MEL JEROME BLANC
Born: 30 May 1908
Died: 10 July 1989 (heart disease)
Birthplace: San Francisco, California, USA. These are links on Mel Blanc, considered by many to be the greatest character voice actor in all of animation history. He didn't just create character voices, he created personalities. Each of his characters is distinct and different from the other. He was the very essence of the Looney Tunes characters - gave life to the ever-popular Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Sylvester the Cat, Tweety, Speedy Gonzales, Foghorn Leghorn, Marvin Martian, and more. These characters continue to be loved from generation to generation, and his legacy lives on long after his death. Other interesting facts about Mel Blanc: - His autobiography, That's Not All, Folks!: My Life in the Golden Age of Cartoons & Radio, was published in 1988, which he wrote with the assistance of Philip Bashe, with foreword by Rich Little. The book is out-of-print now, but it is possible to find a used copy in good condition from certain used book retailers. Try searching for it in ODP's Book Search Databases category. Here's the copyright info for those interesting in finding a copy of the book: Copyright (C) 1988 Supdoc, Inc.
All rights reserved
Warner Books, Inc
666 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10103 First printing, August 1998
Library of Congress Number: PN2287.B455A3 1988
ISBN: 0-446-51244-3 - MYTH: Mel Blanc was allergic to carrots. This is simply not true - here's an excerpt from Mel's own autobiography: I don't especially like carrots, at least not raw. And second, I found it impossible to chew, swallow, and be ready to say my next line. We tried substituting other vegetables, including apples and celery, but with unsatisfactory results. The solution was to stop recording so that I could spit out the carrot into a wastebasket and then proceed with the script. In the course of a recording session I usually went through enough carrots to fill several. Bugs Bunny did for carrots what Popeye the Sailor did for Spinach. How many lip-locked, head-swelling children were coerced into eating their carrots by mothers cooing, "...but Bugs Bunny eats HIS carrots." If only they had known. - MYTH: Mel Blanc performed the voices for all of the Looney Tunes characters. This also is not true. Mel was an extremely gifted and talented man, but not that talented. Click here for a list of the other voice talent involved in these classic cartoons. Unfortunately, even this list is incomplete. Perhaps someone reading this will be inspired to do a thorough page with details on the other performers in the classic Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodie cartoons. More fun facts & trivia to be added in the future.
More information