did reasonably at the box office and garnered varied reviews from critics.
Spielberg has been extremely active in films there are many other things he has done as well. He produced the short-lived TV series SeaQuest 2032 (1993), an anthology series entitled Amazing Stories (1985), created the video-game series "Medal of Honor" set during World War Two, and was a starting producer of ER (1994). Spielberg, if you haven't noticed, has a great interest in World War Two. He and Tom Hanks collaborated on Shooting War: World War II Combat Cameramen (2000), a documentary about World War II combat photographers, and he produced a documentary about the Holocaust called Eyes of the Holocaust (2000). With all of this to Spielberg's credit, it's no wonder that he's looked at as one of the greatest ever figures in entertainment.Executive Producer- Producer
- Writer
- Additional Crew
David Kirschner Productions maintains an eclectic slate of projects, focusing primarily on family and genre films. Currently in production is the film adaptation of the Hugo and Nebula Award-winning short story, Martian Child, written by sci-fi luminary, David Gerrold (Star Trek's "The Troubles with Tribbles"). John Cusack (High Fidelity, Identity) stars in the film, which will be directed by Menno Meyjes, writer/director of 2004's acclaimed Max for Lions Gate, and Oscar-nominated screenwriter of The Color Purple, as well as the Denzel Washington-starrer, The Siege. The comedy-drama follows the neurotic travails of a science-fiction writer (Cusack) who adopts a boy claiming to be a Martian. Seth Bass & Jon Tolins (Broadway's "Twilight of the Golds") wrote the script.
Later this summer, Kirschner and producing partner, Corey Sienega, will team up with Mike Medavoy to produce the biography of famed children's author and illustrator Beatrix Potter (The Tale Peter Rabbit). Starring Oscar-winner Renee Zelwegger (Bridget Jones, Chicago), the magical romantic-drama was written by Tony Award-winner Richard Maltby (Miss Saigon, Ain't Misbehavin') and will be directed by Chris Noonan (Babe).
Last year Kirschner produced Seed Of Chucky, the fifth installment of the successful horror-franchise, which opened in theaters in November. Additionally, Kirschner served as Executive Producer on last summer's 5-hour scifi-thriller miniseries, 5 Days Til Midnight. Starring Oscar-winner Timothy Hutton (Ordinary People, Falcon And The Snowman), this television event aired June 7-10 on the Sci-Fi Channel.
In Fall 2003, New Line released the successful family film, Secondhand Lions, into theaters. The film stars Oscar winners Michael Caine and Robert Duvall, and Oscar nominee, Haley Joel Osment, and was written and directed by Tim McCanlies (Iron Giant). The film is now in development as a Broadway musical. The upcoming Martian Child is Kirschner's second production with New Line.
In 2002, Kirschner produced Lions Gate's critically acclaimed thriller Frailty. Directed by Bill Paxton, who also starred alongside Matthew McConaughey, the film was lauded by the National Board of Review that year for Excellence in Filmmaking.
A native of suburban Los Angeles, Kirschner began his career as an illustrator for Jim Henson's Muppet and Sesame Street characters. At 23, he wrote and illustrated a series of children's books entitled Rose Petal Place. This property spawned a total of 16 books, two television specials and over 1100 different products.
In 1986, Kirschner created and executive produced with Steven Spielberg the smash hit An American Tail, which became one of the most successful animated films in history. This film was followed by the sequel AN American Tail 2: Fievel Goes West, a Saturday morning animated series, and direct-to-video features American Tails 3, 4, and 5. Kirschner's second feature film was the horror hit Child's Play, whose leading character, "Chucky", an animatronic doll which Kirschner created, became a cult star and spawned a second successful franchise with Child's Play II, child's play III, and the 1998 box-office winner, Bride Of Chucky, starring Jennifer Tilly. Seed Of Chucky, the hit horror comedy and fifth installment in the popular Child's Play franchise, opened in theaters in November.
Kirschner's next production, Disney's hit comedy-thriller, Hocus Pocus, was based on his short story and starred Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy.
Kirschner also created and produced the NBC's Emmy-nominated The Dreamer Of Oz. Starring John Ritter, the television event was based on the life of The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz creator L. Frank Baum. Kirschner also produced the Emmy Award-winning The Halloween Tree, written and narrated by Ray Bradbury. Kirschner later served as Executive Producer of Gene Roddenberry's Earth: Final Conflict. A two-time Emmy nominee over its five-year run, Earth recently sold into 2nd run syndication and now can be seen on the Sci-Fi Channel.
On the theatrical side, Kirschner executive produced the box-office smash The Flintstones, again in partnership with Spielberg. He then co-wrote and produced the Twentieth Century Fox/Turner live-action and animated fantasy The Pagemaster. This film was based upon the book co-written by Kirschner which was named the American Library Association's "Children's Book of the Year."
Kirschner also produced the critically acclaimed animated feature Cats Don't Dance, released by Warner Brothers in the spring of 1997. Cats won both the Golden Crown at Annecy and the prestigious Annie Award (the American Animation Awards) for Best Feature, beating out Disney's Hercules and Warner Brothers' Space Jam. In Summer 2000, Twentieth Century Fox released Titan A.E., a space adventure loosely based on the Robert Louis Stevenson classic, Treasure Island.
Currently in production at Universal is an animated adaptation of the classic Curious George books, for which Kirschner is teamed up with producers Ron Howard and Brian Grazer. Will Ferrell is starring.Executive Producer, Story and Creator- Writer
- Producer
- Director
George Walton Lucas, Jr. was raised on a walnut ranch in Modesto, California. His father was a stationery store owner and he had three siblings. During his late teen years, he went to Thomas Downey High School and was very much interested in drag racing. He planned to become a professional racecar driver. However, a terrible car accident just after his high school graduation ended that dream permanently. The accident changed his views on life.
He decided to attend Modesto Junior College before enrolling in the University of Southern California film school. As a film student, he made several short films including Electronic Labyrinth THX 1138 4EB (1967) which won first prize at the 1967-68 National Student Film Festival. In 1967, he was awarded a scholarship by Warner Brothers to observe the making of Finian's Rainbow (1968) which was being directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Lucas and Coppola became good friends and formed American Zoetrope in 1969. The company's first project was Lucas' full-length version of THX 1138 (1971). In 1971, Coppola went into production for The Godfather (1972), and Lucas formed his own company, Lucasfilm Ltd.
In 1973, he wrote and directed the semiautobiographical American Graffiti (1973) which won the Golden Globe and garnered five Academy Award nominations. This gave him the clout he needed for his next daring venture. From 1973 to 1974, he began writing the screenplay which became Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977). He was inspired to make this movie from Flash Gordon and the Planet of the Apes films. In 1975, he established ILM. (Industrial Light & Magic) to produce the visual effects needed for the movie. Another company called Sprocket Systems was established to edit and mix Star Wars and later becomes known as Skywalker Sound. His movie was turned down by several studios until 20th Century Fox gave him a chance. Lucas agreed to forego his directing salary in exchange for 40% of the film's box-office take and all merchandising rights. The movie went on to break all box office records and earned seven Academy Awards. It redefined the term "blockbuster" and the rest is history.
Lucas made the other Star Wars films and along with Steven Spielberg created the Indiana Jones series which made box office records of their own. From 1980 to 1985, Lucas was busy with the construction of Skywalker Ranch, built to accommodate the creative, technical, and administrative needs of Lucasfilm. Lucas also revolutionized movie theaters with the THX system which was created to maintain the highest quality standards in motion picture viewing.
He went on to produce several more movies that have introduced major innovations in filmmaking technology. He is chairman of the board of the George Lucas Educational Foundation. In 1992, George Lucas was honored with the Irving G. Thalberg Award by the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for his lifetime achievement.
He reentered the directing chair with the production of the highly-anticipated Star Wars prequel trilogy beginning with Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) . The films have been polarizing for fans and critics alike, but were commercially successful and have become a part of culture. The animated spin-off series Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) was supervised by Lucas. He sold Lucasfilm to Disney in 2012, making co-chair Kathleen Kennedy president. He has attended the premieres of new Star Wars films and been generally supportive of them.Executive Producer and Creator- Producer
- Additional Crew
- Executive
Eight-time Academy Award®-nominated, Kathleen Kennedy is one of the most successful and respected producers and executives in the film industry today. As President of Lucasfilm, she oversees the company's three divisions: Lucasfilm, Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound. In 1992, she co-founded the production company The Kennedy/Marshall Company with director/producer Frank Marshall, and in 1982 she co-founded Amblin Entertainment with Marshall and Steven Spielberg. Altogether, Kennedy has further produced or executive produced more than 70 feature films, which have collectively garnered 120 Academy Award nominations and 25 wins.
For much of the past 20 years, Kennedy served as a governor and officer of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and serves on the board of the new Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. She also sits on the boards of numerous educational, arts, and philanthropic organizations.Executive Producer- Producer
- Additional Crew
- Director
Frank was born in Glendale, California to musician Jack Marshall. He entered the film world when his parents invited him to a birthday party for the daughter of directing legend John Ford in 1966. There, he met Peter Bogdanovich and soon agreed to work on his first film, Targets (1968), later followed by collaborating on The Last Picture Show (1971) and many other films.
Continuing to branch out into the industry, he served as line producer on Martin Scorsese's The Last Waltz (1978) and associate producer on Walter Hill's crime thriller, The Driver (1978). Marshall first worked as executive producer on Hill's cult classic The Warriors (1979). While producing the iconic Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), he met Steven Spielberg and their future wife Kathleen Kennedy, and Frank himself was hired to join the Amblin Productions company in 1980.
He continued producing memorable films with Spielberg including Poltergeist (1982) and Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983) (while Kennedy separately produced E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)). He worked as executive producer on Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), Gremlins (1984), The Goonies (1985) and the Back to the Future (1985) trilogy.
He married Kathleen Kennedy in 1987, and after producing numerous films, he made his feature directing debut with Arachnophobia (1990). Reacting to the success of his directorial debut, he left Amblin in 1991. In 1992, The Kennedy/Marshall Company was formed, and the next year they released its first film Alive (1993), directed by Marshall. Both Kennedy and Marshall signed deals with Paramount in 1992, at the same time the company was formed. His productivity has only increased since then, as he took over primary duties of the production company since Kennedy was named president of Lucasfilm in 2012.- Writer
- Additional Crew
- Actress
Judy Freudberg was born on 12 July 1949 in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. She was a writer and actress, known for Sesame Street (1969), An American Tail (1986) and The Land Before Time (1988). She died on 10 June 2012 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.Story and Screenplay- Writer
- Music Department
- Composer
Tony Geiss was born on 16 November 1924 in Bronx, New York City, New York, USA. Tony was a writer and composer, known for Sesame Street (1969), An American Tail (1986) and The Land Before Time (1988). Tony was married to Phyllis Eisen. Tony died on 21 January 2011 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.Story and Screenplay- Mario Puzo was born October 15, 1920, in "Hell's Kitchen" on Manhattan's (NY) West Side and, following military service in World War II, attended New York's New School for Social Research and Columbia University. His best-known novel, "The Godfather," was preceded by two critically acclaimed novels, "The Dark Arena" and "The Fortunate Pilgrim." In 1978, he published "Fools Die," followed by "The Sicilian" (1984) and "The Fourth K" (1991). Mario Puzo has also written several screenplays, including Earthquake (1974), Superman (1978), and all three "Godfather" movies, for which he received two Academy Awards. Mario's latest novel, 1996's "The Last Don," was made into a CBS television miniseries in May 1997, starring Danny Aiello, Kirstie Alley and Joe Mantegna. In 1997, Part II was aired. Also in 1997, Mario's "The Fortunate Pilgrim" was re-released by Random House. Mario passed away July 2, 1999, at his home in Bay Shore, Long Island. His last novel, "Omerta," will be published July, 2000. He is survived by his companion of 20 years, Carol Gino, and five children.Screenplay
- Music Department
- Composer
- Actor
James Horner began studying piano at the age of five, and trained at the Royal College of Music in London, England, before moving to California in the 1970s. After receiving a bachelor's degree in music at USC, he would go on to earn his master's degree at UCLA and teach music theory there. He later completed his Ph.D. in Music Composition and Theory at UCLA. Horner began scoring student films for the American Film Institute in the late 1970s, which paved the way for scoring assignments on a number of small-scale films. His first large, high-profile project was composing music for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982), which would lead to numerous other film offers and opportunities to work with world-class performers such as the London Symphony Orchestra. With over 75 projects to his name, and work with people such as George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, Oliver Stone, and Ron Howard, Horner firmly established himself as a strong voice in the world of film scoring. In addition, Horner composed a classical concert piece in the 1980s, called "Spectral Shimmers", which was world premiered by the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. Horner passed away in a plane crash on June 22, 2015, two months short of his 62nd birthday.Music Score Composer, Conductor & Producer and Original Songs (Music)- Composer
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Stanley Myers was born on 6 October 1930 in Birmingham, England, UK. He was a composer, known for The Witches (1990), The Deer Hunter (1978) and Prick Up Your Ears (1987). He was married to Brigitta Stroeh and Eleanor Fazan. He died on 9 November 1993 in London, England, UK.Music Score Composer & Producer and Original Songs (Music)- Music Department
- Composer
- Actor
German-born composer Hans Zimmer is recognized as one of Hollywood's most innovative musical talents. He featured in the music video for The Buggles' single "Video Killed the Radio Star", which became a worldwide hit and helped usher in a new era of global entertainment as the first music video to be aired on MTV (August 1, 1981).
