Janet Waldo

It is easy to say that Janet Waldo was a voice that a lot of people have heard of and remembered from their childhoods. She has provided voices for characters such as Penelope Pitstop on “Wacky Races,” Josie McCoy on “Josie and the Pussycats,” and Judy Jetson on “The Jetsons.”

Waldo has made her successful debut on radio for her warm and wonderful voice. She has been on programs such as Irene Franklin on “One Man’s Family,” Janet Shaw-Lewis on “Young Love,” and was the narrator on “Whispering Streets.”

Waldo was also noted for being a film and television star. On film, she was characters such as Ruth Phelps on “Tom Sawyer, Detective,” Elsa on “Waterloo Bridge,” and Ellen Grant on “The Bandit Trail.” On television, she was characters such as Janet on “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet,” Libby Freeman on “Valentine’s Day,” and has also appeared on shows like “I Love Lucy,” and “The Andy Griffith Show.”

Before her unfortunate passing in 2016, I had the pleasure to be Janet Waldo’s friend on Facebook. She was indeed very kind to her friends. Seeing the joy she gave to others made me smile. I continue on, though, knowing that she has made others happy with the work she put into her performances, and the effort she gave with her friends.

Janet Marie Waldo: February 4, 1920- June 12, 2016

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Born Katherine Leigh, Katie Leigh has been in the voice acting industry ever since she was 23 years old. She has provided voices for characters like Sunni Gummi on “Disney’s Adventures of the Gummi Bears,” Honker Muddlefoot on “Darkwing Duck,” and the US voices of Little Miss Chatterbox, Little Miss Helpful, and Little Miss Daredevil on “The Mr. Men Show.”

Katie Leigh is also known for her voice on radio. On “Adventures in Odyssey,” she has played as the character Connie Kendall. Other actors she has worked alongside with on “Adventures in Odyssey” were the likes of Hal Smith, Alan Young, Andre Stojka, Corey Burton, and Jess Harnell, to name a few. Katie Leigh has also done well in voicing in a few video games. Some examples include her role as the Maharajah on “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,” a Soldier on “Lost Odyssey,” and as Millie Chliette on “Star Ocan: First Departure.”

Leigh is a voice artist that I admire and respect. She has worked with actors and actresses that I respect as well. She has worked with actors who have passed on like Lorenzo Music, Bill Scott, and Paul Winchell. She has also worked with voice actors whom I currently respect like Jim Cummings, Joseph J. Terry (also credited as J. W. Terry), June Foray, and Nancy Cartwright.

Currently, Leigh is teaching others how to voice act; showing them that voice acting is more about creating a character vocally rather than just doing a different voice. Katie Leigh is a vocal treasure with a versatile range and unique gift.

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Special thanks to Katie Leigh herself for providing the picture of herself for this post.

Bill McFadden

Bill McFadden is an actor who was raised in the beautiful Prince Edward Island. He is a one hit wonder because he has voiced in one cartoon. However, in this one show, he is not only the narrator, but also the voice of a character by the name of Sir Roswald on “Eckhart.” He is not only a good voice actor as this character, but also a beautifully voiced narrator.

McFadden is mostly highly regarded as an actor on the screens. He has played a character known as William Plover on the television series, “Emily of New Moon.” He has also appeared in a few TV movies. In 1997’s “Pit Pony,” he played the character Ed O’Neill, and in 2006, he played as a character called Mr. Unger on “A Christmas Wedding.”

McFadden has also appeared on a few stage productions in the entertainment world. Two of the productions he has appeared in are “The Owl and the Pussycat,” and “Dear Liar,” both of which fellow performer Sharlene MacLean worked on together back in 1982.

Bill McFadden has an interesting set of performances and a heart and passion for his pursuits. The first roles I had mentioned (Narrator and Sir Roswald on “Eckhart”) were also coincidentally the first roles I heard him in altogether. In actuality, Sir Roswald is one of my most favorite characters from animation, and McFadden’s voice as him is one of the reasons why I like this character. In conclusion, Bill McFadden is very talented and unique; with such an acting regime, he should continue on with his work for a great deal of time.

