Historical Figure
Mel Blanc
d. 1989
American voice actor and radio personality (1908–1989)
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Biography
Melvin Jerome Blanc was an American voice actor and radio personality whose career spanned over sixty years. Referred to as "The Man of a Thousand Voices", he is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential voice actors of all time. Blanc is best known for providing voices for Looney Tunes cartoons by Warner Bros. during the golden age of American animation.
Timeline
The story of Mel Blanc, told in moments.
Born Melvin Jerome Blank in San Francisco. Changed the spelling to Blanc because a teacher told him he'd amount to nothing, like his name. His mother wouldn't let him keep pets, so he learned to mimic their sounds instead.
Joins the Leon Schlesinger studio that produces cartoons for Warner Bros. His first major role: a drunken bull in a Porky Pig cartoon. Within a year he's voicing Porky himself. Then Daffy Duck. Then Bugs Bunny. Then everyone.
Records 'What's up, doc?' for the first time in A Wild Hare. He creates the voice by mixing Brooklyn and Bronx accents. He chews actual carrots for the crunching sound, then spits them into a wastebasket between takes because he hates carrots.
Nearly dies in a car crash on Sunset Boulevard. He's in a coma for three weeks. A doctor tries calling him 'Bugs' and asking what's up. Blanc answers in character. His family says the cartoon voices came back before his own personality did.
Dies of heart disease and emphysema in Los Angeles at 81. He voiced over 1,500 characters across six decades. Bugs Bunny. Daffy Duck. Tweety Bird. Sylvester. Foghorn Leghorn. Barney Rubble. Speed Buggy. His tombstone reads: 'That's All Folks.'
Artifacts (15)
English collection; (IA englishcollectio00wthf)
W., Th. [from old catalog] Th. W. [from old catalog]
Books from the Biodiversity Heritage Library (IA oeuvresducomtede04lacp)
La Cépède, M. le comte de (Bernard Germain Etienne de La Ville sur Illon), 1756-1825 Pillot, F. D Pillot, ill Rousseau, Nicolas Louis, engraver Davesne, A., engraver Massard, Alexandre, engraver Cuvie
Getty Research Institute (IA lartdelacuisinef03care)
Carême, M. A. (Marie Antonin), 1784-1833 author
Getty Research Institute (IA lartdelacuisinef04care)
Carême, M. A. (Marie Antonin), 1784-1833 author
Getty Research Institute (IA catalogueraisonn00lebr 1)
Le Brun, Jean-Baptiste-Pierre, 1748-1813, auctioneer
Abbregé chronologique, ou Extraict de l'histoire de France (IA abbregchronolo07mz)
Mézeray, François Eudes de, 1610-1683 Adams, John, 1735-1826, former owner. MB (BRL) John Adams Library (Boston Public Library) MB (BRL)
Catalogue des livres rares et précieux de la bibliothéque de M. Mel de Saint Céran (IA cataloguedeslivr00debu 0)
Debure, Guillaume, 1734-1820
peace would have been achieved more quickly
ine, however, was delighted with the death of her ally. "If Monsieur de Guise had perished sooner", she told the Venetian ambassador, "peace would have been achieved more quickly". On 19 March 1563,...
the house of Guise ruleth and doth all about the French king
h and quickly moved themselves into the Louvre Palace with the young couple. The English ambassador reported a few days later that "the house of Guise ruleth and doth all about the French king". For...
Since you rely on your forces, we will show you ours
seized town after town in France. Catherine met Coligny, but he refused to back down. She therefore told him: "Since you rely on your forces, we will show you ours". The royal army struck back quickly...
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