Hans Florian Zimmer was born in Frankfurt am Main, then in West Germany, the son of Brigitte (Weil) and Hans Joachim Zimmer. He entered the world of film music in London during a long collaboration with famed composer and mentor Stanley Myers, which included the film My Beautiful Laundrette (1985). He soon began work on several successful solo projects, including the critically acclaimed A World Apart, and during these years Zimmer pioneered the use of combining old and new musical technologies. Today, this work has earned him the reputation of being the father of integrating the electronic musical world with traditional orchestral arrangements.
A turning point in Zimmer's career came in 1988 when he was asked to score Rain Man for director Barry Levinson. The film went on to win the Oscar for Best Picture of the Year and earned Zimmer his first Academy Award Nomination for Best Original Score. The next year, Zimmer composed the score for another Best Picture Oscar recipient, Driving Miss Daisy (1989), starring Jessica Tandy, and Morgan Freeman.
Having already scored two Best Picture winners, in the early 1990s, Zimmer cemented his position as a preeminent talent with the award-winning score for The Lion King (1994). The soundtrack has sold over 15 million copies to date and earned him an Academy Award for Best Original Score, a Golden Globe, an American Music Award, a Tony, and two Grammy Awards. In total, Zimmer's work has been nominated for 7 Golden Globes, 7 Grammys and seven Oscars for Rain Man (1988), Gladiator (2000), The Lion King (1994), As Good as It Gets (1997), The The Preacher's Wife (1996), The Thin Red Line (1998), The Prince of Egypt (1998), and The Last Samurai (2003).
With his career in full swing, Zimmer was anxious to replicate the mentoring experience he had benefited from under Stanley Myers' guidance. With state-of-the-art technology and a supportive creative environment, Zimmer was able to offer film-scoring opportunities to young composers at his Santa Monica-based musical "think tank." This approach helped launch the careers of such notable composers as Mark Mancina, John Powell, Harry Gregson-Williams, Nick Glennie-Smith, and Klaus Badelt.
In 2000, Zimmer scored the music for Gladiator (2000), for which he received an Oscar nomination, in addition to Golden Globe and Broadcast Film Critics Awards for his epic score. It sold more than three million copies worldwide and spawned a second album Gladiator: More Music From The Motion Picture, released on the Universal Classics/Decca label. Zimmer's other scores that year included Mission: Impossible II (2000), The Road to El Dorado (2000), and An Everlasting Piece (2000), directed by Barry Levinson.
Some of his other impressive scores include Pearl Harbor (2001), The Ring (2002), four films directed by Ridley Scott; Matchstick Men (2003), Hannibal (2001), Black Hawk Down (2001), and Thelma & Louise (1991), Penny Marshall's Riding in Cars with Boys (2001), and A League of Their Own (1992), Tony Scott's True Romance (1993), Tears of the Sun (2003), Ron Howard's Backdraft (1991), Days of Thunder (1990), Smilla's Sense of Snow (1997), and the animated Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002) for which he also co-wrote four of the songs with Bryan Adams, including the Golden Globe nominated Here I Am.
At the 27th annual Flanders International Film Festival, Zimmer performed live for the first time in concert with a 100-piece orchestra and a 100-voice choir. Choosing selections from his impressive body of work, Zimmer performed newly orchestrated concert versions of Gladiator, Mission: Impossible II (2000), Rain Man (1988), The Lion King (1994), and The Thin Red Line (1998). The concert was recorded by Decca and released as a concert album entitled "The Wings Of A Film: The Music Of Hans Zimmer."
In 2003, Zimmer completed his 100th film score for the film The Last Samurai, starring Tom Cruise, for which he received both a Golden Globe and a Broadcast Film Critics nomination. Zimmer then scored Nancy Meyers' comedy Something's Gotta Give (2003), the animated Dreamworks film, Shark Tale (2004) (featuring voices of Will Smith, Renée Zellweger, Robert De Niro, Jack Black, and Martin Scorsese), and Jim Brooks' Spanglish (2004) starring Adam Sandler and Téa Leoni (for which he also received a Golden Globe nomination). His 2005 projects include Paramount's The Weather Man (2005) starring Nicolas Cage, Dreamworks' Madagascar (2005), and the Warner Bros. summer release, Batman Begins (2005).
Zimmer's additional honors and awards include the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award in Film Composition from the National Board of Review, and the Frederick Loewe Award in 2003 at the Palm Springs International Film Festival. He has also received ASCAP's Henry Mancini Award for Lifetime Achievement. Hans and his wife live in Los Angeles and he is the father of four children.Music Score Composer & Producer and Original Songs (Music)- Music Department
- Composer
- Producer
Barry Mann was born on 9 February 1939 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. He is a composer and producer, known for An American Tail (1986), Muppet Treasure Island (1996) and Top Gun (1986). He was previously married to Cynthia Weil.Original Songs (Music)- Music Department
- Composer
- Writer
Cynthia Weil was born on 18 October 1940 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA. She was a composer and writer, known for An American Tail (1986), A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001) and Troy (2004). She was married to Barry Mann. She died on 1 June 2023 in Beverly Hills, California, USA.Original Songs (Lyrics)- Music Department
- Composer
- Writer
A native of Baltimore, Maryland, Howard Ashman moved to New York City in 1974 and began writing plays while working as an editor in a publishing house. His work attracted attention and he became WPA Theatre's artist director in 1977. In 1982, Ashman collaborated with composer Alan Menken on the musical "Little Shop of Horrors", one of off-Broadway's highest-grossing musicals. The team of Ashman and Menken shifted their focus to movies, creating some of the songs for The Little Mermaid (1989). One of them, "Under the Sea", won an Oscar in 1989 for best song. Ashman then wrote the lyrics for the songs in the Disney animated musical hit Beauty and the Beast (1991), and he and Menken won another Oscar for the title song. However, two days after he won an Oscar for "Under the Sea" Ashman confided in Menken that he had AIDS. Despite the terminal illness that was making him weaker every day, Ashman never stopped composing songs. He even turned out more songs for a third Disney animated musical, Aladdin (1992), before his death from AIDS on March 14, 1991, at the age of 40.Original Songs (Lyrics)- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Producer
Gian-Carlo Coppola was born on 17 September 1963 in Los Angeles County, California, USA. He was an actor and producer, known for The Outsiders (1983), Rumble Fish (1983) and Apocalypse Now (1979). He died on 26 May 1986 in Annapolis, Maryland, USA.Associate Producer- Casting Director
- Producer
- Casting Department
Mike Fenton was born on 29 January 1935 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was a casting director and producer, known for Aliens (1986), Back to the Future (1985) and Blade Runner (1982). He was married to Janet Monfort and Irene. He died on 30 December 2020 in Los Angeles, California, USA.Casting, C.S.A. (as Michael Fenton)- Casting Director
Lynda Gordon is known for Sister Act (1992), Turner & Hooch (1989) and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989). She was previously married to Charles Gordon.Casting (as Linda Gordon)- Actress
- Soundtrack
Erica Yohn was born on 1 October 1928 in Bronx, New York City, New York, USA. She was an actress, known for An American Tail (1986), Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985) and Corrina, Corrina (1994). She was married to Tom Rosqui and Lars Speyer. She died on 27 January 2019 in California, USA.as Mama Mousekewitz (voice)- Actor
- Soundtrack
Born in 1919 in Jerusalem, Nehemiah Persoff emigrated with his family to America in 1929.
Following schooling at the Hebrew Technical Institute of New York, he found a job as a subway electrician doing signal maintenance until an interest in the theater altered the direction of his life.
He joined amateur groups and subsequently won a scholarship to the Dramatic Workshop in New York. This led to what would have been his Broadway debut in a production of "Eve of St. Mark", but he was fired before the show opened. He made his official New York debut in a production of "The Emperor's New Clothes" in 1940.
WWII interrupted his young career in 1942, when he was inducted into the United Sates Army, returning to the stage after his hitch was over in 1945, three years later. He sought work in stock plays and became an intern of Stella Adler and, as a result, a strong exponent of the Actor's Studio. Discovered by Charles Laughton and cast in his production of "Galileo" in 1947, Persoff made his film debut a year later with an uncredited bit in The Naked City (1948).
Short, dark, chunky-framed and with a distinct talent for dialects, Persoff became known primarily for his ethnic villainy, usually playing authoritative Eastern Europeans.
In a formidable career which had him portraying everything from cab drivers to Joseph Stalin, standout film roles would include Leo in The Harder They Fall (1956) with Humphrey Bogart, Gene Conforti in Alfred Hitchcock's The Wrong Man (1956), Albert in This Angry Age (1958) and gangster Johnny Torrio in Al Capone (1959). That same year he played another gangster, the small role of Little Bonaparte, in Some Like It Hot (1959).
He was a durable performer during TV's "Golden Age" (Gunsmoke (1955), The Twilight Zone (1959)) and well beyond (Chicago Hope (1994), Law & Order (1990)), playing hundreds of intense, volatile and dominating characters.
In later years, his characters grew a bit softer as Barbra Streisand's Jewish father in Yentl (1983) and the voice of Papa Mousekewitz in the An American Tail (1986) will attest. Later stage work included well-received productions of "I'm Not Rappaport" and his biographical one-man show "Sholem Aleichem".
After declining health and high blood pressure forced him to slow down, Persoff took up painting in 1985, studying sketching in Los Angeles. Specializing in watercolor, he created more than 100 works of art, many of which have been exhibited up and down the coast of California. He celebrated his 100th birthday in 2019.as Papa Mousekiewtz (voice)- as Tanya Mousekewitz (voice)
- Actor
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Phillip Glasser was born on 4 October 1978 in Tarzana, California, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for An American Tail (1986), An American Tail: Fievel Goes West (1991) and The Illusionist (2006). He has been married to Elise Shirley since 28 May 2000.as Fievel Mousekewitz (voice)- Actor
- Producer
- Music Department
Legendary actor Christopher Plummer, perhaps Canada's greatest thespian, delivered outstanding performances as Sherlock Holmes in Murder by Decree (1979), the chilling villain in The Silent Partner (1978), the iconoclastic Mike Wallace in The Insider (1999), the empathetic psychiatrist in A Beautiful Mind (2001), the kindly and clever mystery writer in Knives Out (2019), and as Leo Tolstoy in The Last Station (2009). It was this last role that finally brought him recognition from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, when he was nominated as Best Actor in a Supporting Role, one of three Academy Award nominations he received in the 2010s, along with All the Money in the World (2017) (as J. Paul Getty) and Beginners (2010); he won for the latter role. He will also likely always be remembered as Captain Von Trapp in the atomic bomb-strength blockbuster The Sound of Music (1965), a film he publicly despised until softening his stance in his autobiography "In Spite of Me" (2008).