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Alan Young

Angus “Alan” Young is an actor that I’ve known about for a very long time. He has provided voices for characters like Farmer Smurf on “The Smurfs,” Haggis MacHaggis on “Ren and Stimpy,” and surpassed Bill Thompson and Will Ryan as the voice of Scrooge McDuck for various Disney projects.

Young was also highly successful in the television world. He was perhaps most famous as Wilbur Post on “Mr. Ed.” He also played as Norman on the TV movie, “Earth Angel,” and was   Alan on both the Radio and TV’s adaptation of “The Alan Young Show.”

In live action films, he’s been in quite a few, like “Margie,” “Androcles and the Lion,” and “The Time Machine.” In animated films, his voice can be heard as Hiram Flaversham on “The Great Mouse Detective,” The White Knight on “Alice Through the Looking Glass,” and as previously established, Scrooge McDuck on “DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp.” On radio, he co-hosted with Jimmy Durantee on “The Jimmy Durantee Show,” and he also appeared on “The Jack Benny Show.”

Alan Young was indeed very talented. His loss was indeed tragic, as his performances will be remembered for a long time. He shall be missed.

Alan Young: November 19, 1919-May 19-2016

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With a heavy heart, the world says goodbye to Donald Harvey Francks. Though I have not seen all of his works yet, I will remember him from what I did know him as. Those works include Skunk on “My Dad the Rockstar,” Chauncey “Boss Mouse” Barns on “Eckhart,” Mok Swagger on “Rock and Rule,” and Grimaldi on “Heavy Metal.”

Francks’ daughter, Cree Summer, is still living strong. She will continue on his legacy of being a talented, amazing, and wonderful voice artist and singer.

Don Francks; though we have never met, I wish to send you a prayer of no longer being in pain and leaving behind such talented people in the form of your offspring. Rest well, and continue to inspire us all.

Donald Harvey Francks: February 28, 1932- April 3, 2016

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Tom Kane

Thomas Kane Roberts is an actor who has been a major part of entertainment when I was growing up. He has provided voices for characters such as Professor Utonium on “Powerpuff Girls,” Darwin on “The Wild Thornberrys,” and Mr. Herriman on “Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends.”

Tom Kane is also an excellent voice imitator. He is able to do an impression of Frank Oz’ Yoda for the Star Wars Franchise, which is what he does for animated adaptations of the franchise. Before George Coe’s passing, he took over as the voice of Woodhouse on “Archer.”

Kane’s voice can be heard as an announcer, especially during certain Academy Awards; examples were the 78th Academy Awards from 2006, the 80th Academy Awards from 2008, the 83rd Academy Awards from 2011, and the 84th Academy Awards from 2012. Kane was also the announcer for the “Stand Up to Cancer” shows from both 2009 and 2010.

Tom Kane has been in a few movies such as “Dracula II: Ascension,” “Dear Santa,” and has appeared as himself on “Poetry Contest: Poems in History.”

There is no doubt that Tom Kane’s voice is versatile. He is inspirational to others, a huge influence to animation and voice acting fans, and is an intriguing prominent figure in the eyes of live action and animation alike.

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Jonathan Gould

Jonathan Gould III is an interesting actor from up in Canada. He is a one hit wonder because he has voiced the character of Dave the skunk from the Nelvana Flash animated series, “Scaredy Squirrel.”

Gould is more famous as an actor on screen. He plays a character named Jason in the mockumentary, “The Buck Calder Experience.” On the short film, “Baby Brain,” he played a character called Cedrik.

Gould is also known to play roles on stage. He has been known to do productions such as “An Ideal Husband,” and “The Doctor’s Dilemma.” Gould has also collaborated with his young sister, contributing his lyrical talent by writing songs.

Jonathan Gould is an actor I really enjoy listening to. His hard work and passion for what he does is no doubt going to be helpful in future performances in whatever he does. Keep bringing the comedy, Gould.

Rod Taylor

Rodney Sturt Taylor was an Australian actor with a fascinating style to his performances. He is a one hit wonder because he has provided the voice of Pongo on “101 Dalmatians.”

Rod Taylor was mostly a well renowned actor one the silver screen. He has worked on roles such as Mitch Brennar on “The Birds,” Mike Mitchell on “Sunday in New York,” and Sean O’Casey in “Young Cassidy.” His favorite stage role was as Herbert George Wells in “The Time Machine.”

