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Mel Blanc

Biography

Mel Blanc

Overview

  • Born
    May 30, 1908 · San Francisco, California, USA
  • Died
    July 10, 1989 · Los Angeles, California, USA (heart disease and emphysema)
  • Birth name
    Melvin Jerome Blank
  • Nickname
    • The Man of a Thousand Voices
  • Height
    5′ 8″ (1.73 m)

Biography

  • Mel Blanc, known as "The Man of Thousand Voices" is regarded as the most prolific actor to ever work in Hollywood with over a thousand screen credits. He developed and performed nearly 400 distinct character voices with precision and a uniquely expressive vocal range. The legendary specialist from radio programs, television series, cartoon shorts and movie was rarely seen by his audience but his voice characterizations were famous around the world.

    Blanc under exclusive contract until 1960 to Warner Brothers voiced virtually every major character in the Warner Brothers' Looney Tunes and Merry Melodies cartoon pantheon. Characters including Porky Pig, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, Tweety Bird, Sylvester the Cat, Wile E. Coyote,The Roadrunner, Yosemite Sam, Sam the Sheepdog, Taz the Tazmanian Devil, Speedy Gonzales, Marvin the Martian, Foghorn Leghorn, Pepé la Pew, Charlie the Dog, Blacque Jacque Shellacque, Pussyfoot, Private Snafu among others were voiced by Blanc.

    After 1960, Blanc continued to work for Warner Brothers but began to work for other companies once his exclusive contract ended. He worked for Hanna-Barbera voicing characters including Barney Rubble, Dino the Dinosaur, Cosmo Spacely, Secret Squirrel, Captain Caveman, Speed Buggy, Wally Gator among others. He provided vocal effects for Tom & Jerry in the mid 1960's working with fellow Warner Bros. alum, Chuck Jones at what would become MGM Animation. In the mid 1960's, Blanc originated and voiced Toucan Sam for the Kellogg's Fruit Loops commercials. He would later go to originate and voice Twiki for Buck Rogers and Heathcliff in the late 1970's and early 1980's.
    - IMDb mini biography by: anonymous
  • In 1962, Mel Blanc founded Mel Blanc Associates, later changed to Blanc Communications Corporation in 1972.

    During the Mel Blanc Associates/Blanc Communications years, Mel and his son Noel produced over 5000 public service announcements and commercials featuring major stars like Kirk Douglas, Lucille Ball, Vincent Price, Phyllis Diller, Liberace, the rock band The Who, and of course Mel himself.

    The company also developed radio and TV content for the U.S. Armed Forces Radio and Television, broadcast to American service members throughout the world. Blanc Communications Corporation earned numerous broadcasting awards over its continued history.
    - IMDb mini biography by: UnivLight

Family

  • Spouse
      Estelle Rosenbaum Blanc(January 4, 1933 - July 10, 1989) (his death, 1 child)
  • Children
      Noel Blanc
  • Parents
      Eva Blank
      Frederick Blank
  • Relatives
      Henry Charles Blanc(Sibling)

Trademarks

  • Remarkable ability to change the pitch and sound of his voice to create many of the most well known cartoon characters of all time
  • The voice of Barney Rubble from The Flintstones (1960)
  • The voice of various Looney Tunes characters, most notably Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Porky Pig, among others.
  • Receding hairline and mustache
  • Catchphrase as Porky Pig "That's all, folks"

Trivia

  • While in a coma after a cataclysmic automobile accident, doctors unsuccessfully tried to get Mel to talk. Finally, a doctor, who was also a huge fan of his cartoon characters, asked Mel "Bugs? Bugs Bunny? Are you there?". In Bugs Bunny's voice, Mel responded "What's up, Doc?". After talking with several other characters, they eventually led Mel out of his coma.
  • The epitaph on headstone at his burial site in Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles, California reads "That's all, folks!".
  • Shortly before his death, executives of Time Warner (owners of Warner Brothers) asked him if there was anything, literally anything, that they could give him to thank him for his life's body of work. He asked for--and received--a Ford Edsel.
  • Originally, the sound of the Maxwell car on Jack Benny's radio show was a pre-recorded sound effect on a phonograph record. However, during a live broadcast, Blanc noticed that the record player was not turned on for the crucial moment when the effect was supposed to play. He quickly grabbed the microphone and improvised the sounds himself, to the utter delight of the studio audience. Benny made it part of the program from then on and gave Blanc much larger roles to play in the show.
  • According to his son Noel Blanc, of all the cartoon characters he voiced, the one that was the closest to his actual voice was Sylvester the Cat, only without the lisp.

Quotes

  • Today was tomorrow yesterday, so don't inhale.
  • I have been a member of DeMolay for 63 years. I thank God and DeMolay for helping me become kind and thoughtful to my parents and all my friends. I had many opportunities to do the wrong things, and I might have done them if it were not for DeMolay. God bless them.
  • [his trademark catchphrase] That's all, folks!
  • If I saw a person smile, that to me was payment in itself. If I could make them laugh when they had been very sad, it was great payment to me.
  • [on his time working at Hanna-Barbera] Don't get me wrong - Bill and Joe are nice guys and they treated me fine. But artistically, Hanna-Barbera was a desert compared to Warner Bros. I did it for the money, plain and simple.

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