Christopher Plummer was born Arthur Christopher Orme Plummer on December 13, 1929 in Toronto, Ontario. He was the only child of Isabella Mary (Abbott), a secretary to the Dean of Sciences at McGill University, and John Orme Plummer, who sold securities and stocks. Christopher was a great-grandson of John Abbott, who was Canada's third Prime Minister (from 1891 to 1892), and a great-great-great-grandson of Presbyterian clergyman John Bethune. He had Scottish, English, Anglo-Irish, and Cornish ancestry. Plummer was raised in Senneville, Quebec, near Montreal, at his maternal grandparents' home.
Aside from the youngest member of the Barrymore siblings (which counted Oscar-winners Ethel Barrymore and Lionel Barrymore in their number), Plummer was the premier Shakespearean actor to come out of North America in the 20th century. He was particularly memorable as Hamlet, Iago and Lear, though his Macbeth opposite Glenda Jackson was -- and this was no surprise to him due to the famous curse attached to the "Scottish Play" -- a failure.
Like another great stage actor, Richard Burton, early in his career Plummer failed to connect with the screen in a way that would make him a star. Dynamic on stage, he didn't succeed as a younger leading man in films. Perhaps if he had been born earlier, and acted in the studio system of Hollywood's golden age, he could have been carefully groomed for stardom. As it was, he shared the English stage actors' disdain -- and he was equally at home in London as he was on the boards of Broadway or on-stage in his native Canada -- for the movies, which did not help him in that medium, as he has confessed. As he aged, Plummer excelled at character roles. He was always a good villain, this man who garnered kudos playing Lucifer on Broadway in Archibald Macleish's Pulitzer Prize-winning "J.B.".
Plummer won two Emmy Awards out of seven nominations stretching 46 years from 1959 and 2011, and one Genie Award in six nominations from 1980 to 2009. For his stage work, Plummer has racked up two Tony Awards on six nominations, the first in 1974 as Best Actor (Musical) for the title role in "Cyrano" and the second in 1997, as Best Actor (Play), in "Barrymore". Surprisingly, he did not win (though he was nominated) for his masterful 2004 performance of "King Lear", which he originated at the Stratford Festival in Ontario and brought down to Broadway for a sold-out run. His other Tony nominations show the wide range of his talent, from a 1959 nod for the Elia Kazan-directed production of Macleish's "J.B." to recognition in 1994 for Harold Pinter's "No Man's Land", with a 1982 Best Actor (Play) nomination for his "Iago" in William Shakespeare's "Othello".
Until the 2009 Academy Awards were announced, it could be said about Plummer that he was the finest actor of the post-World War II period to fail to get an Academy Award. In that, he was following in the footsteps of the late great John Barrymore, whom Plummer so memorably portrayed on Broadway in a one-man show that brought him his second Tony Award. In 2010, Plummer finally got an Oscar nod for his portrayal of another legend, Lev Tolstoy in The Last Station (2009). Two years later, the first paragraph of his obituary was written when the 82-year-old Plummer became the oldest person in Academy history to win an Oscar. He won for playing a senior citizen who comes out as gay after the death of his wife in the movie Beginners (2010). As he clutched his statuette, the debonaire thespian addressed it thus: "You're only two years older than me darling, where have you been all of my life?"
Plummer then told the audience that at birth, "I was already rehearsing my Academy acceptance speech, but it was so long ago mercifully for you I've forgotten it." The Academy Award was a long time in coming and richly deserved.
Plummer gave many other fine portrayals on film, particularly as he grew older and settled down into a comfortable marriage with his third wife Elaine. He continued to be an in-demand character actor in prestigious motion pictures. If he were English rather than Canadian, he would have been knighted. (In 1968, he was appointed Companion of the Order of Canada, the country's highest civilian honor and one which required the approval of the sovereign, Queen Elizabeth II.) If he lived in the company town of Los Angeles rather than in Connecticut, he likely would have several more Oscar nominations before winning his first for "The Last Station".
As it is, as attested to in his witty and well-written autobiography, Plummer was amply rewarded in life. In 1970, Plummer - then a self-confessed 43-year-old "bottle baby" - married his third wife Elaine Taylor, a dancer, who helped wean him off his dependency on alcohol. They lived happily with their dogs on a 30-acre estate in Weston, Connecticut. He thanked her from the stage during the 2012 Oscar telecast, quipping that she "deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for coming to my rescue every day of my life." Although he spent the majority of his time in the United States, he remained a Canadian citizen. He died in his Weston, Connecticut home on February 5, 2021 at age 91.
His daughter, with actress Tammy Grimes, is actress Amanda Plummer.as Henri (voice)- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
John Finnegan, or sometimes known as J.P. Finnegan, is an American film actor, mostly known for his roles on the American crime fiction series, Columbo (1971), which aired regularly from 1971 to 1978. Another role included voicing the character, "Warren T. Rat", who was the main villain in the 1986 Don Bluth film, An American Tail (1986). Finnegan was a friend of director/actor John Cassavetes and appeared in 6 of his movies. He also appeared in The Natural (1984), with Robert Redford, as "Sam Simpson", the manager of "Roy Hobbs".as Warren T. Rat (voice)- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Rick began his career as a radio DJ while he was still at high school which led to him writing, producing and being on air in his own show. He joined the Canadian TV series, SCTV (1976), winning an Emmy for writing and portraying the character, Bob McKenzie, which became the basis for the film, Strange Brew (1983), which he co-wrote, co-directed and made his film acting debut. The character he played in Ghostbusters (1984) was based on a similar character he played on SCTV (1976).as Digit (voice)- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Henry Franklin Winkler was born on October 30, 1945, in Manhattan, New York. His parents, Ilse Anna Maria (Hadra) and Harry Irving Winkler, were German Jewish immigrants who escaped the Holocaust by moving to the US in 1939. His father was the president of an international lumber company while his mother worked alongside his father. Winkler is a cousin of Richard Belzer.
Winkler grew up with "a high level of low self-esteem." Throughout elementary school and high school, he struggled with academics. This was due to what he would later identify as dyslexia. His parents expected him to eventually work with them at the lumber company. However, he had other plans as he saw roles on stage as the key to his happiness. Winkler's acting debut came in the eighth grade when he played the role of Billy Budd in the school play of the same name. Following his graduation from McBurney High School, Winkler was able to incorporate his learning disability and succeed in higher education. He received a Bachelor's degree from Emerson College in 1967 and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Yale School of Drama in 1970. He later received an honorary PhD in Hebrew Literature in 1978 from Emerson College.
Following college, his top priority was to become an actor. However, if this was unsuccessful, he wanted to become a child psychologist because of his deep interest in working with children. Like many other actors, he began his career by appearing in 30 commercials. His first major film role was in The Lords of Flatbush (1974) in which he played a member of a Brooklyn gang. After that, he was cast on a new ABC series which was set in the 1950s, Happy Days (1974). He was given the role of high school dropout and greaser Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli. The character was seldom seen during the first few episodes as ABC initially feared he would be perceived as a hoodlum. However, the character became extremely popular with viewers, and the show's producers decided to give Fonzie a more prominent role in the series.
Following this, the show's ratings began to soar, and Fonzie became a 1970s icon and the epitome of cool. His motorcycle, leather jacket, thumbs-up gesture, and uttering of the phrase "Aayyyy!" became television trademarks. Unlike many other 1970s stars who rose to fame in a short period of time and developed "big heads", Winkler managed to stay well-grounded and avoided falling into this trap. He was said to be more polite and agreeable even after his popularity soared. He remained on the series until its cancellation in 1984.
In the mid-1980s, with his Happy Days (1974) now behind him, Winkler decided to change his focus toward producing and directing. He produced and directed several television shows and movies, most notably MacGyver (1985) and Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1996). In the mid-1990s and early 2000s, he was able to re-establish himself with a younger generation of moviegoers and TV viewers, appearing in the popular films, Scream (1996) and The Waterboy (1998) and on shows such as The Practice (1997) and Arrested Development (2003).
In 2018 after over 45 years in the entertainment industry, he won his first-ever Prime Time Emmy Award: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his role on the HBO series Barry (2018). In addition to his movie and film credits, Winkler is a well-accomplished author. Between 2003 and 2007, he co-authored 12 children's novels with Lin Oliver. The series is called "Hank Zipzer, the World's Greatest Underachiever." The books are based on his early struggles with dyslexia, and they sold more than two million books in that time.
Winkler has been married since 1978 to Stacey Winkler (nee Weitzman) with whom he has three children. Together, they are actively involved with various children's charities. In 1990, they co-founded the Children's Action Network (CAN), which provides free immunization to over 200,000 children. Winkler is also involved with the Annual Cerebral Palsy Telethon, the Epilepsy Foundation of America, the annual Toys for Tots campaign, the National Committee for Arts for the Handicapped, and the Special Olympics.
In September 2003, Winkler suffered a personal setback when John Ritter unexpectedly passed away. Winkler was on the set of 8 Simple Rules (2002) that day for a guest appearance and was one of the last people to talk to Ritter.as Moe (voice)- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Winona Ryder was born Winona Laura Horowitz in Olmsted County, Minnesota, and was named after a nearby town, Winona, Minnesota. She is the daughter of Cynthia (Istas), an author and video producer, and Michael Horowitz, a publisher and bookseller. Her father's family is Ukrainian Jewish and Romanian Jewish. She grew up in a ranch commune in Northern California which had no electricity. She is the goddaughter of Timothy Leary. Her parents were friends of Beat poet Allen Ginsberg and once edited a book called "Shaman Woman Mainline Lady", an anthology of writings on the drug experience in literature, which included one piece by Louisa May Alcott. Ryder would later play the lead role of Josephine March in the adaptation of this author's novel Little Women (1994).
Ryder moved with her parents to Petaluma, California when she was ten and enrolled in acting classes at the American Conservatory Theater. At age 13, she had a video audition to the film Desert Bloom (1986), but did not get the role. However, director David Seltzer spotted her and cast her in Lucas (1986). When telephoned to ask how she would like to have her name appear on the credits, she suggested Ryder as her father's Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels album was playing the background. Ryder was selected for the role of Mary Corleone in The Godfather Part III (1990), but had to drop out of the role after catching the flu from the strain of doing the films Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael (1990) and Mermaids (1990) back-to-back. She said she did not want to let everyone down by doing a substandard performance. She later made The Age of Innocence (1993), which was directed by Martin Scorsese, whom she believes to be "the best director in the world".as Tony Toponi (voice)- Cathianne Blore was born on 8 January 1952 in Tucson, Arizona, USA. She was an actress, known for An American Tail (1986), Fatal Beauty (1987) and Knots Landing (1979). She died on 23 February 2002 in California, USA.as Bridget (voice)
- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Neil Ross was born in London, England, UK. He is an actor, known for The Transformers: The Movie (1986), Back to the Future Part II (1989) and An American Tail (1986). He has been married to Jeanne Jackson since February 1977. They have one child.as Honest John (voice)- Actress
- Soundtrack
Madeline Kahn was born Madeline Gail Wolfson of Russian Jewish descent on September 29, 1942 in Boston, Massachusetts, to Freda Goldberg (later known as Paula Kahn), who was still in her teens, and Bernard B. Wolfson, a garment manufacturer. She began her acting career in high school and went on to university where she trained as an opera singer and starred in several campus productions, ultimately earning a doctorate in her chosen field.
Kahn's best-known work came in Paper Moon (1973) with Ryan O'Neal, which was followed the next year by Mel Brooks's outrageous Blazing Saddles (1974) as Lili Von Shtupp, a cabaret singer who was obviously based on Marlene Dietrich's performance in Destry Rides Again (1939). Kahn was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in both movies. In 1998, she lent her voice to the character of "Gypsy" in A Bug's Life (1998).
On December 3, 1999, Madeline Kahn died of ovarian cancer in New York City, after a yearlong or so battle, during part of which time she was a cast member of Cosby (1996), aged 57.as Gussie Mausheimer (voice)- Actor
- Director
- Writer
As might be said for the late and great comedians Harvey Korman and Madeline Kahn, it seems that Mel Brooks was the only director on the planet who knew how to best utilize this funnyman's talents on film. Brooks once remarked that, whenever he cast Dom in one of his films he'd add an extra two days to the shooting schedule because of delays between takes due to the constant laughter from cast and crew at Dom's improvisations.