On television, he was on shows such as “Walker Texas Ranger” where he played as Gordon Cahill, “Murder, She Wrote” where he played as both Inspector Rory Lanahan and Tom Dehaney, and “Falcon Crest” where he played as Frank Agretti.

Rod Taylor was a unique, wonderful, and devoted actor. He really knew how to take a role and make it his own. He is one that will be remembered for many years, thanks to the legacy he left behind.

Rod Taylor; January 11, 1930- January 7, 2015

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Allen Swift

Born Ira Stadlen, Allen Swift was a voice artist with a very diverse set of roles. He voiced characters such as Simon Bar-Sinister from “Underdog,” Odie Colognie on “King Leonardo and His Short Subjects,” and Baron Barracuda on “Diver Dan.”

I say that Swift’s acting roles are very diverse because that statement is true.  In his younger years, he was in a wide variety of short films like “Pump Trouble,” “Boo Moon,” and “Gaston is Here.” Even in his older years, he narrated on a television program called “Barpappa,” has appeared in the movie, “Seize the Day,” and had even provided the voice of the Hunchback on the “Courage the Cowardly Dog” episode, “The Hunchback of Nowhere.”

Swift was not only an actor, but even wrote a script for a short titled “Samson Scrap and Delilah.” He also was a playwright for a production called “Checking Out.” Swift also narrated for a documentary titled “There Are Still Slaves In The World,” in 1964, back when segregation was still about.

Allen Swift was a very talented man. His health may have gone downhill since he accidentally toppled over while walking his dog, but that didn’t stop him from showing us the marvelous man that he was. I remember hearing the news about Swift’s passing, and I was upset about it, but I am comforted by all of the hard work he left behind.

Allen Swift: January 16, 1924- April 18, 2010

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Andrea Libman

Andrea Eva Libman is a voice actress I’ve known about for quite some time now. She’s provided voices on shows like “Madeline,” “Yakkity Yak,” and “Dragon Tales.” Currently, she is the voices of both Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy in the fourth generation of the My Little Pony franchise; “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.”

Libman has also dubbed voices for certain anime roles. Some of these voices include Orega from “Elemental Gelade,” Mileina Vashti from “Gundam 00,” Cookie from “Kishin Corps: Alien Defender Geo-Armor,” and Anita on “Night Warriors: Darkstalkers’ Revenge.”

Andrea Libman has also done a few live action roles in her career. She has appeared on projects such as “Little Women,” “Andre,” “Highlander: the Series,” “Susie Q,” and “Lyddie.”

Libman has a very dynamic vocal range, while at the same time, when voice acting, you can somewhat hear which voice is hers and how she’s putting her effort into her work. From what I understand, she’s a kind person as well, able to show appreciation for her fans in return the appreciation they give her. Andrea Libman, you truly are amazing.

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Estelle

Estelle Fanta Swaray, or commonly Estelle, is a singer who has joined into the voice acting business since 2013. The character she voices is Garnet on the Cartoon Network animated series, “Steven Universe.”

I managed to hear a bit of Estelle’s music before, specifically the song she collaborated with Kanye West titled “American Boy.” Her voice has a slight rasp into it, but that provides a lot of moxie to her vocals, giving her an interesting caterwaul. Estelle has also collaborated with other vocalists. They include John Legend with the song, “No Other Love,”  Robin Thicke with the song “Rollacoasta,” and Rick Ross with the song, “Break My Heart.”

Estelle’s character, Garnet, is a very interesting and relatable character. On “Steven Universe,” she is shown as calm and mysterious, with a little bit of red inside. “Steven Universe” is one of my current favorite cartoons, and Garnet is one of the reasons why. She’s strong, she’s wise, and she’s also caring towards Steven in helping him develop his powers more.

Estelle, a unique vocal talent, can sing and can act. To me, that’s a winning combination of the kind of people who can get into the voice acting world. Estelle is still new, but more and more people are discovering her vocal talent, and they should know about the kind of vocal abilities she has.

Upcoming one hit wonder article: Jonathan Gould and Rod Taylor

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