The lovable, butterball comedian was a mainstay on 1960s and '70s TV variety as a "second banana," or comic-relief player. While his harsher critics believed his schtick would be better served in smaller doses, Dom nevertheless went on to find some range in a few moving, more restrained projects. Those few glimpses behind all the mirth and merriment revealed a dramatic actor waiting to be unleashed. As they say, behind every clown's smile, one finds tears.
He was born Dominick DeLuise on August 1, 1933, in Brooklyn, New York, to parents John, a sanitation engineer, and Vicenza (DeStefano) DeLuise, both Italian immigrants. A natural school-class clown, his irrepressible sense of humor helped Dom fit in at school, and he started drawing belly laughs fairly young in his very first school play that had him portraying an inert copper penny! He later attended New York's High School of Performing Arts, but when it came to college, he decided to major in biology at Tufts University, outside Boston. That decision failed to expunge the idea of being a comedian from his head and heart, however, and that determination finally prevailed.
Dom's formative years as an actor were spent apprenticing at the Cleveland Playhouse, where which he gamely played roles in everything from contemporary shows like "Guys and Dolls" and "Stalag 17" to classics like "The School for Scandal" and even "Hamlet." He earned his first professional paycheck playing the titular Bernie the dog in "Bernie's Last Wish." Dom also got a taste of what it was like in front of the camera in Cleveland, appearing on the local TV kiddie's show "Tip Top Clubhouse."
Back in NYC, he took over the lead role of Tinker the toymaker in another children's local program, Tinker's Workshop (1954), for one season in 1958. He also started making noise on the off-Broadway scene. Appearing in the plays "The Jackass" and "All in Love," he became part of the featured ensemble of the 1961 musical revue "An Evening with Harry Stoones," which included 19-year-old Barbra Streisand. More outlandish musical roles came his way in the early 1960s with "Little Mary Sunshine" (as Corporal Billy Jester) and "The Student Gypsy, or the Prince of Liederkrantz" (his Broadway debut as Muffin T. Raggamuffin). While appearing in the lighthearted summer stock spoof "Summer & Smirk" in Provincetown, Massachusetts, Dom met fellow performer Carol Arthur (née Carol Arata). They married on November 23, 1965. Their three sons, Peter DeLuise, Michael DeLuise and David DeLuise all eventually found their way into show business. In 1971, Dom returned successfully to Broadway in a perfectly-suited Neil Simon vehicle, "The Last of the Red Hot Lovers."
Dom was first noticed on the smaller screen, creating the sketch character of Dominick the Great, a magician who tries in vain to mask his inept prestidigitations with feigned dignity on Garry Moore's popular show. The comedian truly thrived in this TV variety atmosphere and soon began popping up seemingly everywhere: (The Hollywood Palace (1964), The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (1967), The Jackie Gleason Show (1966)). Balding, blushing, dimpled and moon-faced (comparisons to a ripe tomato were not wide of the mark), he was readily equipped with a high-wattage, Cheshire Cat smile that became his trademark. At his best, looking embarrassed or agitated, the laughs usually came at his own expense, whether playing a panic-stricken klutz or squirming nervous-Nelly type. Dom took his magician character to the ensemble comedy show The Entertainers (1964), which also showcased Carol Burnett and Bob Newhart, and found more regular employment as a bumbling private eye in puppeteer Shari Lewis' daytime children's program, and as a foil for Dean Martin on the entertainer's regular and summer replacement shows. Dom again repeated his Dominick the Great character on Martin's show and received great reception. He later found himself part of Martin's "in-crowd" of comedians on his "celebrity roasts."
Dom's obvious comic genius was more readily evident, and succeeded better, in tandem with other performers than it was on its own. Hosting duties for his very first comedy/variety program The Dom DeLuise Show (1968), which featured wife Carol as part of the regular roster, lasted only one summer. The sitcom Lotsa Luck! (1973), which showcased Dom as bachelor Stanley Belmont having to contend with a live-in mother (a harping Kathleen Freeman) and sister (an ungainly Beverly Sanders), was canceled after its first season. He gave it a rest for awhile before trying once again with the sketch-like sitcom The Dom DeLuise Show (1987), but it, too, quickly faded. Another brief stint was as host of a revamped Candid Camera (1991).
While Dom made an unlikely film debut as a high-strung Air Force technician in the gripping nuclear drama Fail Safe (1964) starring Henry Fonda, it was in zany, irreverent comedy that he found his true calling. Appearing in support of others such as Sid Caesar and Mary Tyler Moore, respectively, in the so-so comedies The Busy Body (1967) and What's So Bad About Feeling Good? (1968), he proved a delight as an inept, dim-witted spy in the Doris Day caper The Glass Bottom Boat (1966).
Mel Brooks first cast Dom as the miserly Russian Orthodox priest, Father Fyodor, in his film The Twelve Chairs (1970), and found plenty of room for the comedian after that -- as campy director Buddy Bizarre in Blazing Saddles (1974), the silly-ass director's assistant in Silent Movie (1976), Emperor Nero in History of the World: Part I (1981), the voice of the cheese-oozing Pizza the Hutt in the "Star Wars" parody Spaceballs (1987), and as Sherwood Forest's very own puffy-cheeked Godfather, Don Giovanni, in Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993).
A very close friend of action star Burt Reynolds, Dom romped through a number of Reynolds' freewheeling films as well, including Smokey and the Bandit II (1980), The Cannonball Run (1981) and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982). One of his finest scene-stealing film roles, in fact, was as Reynolds' schizo pal in The End (1978). Dom went on to direct a number of stage productions for his close friend at the Burt Reynolds Theatre in Jupiter, Florida -- among them "Butterflies Are Free," "Same Time, Next Year" (starring Burt and Carol Burnett), "Brighton Beach Memoirs" (starring son Peter), and the musical "Jump" (featuring wife Carol). Still another comic buddy, Gene Wilder, handed Dom the roles of the indulgent opera star in The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother (1975) and harassed movie mogul Adolf Zitz in The World's Greatest Lover (1977). Dom later joined Wilder once again, along with Wilder's wife Gilda Radner, in the leaden comedy Haunted Honeymoon (1986), a clumsy haunted-house spoof that even Dom, in full drag, could not salvage.
Change-of-pace roles were few and far between. One that did come Dom's way was the compulsive-eating protagonist in Fatso (1980). Directed by and co-starring Brooks' wife Anne Bancroft, Dom managed to mix comedy with pathos. Obesity was also a chronic, real-life problem for the comedian and, at one point in 1999, it was reported that he had tipped the scales at 325 lbs. On a positive note, this passion for food actually fed into a more lucrative sideline -- as a respected chef and culinary author ("Eat This" and "Eat This Too") in which he appeared all over the tube cooking and demonstrating his favorite recipes. He also found time to write children's books on the side.
Dom tackled broad comedy films with great abandon -- a wallflower he was not -- but they were hit-or-miss. Some of his biggest misses were the Mae West disaster Sextette (1977), the Dudley Moore showcase Wholly Moses! (1980) (although Dom was arguably the best thing in it), Loose Cannons (1990), in which he appeared as portly pornographer Harry "The Hippo" Gutterman, Driving Me Crazy (1991), which filmed far away in Germany, and The Silence of the Hams (1994), a parody on the horror genre in which he played Dr. Animal Cannibal Pizza.
Films could also be a family affair. True to life, Dom played a sympathetic kiddie show host in the moving TV-movie Happy (1983). Also the executive producer, he was joined by wife Carol and all three sons in the cast. In addition, Dom offered a cameo in Between the Sheets (2003), a film written by Peter, directed, edited and executive-produced by Michael, and featuring roles for the rest of the family.
Dom's voiceover skills did not go untapped, either, in films including the animated features The Secret of NIMH (1982), An American Tail (1986) and All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989), plus all of their offshoots. The heavily-bearded DeLuise even displayed scene-stealing antics on the operatic scene, once playing the speaking part of Frosch the Jailer in Johann Srauss II's operetta "Die ," at the Metropolitan Opera.
Suffering from various physical ailments in later years, some of which were exacerbated by his chronic obesity and diabetes, Dom's health declined, and he died in 2009 at age 75. His wife and three children survive him, as do three grandchildren.as Tiger (voice)- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Producer
Jack Angel was born on 24 October 1930 in Modesto, California, USA. He was an actor and producer, known for A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001), Balto (1995) and The Iron Giant (1999). He was married to Arlene Thornton and Barbara Champion. He died on 18 October 2021 in Malibu, California, USA.as Additional Voices (voice)- Actor
- Director
- Soundtrack
René Murat Auberjonois was born on June 1, 1940 in New York City, to Princess Laure Louise Napoléone Eugénie Caroline (Murat), who was born in Paris, and Fernand Auberjonois, who was Swiss-born. René was born into an already artistic family, which included his grandfather, a well-known Swiss painter, and his father, a Pulitzer-nominated writer and Cold War-era foreign correspondent. The Auberjonois family moved to Paris shortly after World War II, and it was there that René made an important career decision at the age of six. When his school put on a musical performance for the parents, little René was given the honor of conducting his classmates in a rendition of "Do You Know the Muffin Man?". When the performance was over, René took a bow, and, knowing that he was not the real conductor, imagined that he had been acting. He decided then and there that he wanted to be an actor. After leaving Paris, the Auberjonois family moved into an Artist's Colony in upstate New York.
At an early age, René was surrounded by musicians, composers and actors. Among his neighbors were Helen Hayes, Burgess Meredith and John Houseman, who would later become an important mentor. Houseman gave René his first theater job at the age of 16, as an apprentice at a theater in Stratford, Connecticut. René would later teach at Juilliard under Houseman. René attended Carnegie-Mellon University and studied theater completely, not only learning about acting but about the entire process of producing a play. After graduating from CMU, René acted with various theater companies, including San Francisco's American Conservatory Theater and Los Angeles' Mark Taper Forum. In 1969, he won a role in his first Broadway musical, "Coco" (with Katharine Hepburn), for which he won a Tony Award.
Throughout his life, René acted in a variety of theater productions, films and television presentations, including a rather famous stint as Clayton Endicott III on the comedy series Benson (1979), not to mention seven years on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993) as Odo. René also performed dramatic readings of a variety of books on tape, and appeared in projects like The Patriot (2000), starring Mel Gibson, Sally Hemings: An American Scandal (2000), and NBC's Frasier (1993) and ABC's The Practice (1997).as Additional Voices (voice)- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Sound Department
Michael Bell is an American voice actor who is known for voicing Gleeman Vox from Ratchet: Deadlocked, Raziel from The Legacy of Kain video game series, Chas Finster and Dru Pickles from Rugrats and several Smurfs from The Smurfs cartoon. He also voiced in The Transformers: The Movie, Challenge of the Super Friends, and did live-action acting for several episodes of Star Trek and Dallas.as Roc, Additional Voices (voice)- Actor
- Music Department
- Additional Crew
Gregg Berger Bio
Gregg Berger Voice / Actor Transformers, The Garfield Show, Spaced Invaders, More! Gregg Berger is an American Voice / Actor, who is Internationally known for his iconic roles as GRIMLOCK in G1Transformers and Transformers Fall of Cybertron, and the eagerly anticipated Power of the Primes, as Odie, Squeak, Harry and others from the Garfield franchise, Spirit from G.I. Joe, Mysterio and Kraven the Hunter from Spider-Man:The Animated Series, Agent Kay from the Men in Black Series, Sir Jecht from Final Fantasy, Eeyore from Kingdom Hearts 2, The Pain from Metal Gear Solid 3, The Gromble from Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, and many more including, Star Wars: The Clone Wars as Droid General Kalani, Resident Evil: Raccoon City as Harley, Guild Wars 2 as Conrad and Duggadoo, Dishonored as Street Speaker and Halo Wars as Cutter. On camera, he had leading roles in the classic comedy Police Academy: Mission To Moscow and the Sci Fi Comedy cult classic Spaced Invaders as well as three pilots for CBS. As an animation voice-over talent, it's been a dog's life for Gregg Berger and that's just the way he likes it. He has been the voice of Odie the dog on Garfield since Odie has had an animated voice. He's also Squeak the Mouse, Harry the AlleyCat, Herman the Mailman and others on The Garfield Show on Cartoon Network. He also doesn't usually think of himself as a pig, but he sure enjoys playing one on TV. He is the voice of Orson Pig on U.S. Acres... as well as the voice of Cornfed Pig on Duckman. Gregg Berger is also the voice of Niles Crane's talking cockatiel 'Baby' on Frasier, and Barry The Parrot on Hot In Cleveland, The Gromble on Nickelodeon's Ahhh!!! Real Monsters! Eeyore in Kingdom Hearts2 and many of Disney Character Voices' Winnie The Pooh projects, Kraven the Hunter and Mysterio on Fox's Spiderman, Agent Kay in Men In Black, and Bill Licking on The Angry Beavers. He has careened through the galaxy as A.B. Sitter on Fantastic Max and has even had a blind date with Judy Jetson as Curly Quasar on The Jetsons, in addition to berating his favorite employee as Mr. Pinkley on Cathy. Of course, he also continues to guest star in various and sundry episodes of a great many other current animated series.
Gregg Berger's Interactive Game credits include, Transformers: Fall of Cybertron and Rise of the Dark Spark as GRIMLOCK (and Lockdown in RotDS)), Resident Evil: Raccoon City as Harley, Guild Wars 2 as Conrad and Duggadoo, Final Fantasy X and X-2 as Sir Jecht, Metal Gear Solid 3 as ThePain, Dishonored as Street Speaker, Halo Wars as Cutter, Spiderman Web of Shadows as Kingpin, X Men Origins:Wolverine as Fred Dukes aka The Blob, Brutal Legend as Ratgut, Star Wars: Episode One Racer and Star Wars: Phantom Menace, as PloKoon, DarthMaul, Wan Sandage, CyYunga, Kingdom Hearts2 as Eeyore, Winnie the Pooh/Eeyore Interactives, Curse of Monkey Island as Cutthroat Bill, Small Soldiers as Archer, Spyro as Hunter, ViewtifulJoe as Capt.Blue, Call of Duty, Legend of Kain as Turel, Gabriel Knight as Abbe Arnaud, WackyRacers.and many more. Search Gregg Berger at www.imdb.com for his complete credits. On stage he has appeared in Repertory Theater, Stock and Touring Productions across the country and has been directed by John Cassavetes, Davey Marlin-Jones, William Woodman, Robert Woodruff, Martin Charnin and more. Gregg Berger is the author of Think Globally... Act VOCALLY! And Voice Virtue and is the reader of the Audiobook. It is available on iTunes and Audible.com. For many years he has been associated with Famous Fone Friends, making calls in requested animated character voices to children in Pediatric Hospitals. Facebook: greggbergeras Additional Voices (voice)- Actress
- Producer
- Sound Department
Mary Kay Bergman did not have a face known to many - her voice was recognized more than anything else in the world. Although she was a big voiceover star in the 1990s, her true claim to fame was Trey Parker and Matt Stone's critically acclaimed adult animated television series, South Park (1997), in which she voiced almost all of the female characters. Sharon Marsh, Shelly Marsh, Sheila Brofloski, Wendy Testaberger, and Carol McCormick were only a few of the thousands of voices she performed. She helped Parker and Stone pave the waves of fame for "South Park" in the late 1990s, until her surprising gunshot suicide on Veteran's Day of 1999.as Yasha Mousekewitz, Additional Voices (voice)- Actor
- Soundtrack
Veteran character actor Earl Boen is probably best known for his role as criminal psychologist Dr. Peter Silberman in the Terminator series. Other films which he appeared include Battle Beyond the Stars (1980), The Man with Two Brains (1983), Alien Nation (1988), Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994) and Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000). Boen retired from screen acting in 2003, but continues his work as a voice actor in radio, animated series and video games.as Seagull #1, Additional Voices (voice)- Actor
- Music Department
Arthur Napier Burghardt is a retired African-American actor from New York City who is known for playing Jack Scott from One Life to Live and voicing Devastator from The Transformers, Destro, Stalker and Iceberg from G.I. Joe, Venom from the Treyarch game Ultimate Spider-Man and Pete Cat from various Disney games.as Additional Voices (voice)- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Director
Corey Burton is an American voice actor with Asperger's. He is known for voicing Mole in Atlantis: The Lost Empire and Atlantis: Milo's Return, Captain Hook in Return to Neverland and Kingdom Hearts, Count Dooku in various Star Wars media whenever Christopher Lee is unavailable, Hugo Strange in Batman: Arkham City, Judge Claude Frollo in Kingdom Hearts 3D, Nicolai in Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi, Doctor Nefarious Tropy and N.Gin in Crash Bandicoot, Volteer in The Legend of Spyro and Zeus in the God of War video game series. He is one of the most prolific autistic voice actors alongside Billy West.as Additional Voices (voice)- Actress
- Music Department
- Additional Crew
Darleen Carr was born on 12 December 1950 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. She is an actress, known for The Jungle Book (1967), The Beguiled (1971) and The Streets of San Francisco (1972). She has been married to Jameson Parker since 18 June 1992. She was previously married to Zeljko Negovetic and Jason Laskay.as Additional Voices (voice)- Actor
- Soundtrack
As a busy Hollywood voice-actor, Townsend Coleman is perhaps one of the most recognizable voices on TV. For 16 years, he was the voice of NBC's "Must See TV" and "Comedy Night Done Right" primetime comedy promos, including hits from Seinfeld and Frasier to 30 Rock and The Office, as well as the promos for "The Tonight Show" starring Jay Leno (then Conan), "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" (then Jimmy Fallon), "Last Call with Carson Daly" and "Saturday Night Live". He currently voices the daily on-air promos for the long-running "Live with Kelly and Michael" and radio spots for "Judge Judy", in addition to regularly voicing primetime promos for ABC Family, The Hub, and now, ABC-TV.
But the character behind the voice really came to life in 1985, when Coleman, having just moved to Los Angeles from Cleveland, Ohio, auditioned for and got a part on the animated hit, "Inspector Gadget". As the voice of Corporal Capeman, Gadget's bumbling assistant, he embarked on an entirely new career, providing the voices for some of the most memorable characters in cartoons and commercials. In addition to thwarting evil as the voice of "The Tick", Fox Kids' hit animated series, he has provided the voices for many popular cartoon characters, including Michaelangelo, Rat King, and Usagi Yojimbo on the original, long-running cartoon series, "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles". He also voiced Waldo on "Where's Waldo?", Gobo, Architect, and Wrench on NBC's animated "Fraggle Rock", Scott/Teen Wolf on "Teen Wolf", Scratch on "Spacecats", the voice of Wayne Gretzky on "Prostars", Riot on "Jem and the Holograms", Dragonflyer on "Glofriends", Rewind on the 80's "Transformers", and 20 years later, Sentinel Prime on "Transformers: Animated" for Cartoon Network, Neddy the Mallet on "Mighty Magiswords" for Nickelodeon, and the voice of Jason Whittaker on Focus on the Family's popular radio drama, "Adventures In Odyssey".
In addition to his active animation career, Coleman has also been the voice behind numerous national TV ad campaigns for clients such as Home Depot, Kellogg's Frosted Flakes, Mattel Hot Wheels, Sunny Delight, Colgate, Friskies, Sara Lee, Nestle, Jenny Craig, Blockbuster Video, Greyhound, AT&T, Eggo Waffles, Taco Bell and the voice of "Spot", the precocious red 7-Up dot... even a few "Keebler elves" and "Raid bugs".
Born in New York City in 1954, Coleman spent his childhood in Denver, Colorado and Cleveland, Ohio. After studying architecture and theater at the University of Colorado in Boulder, he returned home to Ohio to pursue a radio career. Ten years as a disc jockey at various Cleveland radio stations led to numerous commercial and voiceover jobs. He appeared as host of the nationally syndicated TV series "The Dance Show" prior to moving his family to LA in 1984 to take advantage of career opportunities on the west coast. Coleman's primary career focus was acting in TV and film, but soon changed, as he foresaw a more lucrative career specializing in the field of voiceovers. Having performed in numerous theatrical and musical productions back in Cleveland, the fall of 2013 saw Townsend re-ignite his passion for theatre after a 30 year hiatus by performing the role of Uncle Sid in Eugene O'Neill's 'Ah, Wilderness!' at The Actors Co-op in Hollywood, where he is currently a member.as New York Mice, Additional Voices (voice)- Actor
- Music Department
- Writer
Peter Cullen is a Canadian-American voice actor who is widely known for voicing Optimus Prime in the Transformers franchise as well as the Michael Bay film series. He is also known for providing the vocal effects of the Predator from the 1987 film of the same name, Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh, Monterey Jack from Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers and KARR in Knight Rider.as Jake, Hamburg Mice Resident, Additional Voices (voice)- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Brian Cummings was born on 4 March 1948 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA. He is an actor, known for Beauty and the Beast (1991), FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992) and The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996). He has been married to Carla McNally since 1981. They have eight children.as Additional Voices (voice)- Actor
- Soundtrack
- Additional Crew
Born James Jonah Cummings on November 3, 1952, he grew up in Youngstown, Ohio.
Sooner or later, he moved to New Orleans. There, he designed Mardi Gras floats, was a singer, door-to-door salesman, and a Louisiana riverboat deckhand.
Then Cummings moved to Anaheim, California, where he started his career playing Lionel from the program Dumbo's Circus (1985).as Additional Voices (voice)- Actress
- Additional Crew
Ms. Darling was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and started dancing at the age of the three at the Gene Kelly Dance Studio. By the age of 6, she was performing in shows at the dance studio. At the age of 14, she appeared twice on the Ted Mack & the Original Amateur Hour (1948), after having started singing at the age of 13. As a teenager, Darling attended the Pittsburgh Playhouse School of Acting, then went on to Carnegie Mellon University where she graduated from the drama department. Upon graduation, she was a member of the original company of the American Conservatory Theatre (A.C.T.). She worked for several years with the Pittsburgh Playhouse, before moving on to the Washington Arena Stage in Washington D.C. From there, to the Longwharf Repertory Company in Connecticut, before starring in "Macbird" at the Village Gate in New York City.
Darling made her first Broadway appearance in "How Now Dow Jones", then going on to "Maggie Flynn", followed by the drama "Fire". During her time on Broadway, she appeared on The David Frost Show (1969), as well as branching out to comic improvisations touring the East Coast summer tents. Upon returning to New York, Darling performed in Shakespeare in Central Park for Joseph Papp, while also appearing in the soap opera The Secret Storm (1954) - playing the first hooker on daytime television. The character was such a hit among the show's viewers that Troy Donahue was brought in to play her boyfriend. In 1973, she moved to Hollywood and, after only six weeks, landed her first starring role on the television series The New Temperatures Rising Show (1972). After joining the cast of The Six Million Dollar Man (1974), which spawned into The Bionic Woman (1976), Darling then went on to star in Eight Is Enough (1977), making her the only actress to star in three Top 10 television series at the same time. During this time, she also appeared at the Improvisation, performing Harry Chapin's music. She also performed with Harry Chapin on The Merv Griffin Show (1962), as well as making some concert appearances. During the 1990s, Darling guest-starred on some of the highest rated television series, including L.A. Law (1986), Bodies of Evidence (1992) and Cheers (1982). She received an Emmy nomination as Best Supporting Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her role on Hooperman (1987). Most Darling has been seen in recurring roles on Dharma & Greg (1997) and Mad About You (1992). 2001 found Ms. Darling juggling many acts. Member of an original musical, "You Haven't Changed A Bit, And Other Lies", which did open mid-June for an unlimited run in Los Angeles, she was also awaiting the release of her third independent film, Ronnie (2002). This, all addition to her being one of the busiest voice-over actresses in Hollywood. Today, she is one of the busiest actresses in the world of animation, lending her voice to characters in more than twenty of the most popular animation series, including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987), Tenchi Muyo! (1992) and Astro Boy (2003). Ms. Darling can also be heard via the Internet - in one of the first few successful animation cartoon series - Julius And Friends. Her voice is also recognizable in full length animation features such as Tarzan, Aladdin (1994), Beauty and the Beast (1991), The Little Mermaid (1989), A Bug's Life (1998), Finding Nemo (2003) and many more. In 2005, Ms. Darling finished the independent films Winding Roads (1999), Ronnie (2002) and On Edge (2001). She resides in Los Angeles.as Additional Voices (voice)- Actor
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Actor/singer/voice artist Barry Dennen possessed a sliver-eyed, sneering look and brittle, biting diction pattern that easily recalled the earlier flamboyant villainy of actor Jay Robinson. For Dennen, this would be best represented in his cruel, no-holds-barred performance of Pontius Pilate in the rock opera sensation "Jesus Christ Superstar." In a career that lasted over five decades, his versatile resume would include a lengthy series of offbeat characterizations not only on the stage, but on film, TV, radio, video games and animated cartoons.
Born in Chicago on February 22, 1938, his family moved to Los Angeles when he was a child. After graduating from UCLA (where actor George Takei was a classmate), Barry began his career in New York City performing in workshops and on the cabaret circuit while living with and nurturing the singing career of then-girlfriend Barbra Streisand.
Having the bohemian desire to explore a wider range of professional opportunities, he decided to travel "across the pond" in 1968 and wound up settling in England. Not long after arriving, he was selected by legendary theater producer Harold Prince to create the role of the Emcee for the original West End presentation of "Cabaret." Barry's magnetic performance opposite Judi Dench as Sally Bowles earned him the Evening Standard Award for "Best Actor in a Musical." The show was preserved on a cast soundtrack album. This major success encouraged him to stay in London. In 1970, he was invited by famed producer Andrew Lloyd Webber to sing the role of Pontius Pilate on the now-heralded double disk concept album of "Jesus Christ Superstar." A year later, he found himself featured in the original Broadway production. While the controversial rock opera received mixed reviews (nominated for five Tony Awards, but won none), Dennen earned raves for his no-holds-barred, show-stopping performance of the emperor who orders the crucifixion of Jesus.
Dennen first appeared on American TV in 1968 as a guest presence on such shows as "Blue Light" and "Batman." After moving to England, he guested on several popular BBC series including "Codename," "Premiere," "Ryan International," "Hadleigh" and "Paul Temple." It was there that he also made his feature film debut in the title role of the drama The Juggler of Notre Dame (1970). He was then cast as Mendel in the international film production of Fiddler on the Roof (1971) directed by Norman Jewison. It was Barry who suggested Jesus Christ Superstar (1973) to Jewison as the director's next acclaimed film project. He took it on and Barry revisited his role as Pilate.
Throughout the 1970s and '80s, Dennen became a bi-continental actor, working both here and in England. His eerie countenance perfectly fit several offbeat films, including the horror opus Madhouse (1974) starring Vincent Price and Peter Cushing; the action comedy Brannigan (1975) starring John Wayne; the irreverent comedy spoofs The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977) and Rabbit Test (1978); the Stephen King shocker The Shining (1980); the equally eccentric sequel to "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" entitled Shock Treatment (1981); the period drama Ragtime (1981), which inspired the Broadway musical; the Eddie Murphy starrer Trading Places (1983); the superhero blockbuster Superman III (1983) and the controversial Turkish drama Memed My Hawk (1984).
He returned to Los Angeles in the mid-1980s. In addition, he had sporadic TV guest parts on such popular shows as "Remington Steele," "Hill Street Blues," "Newhart," "L.A. Law," "My Sister Sam," "Hooperman," "Murder, She Wrote," "Mr. Belvedere," "Murphy Brown" and "Amen." On the California stage, Barry appeared as the ventriloquist's dummy in "Ghetto" (Mark Taper Forum, Los Angeles); the headwaiter in "She Loves Me" (Ahmanson Theatre, Los Angeles); Mr. Wilson in "Annie Get Your Gun" (A.C.T., San Francisco); and the Major-General in "The Pirates of Penzance" (Santa Barbara Civic Light Opera). Dennen also created the role of Bertold Brecht in the world premiere of "Silent Partners" in Washington, DC. After a decade of being away from the limelight, he was cast as the Old Actor in a 2009 production of "The Fantasticks" at the Freud Playhouse in Los Angeles. As for his most famous theatre role, he would reprise the role of Pontius Pilate in a variety of tours, special one-show productions and anniversary specials over a four-decade span.
Dennen's vocal versatility was utilized quite frequently in video games and in such animated series as "The New Adventures of Jonny Quest," "Ducktales," "Pound Puppies," "The Further Adventures of SuperTed," "The Smurfs" and "Batman: The Animated Series." In 1997, Barry published his memoir "My Life with Barbra: A Love Story," detailing his relationship with Streisand and the nightclub act he created/directed that launched her superstar career.
During his long, pronounced struggle with being gay, Barry would marry British actress Pamela Strong in 1969. They adopted two children, Timothy and Barnaby, before divorcing in 1981. He later entered into a long-term relationship with James McGachy who died of lung cancer in 2001. In June of 2017, the 79-year-old actor suffered a serious brain injury after a fall and died two months later in hospice care on September 26, 2017. A brother, Lyle, survived him.as New York Mice, Additional Voices (voice)- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Linda Gary was an American voice actress from Los Angeles, California. She was in the prime of her career in the 1980s. She voiced four major female characters in "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" (1983-1985): the benevolent Sorceress of Castle Grayskull, the heroic Teela (the Captain of the Royal Guard), Queen Marlena (He-Man's mother), and the ambitious villainess Evil-Lyn. In the spin-off series "She-Ra: Princess of Power" (1985-1986), Gary voiced the evil sorceress Shadow Weaver, the animal-themed super-villainess Scorpia, the rebel leader Glimmer, the benevolent witch Madame Razz, and the inventor Entrapta (sidekick and only friend to the villainess Catra).
In 1944, Gary was born in Los Angeles California. In 1967, Gary married the actor Charles Howerton. She became the stepmother to his daughter from a previous wedding, and later had two daughters of her own. In the early 1970s, she and her husband were living in Italy. She was hired to perform voice work, dubbing Italian films into English.
Gary returned to the United States in 1974, and was interested in starting a professional career as a voice actor. She received acting lessons from veteran voice actor Daws Butler (1916 - 1988). Among her earliest performances was voicing various female characters in the animated series "Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle" (1980), the first adaptation of Tarzan for television animation. She even voiced Tarzan's original love interest, Jane Porter, but only for a single episode.
Gary voiced numerous characters for Filmation, Hanna-Barbera, Marvel Productions, and Disney Television Animation over the following decades. She also worked in dubbing Japanese anime films, such as "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind" (1984). For "Ghostbusters" (1986), Gary voiced the only two major female villains in the series: the mist-controlling ghost Mysteria and the vamp-like sorceress Apparitia.
Gary's last major role in television was playing May Parker in several early episodes of the animated series "Spider-Man" (1994-1998). Her character was Spider-Man/Peter Parker's aunt and surrogate mother. On October 5, 1995, Gary died at her home in North Hollywood, California. Her death was caused by brain cancer, a disease with which she had been struggling for a while. She died a month before her 51st birthday. Despite her relatively short career, Gary is fondly remembered for her roles in animation.as Additional Voices (voice)- Actor
- Soundtrack
Ed Gilbert was born on 29 June 1931 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was an actor, known for The Transformers: The Movie (1986), Tom and Jerry: The Movie (1992) and The Transformers (1984). He died on 8 May 1999 in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA.as Mott Street Maulers, Additional Voices (voice) (as Edmund Gilbert)- Actress
- Sound Department
- Music Department
Barbara Goodson is a "lifer" in show biz. Truly in love with all aspects of this wild & crazy craft. Was aware of her mimicry skills early on in life when she imitated family members & caught on to the positive attention it gave her & the pleasure & camaraderie it gave to others. She delights in the task of putting her own stamp on a character whether it be dramatic, musical, comedic &/or in film, cartoons, v/o, nightclubs, stage, TV, etc.
Stuck in a tiny woman's body has always been her challenge since she's always felt much bigger than her under 5' stature & has been recognized for her powerful vocal range playing many nasty yet amusing "bad ladies" on & off screen.
She has no intention of ever retiring...& continues to dream of working with more of the 'heavy weights' & being cast in meaningful, well received & lucrative projects. Believes acting is a blessed career that can move mountains. It's not for sissies & contains a community of (mostly) evolved, concerned humans. She is proud to have had the modicum of success she has achieved & looks forward to more.as Pee Wee, Additional Voices (voice)- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Phil Hartman was born Philip Edward Hartmann on September 24, 1948, in Brantford, Ontario, Canada. His surname was originally "Hartmann", but he later dropped the second "n". He was one of eight children of Doris Marguerite (Wardell) and Rupert Loebig Hartmann, a salesman. He was of German, Irish, and English descent. The family moved to the United States when Phil was around ten, and he spent the majority of his childhood in Connecticut and Southern California. He later obtained his American citizenship in the early 1990s. He often would visit his homeland of Canada throughout his career, and the City of Brantford even erected a plaque on the Walk of Fame in the town in honor of Phil's career and memory. The Humber College Comedy: Writing & Performance program in Toronto, Ontario, also has an award in Phil's memory that is given out to their Post-Graduate comedy students.
Phil originally studied Graphic Design at California State University. He began to work part time as a graphic artist, designing album covers for such bands as Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young (see Crosby Stills Nash & Young) and Poco. In 1975, alongside doing album work, Phil joined the California comedy troupe, The Groundlings. While in The Groundlings, Phil worked with Paul Reubens and Jon Lovitz, who became good friends of his until his death. Phil and Paul created the character Pee Wee Herman together, and Phil even had a role on Pee-wee's Playhouse (1986) as pirate Captin' Carl.
In 1986, Phil joined the cast of Saturday Night Live (1975) and was on the show for a record of 8 seasons (which was later broken by Tim Meadows). Phil played a wide range of characters including: Frank Sinatra, Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan, Ed McMahon, Barbara Bush, and many others. He was known to help out other writers who wanted to get their sketches read and onto the show. He held Saturday Night Live (1975) together during his 8-year reign, thus the nickname he garnered while on the show, "The Glue." Phil was also known for his voice work on commercials and cartoons. He was probably most well known for the voices of Troy McClure and Lionel Hutz on the animated comedy The Simpsons (1989). He also provided other minor voices for The Simpsons (1989). Phil left Saturday Night Live (1975) in 1994, and in 1995, was cast in the critically acclaimed NBC show NewsRadio (1995) as arrogant radio show host Bill McNeal.
After Phil's death, Phil's good friend Jon Lovitz attempted to fill the void as Max Lewis on NewsRadio (1995), but the struggling show's ratings dropped, and the show later fizzled out and ended in 1999. Phil had an interesting career in movies, mostly playing supporting characters. He was the lead in Houseguest (1995) and was also in Greedy (1994), Jingle All the Way (1996), Sgt. Bilko (1996), and his last live action film, Small Soldiers (1998). His last role was the English language dub of Kiki's Delivery Service (1989), as the quick-witted cat Jiji, which featured Small Soldiers co-star Kirsten Dunst in the lead voice role.
On May 28th, 1998, Phil was shot to death while sleeping in his Encino, California home by his wife, Brynn Hartman. Brynn left the house and later came back with a friend to show him Phil's body. When her friend went to call 911, Brynn locked herself in the bedroom with Phil's lifeless body and shot herself. It was later discovered by the coroner that Brynn had alcohol, cocaine, and the antidepressant, Zoloft, in her system. They left behind two children, Sean Edward (b. 1988) and Birgen (b. 1992). Phil and Brynn's bodies were cremated and spread upon Catalina Island, just off the coast of California, on June 4, 1998. Phil had specifically stated in his will that he wanted the ashes spread on Catalina Island because it was his favorite holiday getaway as he was an avid boater, surfer and general lover of the sea.
Phil was a very caring and sensitive person and was described as "very sweet and kind of quiet."as Mott Street Maulers, Hamburg Mice Resident, Additional Voices (voice)- Actor
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Jerry Houser was born on 14 July 1952 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Slap Shot (1977), Summer of '42 (1971) and Aladdin (1992).as Additional Voices (voice)- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Tony Jay was a British actor and narrator. He is known for his deep and distinctive British voice. He was well-known for voicing Claude Frollo from The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Megabyte from ReBoot, Monsieur D'Arque from Beauty and the Beast, Shere Khan from The Jungle Book 2, Magneto in X-Men Legends and the Elder God in the Legacy of Kain. He was considered to portray Obi-Wan in Star Wars before he was turned down by George Lucas.as Ellis Island Station Manager, Additional Voices (voice)- Actor
- Production Manager
- Soundtrack
Buster Jones was born on 7 January 1943 in Paris, Tennessee, USA. He was an actor and production manager, known for The Transformers: The Movie (1986), G.I. Joe (1985) and The Transformers (1984). He died on 16 September 2014 in North Hollywood, California, USA.as Additional Voices (voice)- Stan Jones was born on 23 October 1926 in Canada. He was an actor, known for The Transformers: The Movie (1986), Little Shop of Horrors (1986) and The Transformers (1984). He died on 30 December 1998 in Los Angeles, California, USA.as Additional Voices (voice)
- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Loren Lester, a native of Los Angeles, currently resides in New York City. Most recently he was in the National Tour of the Tony-winning Broadway musical The Band's Visit.
He began his career as a teenager and has accumulated more than 40 years of film, stage and television credits. In his early years, he played the evil hall monitor "Fritz Hansel" in the cult classic film Rock 'n' Roll High School and he recurred for five seasons as "Roy" on The Facts of Life opposite Nancy McKeon.
Since then. Loren has appeared in more than 200 TV shows including The Orville, Curb Your Enthusiasm, I'm Dying Up Here, NCIS, The Closer, Bones, Gilmore Girls, Cold Case, Criminal Minds, Castle, Two and a Half Men, Las Vegas (starring James Caan), Notes from the Underbelly (directed by Barry Sonnenfeld), and Side Order of Life (directed by David Paymer).
He recurred for three seasons on the HBO hit comedy series Hung, directed by Academy Award winner Alexander Payne, and the Nickelodeon series Victorious.
His favorite film role was in the Wes Craven suspense thriller Red Eye (starring Rachel McAdams)
As a voice-over artist, Loren is best known for creating the roles of "Robin" and "Nightwing" on Batman: The Animated Series (aka Batman: The Animated Series and The New Batman Adventures (aka The Adventures of Batman and Robin).
Loren is a graduate of Occidental College's theater department and has starred in dozens of plays and musicals. Loren and his wife, actress Kelly Lester, are the proud parents of three actress-daughters: Jenny, Lily and Julia Lester (star of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series on Disney+)as Additional Voices (voice)- Actress
- Producer
Patricia Lentz was born on 3 December 1952. She is an actress and producer, known for The Bling Ring (2013), Flipped (2010) and Itty Bitty Titty Committee (2007). She was previously married to Tony Pope.as Additional Voices (voice)- Actress
- Music Department
- Writer
Tress MacNeille is one of the most talented women in the voice-over industry to date. With her versatile talent has done the voices of Dot Warner from Animaniacs, Babs Bunny from Tiny Toon Adventures to being a featured singer in the Weird "Al" Yankovic song "Ricky", She has also appeared in a small part in the full-length motion picture "Elvira Mistress of the Dark".as Additional Voices (voice)- Actor
- Soundtrack
Kenneth Mars was an American actor and comedian. He appeared in two Mel Brooks films: as the deranged Nazi playwright Franz Liebkind in The Producers (1967) and Police Inspector Hans Wilhelm Friedrich Kemp in Young Frankenstein (1974). He also appeared in Peter Bogdanovich's What's Up Doc? (1972), and Woody Allen's Radio Days (1987), and Shadows and Fog (1991).as Additional Voices (voice) (as Ken Mars)- Actress
- Music Department
- Additional Crew
Mona Marshall was born on 31 August 1947 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is an actress, known for Blue Exorcist (2011), Digimon Adventure tri. Part 1: Reunion (2015) and .hack//Mutation (2002). She was previously married to Sal Iannotti.as Noodles, New York Woman, Additional Voices (voice)- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
A third-generation performer and the son of a singing band leader, Chuck McCann was already a show business veteran by age eleven. Born in Brooklyn, he began his career as a child actor on radio, and by the age of nineteen had appeared on The Steve Allen Show (1952). He performed on several NYC-based radio programs, and went on to create his own stand up act performed at many NYC/NJ/LI nightclubs and on many popular TV variety shows. For a time, he took a hiatus from nightclub and TV performing to study with The Pasadena Playhouse, where he gave a memorable performance in their production of '12th Night' as Sir Toby Belch. McCann would return to NYC to continue to perform in nightclubs and on TV variety shows. Until he was introduced to puppetry, first by Skip Boyland and then by Paul Ashleyon NBC TV's: Rootie Kazootie (1952). For the next 17 years, Ashley and McCann appeared on numerous TV shows: Rootie Kazootie (1952), "Uncle Paul's Lunchtime", The Gumby Show (1956) with Pinkie Lee, "The Puppet Hotel!", "Laurel & Hardy & Chuck!", "Let's Have Fun!", "The Chuck McCann Shows", "The Great Bombo's Magic Cartoon Circus Lunchtime Show" and "Chuck McCann's Laurel & Hardy Show!". After the cancellation of the latter on Friday June 9, 1967, Ashley and McCann went their separate ways.
McCann went onto become a successful comic/character actor and mimic, doing voice over for many television cartoon shows and playing character parts on numerous dramatic and comedic TV series and movies. Paul Ashley used his puppets in industrial films and industrial stage shows. McCann also starred on other TV series: Turn-on (1969), Happy Days (1974), Far Out Space Nuts (1975),All That Glitters (1977), _"New Kind Of Family, A" (1979)_ and "Chuck McCann's Fun Stuff!". Ashley was slated to reunite with McCann for "LBS Children's Theater" and another TV puppet show "Tiny TV". But Ashley was forced to drop out both projects, when it was discovered that he was suffering from Alzheimer's Disease and McCann took over as the show's host and performer. "LBS Children's Theater" made its debut in September of 1983 and was on the air for one season. Paul Ashley never lived long enough to see "LBS Children's Theater" become a success. Later, he played the voice of Jollo in the 1992 classic hit Sierra video game King's Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow.
Chuck McCann died on April 8, 2018 in Los Angeles, California, of heart failure.as Additional Voices (voice)- Actress
- Writer
- Music Department
Born in Kansas City, Missouri, McClurg began her performing career at age five with the Kansas City Rhythm Kids. She retired when the dance teacher was arrested on a morals charge for "dating" the tall and lissome, yet underage, star dancer in the troupe. That girl's big number culminated with a back-bend where Edie drank a soda upside down (of course).
She earned a Bachelor's degree in Speech Education and a Master of Science degree from Syracuse University and taught radio at the University of Missouri-Kansas City for eight years. There she re-entered the entertainment field as a DJ, newswoman and producer for the NPR affiliate KCUR-FM. Her proudest moment was portraying John Ehrlichman in Conversation 26 of the NPR national broadcast of the Nixon Tape Transcripts. Her career-long devotion to satirical improvisation included an impressive tenure with The Groundlings.
She went on to create original characters, performed on the short-lived talk show The David Letterman Show (1980): Mrs. Marv Mendenhall, Dot Duncan, Whirly June Pickens, Officer Jeanelle Archer, 105-year-old Edie, etc. Television has been a home to many of McClurg's characters -- on The Richard Pryor Show (1977); as Lucille Tarlek, wife of brash advertising salesman Herb Tarlek on WKRP in Cincinnati (1978); and Mrs. Poole, the ever-cheery and almost omnipresent next-door neighbor on Valerie (1986). Her movie career growth paralleled her ten years with The Groundlings. Her first film was Brian De Palma's teen horror classic Carrie (1976). She did several John Hughes films, including Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986), Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987), She's Having a Baby (1988) and Curly Sue (1991). Offbeat cult favorites are Eating Raoul (1982), Elvira: Mistress of the Dark (1988), HBO's The Pee-Wee Herman Show (1981), and Martin Mull's The History of White People in America (1985).
In more mainstream films, she received a National Media Award for her portrayal of a mentally disabled woman in Bill: On His Own (1983) (which starred Mickey Rooney). She worked with Robert Redford (in A River Runs Through It (1992)), for Oliver Stone (in Natural Born Killers (1994)), for Diane Keaton (in Hanging Up (2000)), and was named Best Actress of the Chicago Alternative Film Festival for her portrayal of the mother of Ted Kaczynski ("The Unabomber").
More recent roles include the nosy lady on Fat Actress (2005), David Spade's nasty neighbor in Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star (2003), Dana Carvey's mother in Sony Pictures' The Master of Disguise (2002), Jane Kaczmarek's friend on Malcolm in the Middle (2000), and guest-starring on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000), Providence (1999), 7th Heaven (1996), and Caroline in the City (1995). She had voice roles in such television series and feature films as The Little Mermaid (1989), The Rugrats Movie (1998), A Bug's Life (1998), and Cars (2006).as New York Vendor Woman, Additional Voices (voice)- Actor
- Writer
- Script and Continuity Department
Michael McConnohie was born on 23 July 1951 in Mansfield, Ohio, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for The Big O (1999), Resident Evil: Degeneration (2008) and Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro (1979).as New York Fireman, Additional Voices (voice)- Casting Department
- Actress
- Additional Crew
Mickie (Maryanne) McGowan is the daughter of Robert A. McGowan, writer/director of the "Our Gang Comedies." She was born in Culver City, Calif. and now resides in Palm Springs, Calif. She continues to work as an animation voice actor, mainly for Disney and Pixar. She has two sons, Anthony and Vincent Capparilli.as Additional Voices (voice)- Actor
- Music Department
- Producer
Don Messick is a legendary voice actor who spent his entire adult-hood in entertainment. He started out wanting to be a ventriloquist. Thankfully for cartoon lovers that career didn't pan out. How do you think his potential career would've stacked up against Edgar Bergen and later, Paul Winchell? No matter, Messick made his way to the hallowed halls of MGM in the early '50s on the recommendation of another voice actor, Daws Butler. At the time, MGM/Tex Avery were doing the theatrical "Droopy" cartoons. Bill Thompson, known for his hilarious voices on the radio show 'Fibber McGee and Molly', borrowed his Wallace Wimple voice and applied it to Droopy. Whenever Thompson couldn't make it to a session, MGM would ask Daws Butler to fill-in. Daws had been working for MGM since the mid '40s. Later, Daws apparently grew tired of the role and suggested Don Messick be Bill Thompson's fill-in. Butler, it's been said, literally squeezed his cheeks together to try and get that sound for Droopy while Messick simply thickened his tongue and loosened his jaws. Messick made the rounds and did every voice-over role large and small in this era. In 1957 Hanna-Barbera started their own company after departing from MGM...Daws Butler and Don Messick were the two voice actors the animation titans employed during the early days. Don was always heard as the "second banana" character or a walk-on. At various times he was the villain. His voice was heard as the 'narrator' on all of the early Hanna-Barbera cartoons. On "Ruff and Reddy", the duo's first made-for-TV cartoon series, Don was heard as "Ruff" the cat and as the Droopy-sounding "Professor Gizmo". Messick was also the narrator who interracted with the duo and got caught up in the action much like a soap opera announcer on radio. Daws was "Reddy", the dog, among other nameless characters in the show. In this 1957-1966 time span, Don Messick was cast as Daws Butler's voice partner and as the cartoon narrator. "Boo-Boo" was the little friend of "Yogi Bear" who lived in Jellystone Park. Yogi stole "pic-a-nic" baskets while Boo-Boo always tried, unsuccessfully, to steer Yogi to a more safer life always reminding him "the Ranger isn't going to like it, Yogi". The Ranger in question was "Ranger Smith", the park ranger who always chased and stopped Yogi's latest schemes. Messick gave voice to the Ranger. Daws was Yogi. In other programs, Messick was heard as "Pixie Mouse" to Daws Butler's "Dixie Mouse" and "Mr. Jinx". On "Snagglepuss", Messick was always heard as the villain, mostly the befuddled "Major Minor". Daws was Snagglepuss. In Huckleberry Hound, Daws was the star character while Messick usually did the narration as well as played a villain. Messick would later provide the voices of "Astro" and "RUDI" on the Jetsons. As a versatile voice actor, Messick performed a dozen wacky space aliens on the space cartoons of the mid '60s. The gibberish of "Gloop" and "Gleep" on the Herculoids cartoon was Messick. "Blip", "Igoo", "Zorak", "Tundra", and "Zoc" are just a few of the characters that Messick groaned or grunted for in the outer space cartoons...his most famous non-verbal voice is the snickering dog, "Muttley"...later called "Mumbley". "Richochet Rabbit", "Vapor Man", "Falcon 7", "Dr. Benton Quest", and "Multi-Man" are other voices from Messick in that era. In 1969 he provided the voice for his most famous role, "Scooby-Doo". Throughout the '70s and beyond, Messick gave voice to this cowardly great dane. In 1980 he became the voice of nephew, "Scrappy-Doo", while in later versions Daws Butler was on hand as "Scooby-Dum". On the 1977 Laff-a-Lympics cartoon, Messick not only announced the show but he performed some of the characters too. "Papa Smurf" became Messick's biggest original character in the '80s but he remained busy providing voices for his older characters in new Hanna-Barbera productions. Daws Butler and Mel Blanc were also living off their famed characters by reprising the voices in numerous made-for-TV cartoon movies and Saturday morning TV in the late '70s on into the next decade. Messick remained a much-used voice actor and in 1988 ABC announced "A Pup Named Scooby-Doo". Messick was back in the role and voiced the character until it's demise in 1990. His friend and voice partner, Daws Butler, passed away in 1988. In 1989 Mel Blanc passed away leaving Don Messick, June Foray, Stan Freberg, and Paul Winchell as the remaining link to the classic era. In 1989 The Smurfs went out of production. On the new Tiny Toon Adventures, Messick was heard as "Hamton Pig", a role he remained with until his mysterious retirement in 1996 at the age of 69 which was later revealed to be a result of a stroke. Don Messick died in 1997, closing a chapter in animation history in the process.as Male New Yorker, Additional Voices (voice)- Actor
- Soundtrack
Alan Oppenheimer is an American actor from New York City, who started his career in the 1950s. By the 1970s, Oppenheimer started performing voice acting roles. He eventually emerged as one of the most prolific voice actors in the United States, with roles in numerous series and films. His better known roles include the evil emperor Ming the Merciless in "The New Adventures of Flash Gordon" (1979-1982), the tyrant Overlord and his mind-controlling Vizier in "Blackstar" (1981), the arrogant narcissist Vanity Smurf in "The Smurfs" (1981-1989), the evil sorcerer Skeletor, the shape-shifting animal Cringer, the heroic Man-at-Arms, and the aquatic villain Mer-Man in "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" (1983-1985), the pacifistic naturalist Beachcomber, the sailor Seaspray, and the gun-enthusiast and munitions expert Warpath in "The Transformers" (1984-1987), the android wizard Prime Evil in "Ghostbusters" (1986), and the cryptic advisor Merlin in "The Legend of Prince Valiant" (1991-1993).
In 1930, Oppenheimer was born in New York City. His father was the stockbroker Louis Oppenheimer. In 1958, Oppenheimer married costume designer Marianna Elliott. They had three children. He received a divorce at some point prior to the mid-1980s. In 1984, Oppenheimer married the professional tennis player Marilyn Greenwood. Their marriage lasted less than a decade, and ended in a divorce. In 1992, Oppenheimer re-married his first wife Marianna Elliott. Their marriage lasted until her death in 2003. He has remained single since her death.
In 1993, Oppenheimer had a guest star role in "Star Trek: The Next Generation". He played the Klingon cleric Koroth. His character cloned the long-dead messianic warrior Kahless, in hope of restoring his peoples' faith in their religion.In 1994, Oppenheimer played the ill-fated star-ship captain Keogh in "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine". After successfully completing a rescue mission, Keogh fell victim to a suicide attack (along with most of his crew). In 1997, Oppenheimer played an unnamed ambassador of the Nezu in "Star Trek: Voyager". His character attempted to enlist the USS Voyager to rescue his planet from destruction. This was Oppenheimer's last role in a "Star Trek" television series. Oppenheimer has mostly avoided live-action roles since 1998.
In 2022, Oppenheimer voiced Skeletor again for an appearance in the film "Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers". By 2022, Oppenheimer was 92-years-old. He has never fully retired, though he has played less prominent roles in recent productions. He remains popular to animation fans for his iconic roles in several classic series.as Additional Voices (voice)- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Patricia Parris was born on 22 October 1950 in Hamilton, Ohio, USA. She is an actress, known for Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983), Here Come the Littles (1985) and Look Who's Talking Now (1993). She has been married to William H. Shibley since 24 March 1989. They have one child.as Additional Voices (voice) (at Pat Parris)- Actor
- Music Department
- Additional Crew
Robert Paulsen is an American voice actor and singer from Detroit, Michigan. He is known for voicing Raphael in the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon, Yakko Warner in Animaniacs, Pinky in Pinky and the Brain, Carl Wheezer in Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, Hadji in Jonny Quest, Donatello in the 2012 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon, Party Juju and Tlaloc in Tak and the Power of Juju, P.J. in Goof Troop and A Goofy Movie and Peck in Barnyard. He is also the host of a voice over talk show called "Talkin' Toons with Rob Paulsen".as Seagull #2, Additional Voices (voice)- Actor
- Music Department
- Camera and Electrical Department
Patrick Pinney (born June 30, 1952) is an American actor/voice actor. Born in Los Angeles, CA. Pinney attended college at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, where he had many friends including assistant director Michele Panelli Venetis and San Francisco Bay area costumer Alison Barnwell Morris, with whom he costarred in "The Deputy" at the UOP Rotunda Theatre. He studied theatre along with producer / director Dennis Jones at University of the Pacific in Stockton where the two of them were room mates. As well as performing in theaters in the United States, he had also done theaters in Europe. He came to Los Angeles. Some time later, he played three characters in a play. Afterwards he was approached by a producer who offered him work in animation. It was a role in a Hanna-Barbera animation. From there he made the transition from a serious stage actor to voice. He has also done work on Harry & the Hendersons.
Pinney has voiced numerous characters. His roles include Cyclops in Disney's Hercules, Wormguy and Idikiukup in the Men and Black Series, and Painty The Pirate from the opening theme of SpongeBob SquarePants. He has also done voice work for Mulan, Toy Story, Aladdin, and Ducktales The Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp.as Additional Voices (voice)- Actress
- Writer
Kimmy Robertson began her career as a ballet dancer but her distinctive sense of humor and quirky style brought her to the attention of an agent who happened to worked in the same office as her ballet company. After at first being unsure about becoming an actor, Kimmy was then hired for the first role she auditioned for in the teen comedy The Last American Virgin (1982). She then returned to ballet but appeared in the occasional film such as Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989) and My Mom's a Werewolf (1989) before being cast as the Sheriff's ditsy secretary, Lucy, in the groundbreaking TV series Twin Peaks (1990). Creators Mark Frost and David Lynch recognized Kimmy's comedic talent and exploited it by encouraging her to ad-lib her lines, some of which turned into the funniest moments of the series. Since then, she has appeared in such films as Disney's Beauty and the Beast (1991), Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997) and Stuart Little (1999).as Additional Voices (voice)- Actress
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Katherine Elaine Soucie is an American voice actress, born in New York City, New York, USA. One of the most well known voice-over actors working today, Kath Soucie began her career in New York as a theatrical actress. While Kath has been the voice of many campaigns and award-winning commercials, it is her work voicing thousands of episodes of animation that has won her an international fan base.
Soucie created the roles of Phil, Lil and Betty for Nickelodeon's Emmy Award-winning series, Rugrats, as well as for all three of the phenomenally successful Rugrats feature films for Paramount. She is the voice of young Nick in Zootopia (2016); Lola Bunny in the Warner Brother's classic Space Jam (1996); and Kanga in The Tigger Movie (2000), The Book of Pooh (2001), Piglet's Big Movie (2003), Winnie the Pooh: A Very Merry Pooh Year (2002), Winnie the Pooh: Springtime with Roo (2004), Pooh's Heffalump Movie (2005), Pooh's Heffalump Halloween Movie (2005), My Friends Tigger & Pooh (2007), My Friends Tigger and Pooh - Super Sleuth Christmas Movie (2007), Tigger & Pooh and a Musical Too (2009), and Super Duper Super Sleuths (2010). She was the voice of Chet, the hero reindeer, in The Santa Clause 2 (2002) and Wendy in Disney's animated feature Return to Never Land (2002).
Soucie has brought hundreds of animated characters to life, both in prime time and day time television, playing diverse roles in such shows as Futurama (1999), Curious George (2006), Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008), The Tom and Jerry Show (2011), Trick Moon (2020), Lost in Oz (2015), Handy Manny (2006), Hey Arnold! (1996), The Real Ghostbusters (1986), Danny Phantom (2003), The Replacements (2006), The Weekenders (2000), Young Justice (2010), Tiny Toon Adventures (1990), Dexter's Laboratory (1996), Recess (1997), Clifford the Big Red Dog (2000), Young Justice (2010), The Cramp Twins (2001), Pepper Ann (1997), The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper (1996), Invasion America (1998), As Told by Ginger (2000), 101 Dalmatians: The Series (1997), Captain Planet and the Planeteers (1990), The Critic (1994), Baby Blues (2000), God, the Devil and Bob (2000), Firebuds (2022), and more.
In the games' world, she can be heard on Star Wars: The Old Republic (2011), Tomb Raider: Underworld (2008), Tomb Raider: Legend (2006), The Elder Scrolls Online (2014), Fallout (1997), Syndicate (2012), World of Final Fantasy (2016), Full Throttle (1995), Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn (2000), and Lost Odyssey (2007) among many, many others.as Additional Voices (voice)- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Sound Department
Talented actor and voice artist Marcelo Tubert's introduction to theatre came at the age of three, in "Garcia Lorca's Yerma," when a child actor in a visiting troupe became ill. When he was seven, Marcelo and his family moved to Los Angeles, where he later took up acting seriously in high school, then studied at Los Angeles City College's Theatre Arts Department.
Among his many early influences, he cites actor Alejandro Rey. Tubert began with small television and film roles. As those roles grew larger, he was also proving his versatility, establishing himself in theatre and with commercial and voiceover work.
Marcelo's recurring and guest-starring appearances include such shows as Prison Break, NCIS. Jane the Virgin, New Girl CSI:Miami,Supah Ninjas, Without a Trace, ER, The War At Home. Monk', George Lopez, JAG, Frazier, Seinfeld, and Star Trek: The Next Generation as Acost Jared, Leader of Ventax 2.
His numerous film roles include parts in the films Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous, Tremors 2: Aftershocks, Postcards from the Edge, and the Roger Corman directed remake of The Masque of the Red Death.
Among his most notable voice roles, was as Laurent in the English version of Toys in the Attic. other roles include in the animated series Pinky and the Brain, Batman: The Animated Series, The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest and King of the Hill He has also contributed additional voices to, Kung Fu Panda 2 Madagascar 2, Over The Hedge, Shrek II, Shark Tale, Apocalypto, and Passion of the Christ.as New York Fireman, Additional Voices (voice)- Actress
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
B.J. Ward was born on 16 September 1944 in Wilmington, Delaware, USA. She is an actress, known for G.I. Joe (1985), Daffy Duck's Quackbusters (1988) and The Pagemaster (1994). She was previously married to Gordon Hunt and Donn Trenner.as Additional Voices (voice)- Actor
- Sound Department
- Music Department
Frank Welker was born in Colorado. He followed his dream to California, and started a voice acting career which has spanned over five decades and hundreds of credits. Frank has worked with fellow voice actors Casey Kasem, Nicole Jaffe, Don Messick, Heather North, and Stefanianna Christopherson on Hanna-Barbera's iconic Scooby Doo, Where Are You! (1969), voicing Fred Jones, among other Scooby credits over the years. He has also worked with Kurt Russell, Peter Cullen, and Michael Bay.as Cussack Cats, Special Vocal Effects, Additional Voices (voice)- Actress
- Casting Department
- Sound Department
Lynnanne Zager is known for Deadly Women (2008), The Angry Birds Movie 2 (2019) and The Office (2005). She was previously married to Alan Woolf.as Additional Voices (voice)