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Biography: June Foray

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Birth/Death

Birth: September 18, 1917, Springfield Massachussets.

Occupation/Title

Voice Actress.

Bio Summary

Miss Foray is one of the most prolific voice actresses in history. She is particularly well known for lending her voice to Rocky the Flying Squirrel and Natasha Fatale in Jay Ward’s Rocky and Bullwinkle series. She was also the voice of Tweety Bird’s protector Granny in the Warner Bros cartoons, and played Lucifer the Cat in Disney’s Cindarella. June started work as an actress in 1943 in Red Hot Riding Hood and most recently worked on the video game release Looney Tunes: Acme Arsenal. She has worked in Feature Films, Television, and Radio and has appeared on Television.

Early Life/Family

June describes her parents as artistic people; her mother was a singer and pianist. They often took June and her siblings to the Bijou theater in Springfield. As a child she enjoyed reading the classics, which she memorized. Her first performance was at the age of 12 in a local radio broadcast. June came to Los Angeles with her parents when they moved.

Education/Training

When June’s parents realized that their daughter had a talent for acting they found her teachers to help her develop her abilities. The most notable of these was Ms. Larson who had the radio show that June debuted in.

Career Outline

June’s first job in Red Hot Riding Hood in (1943) was uncredited as was her work in Disney’s Peter Pan in (1953) and in Disney’s Cindarella (1950). Her work as Granny went uncredited, due to an arrangement to give all credit for voice characterizations to Mel Blanc. Even so June was already known for her abilities throughout the animation industry and she was often sought out.

In 1957 she met with Jay Ward to talk about the Rocky and Bullwinkle show which made it’s debut two years later. June voiced virtually every female character on Rocky and Bullwinkle. For that matter she acted in almost every Jay Ward cartoon.

A younger audience will better remember June for her work as Ma Beagle in Ducktales, Queen Tabitha in Thumbalina, and for other work in Rugrats, Garfield and Friends, and Power Puff Girls. She was also the voice of Grandmother Fa in Disney’s Mulan.

It has been written that because of her diversity as an actress that June Foray is often thought of as the Female Mel Blanc, but that the truth is Mel Blanc is actually the Male June Foray.

Comments On Style

Her work as Granny, Witchhazel and Grandma Fa seem to indicate that no one can do the Granny voice quite as well as June.

Her work on the Rocky and Bullwinkle show was usually recorded in just two hours (which included some goofing around) which goes to show just how quickly June could get into character.

Influences

Apart from her childhood teacher (Ms. Larson), and trips to the Bijou Theater, the only other influences that June remarks on are the books that she read. Her hunger for reading certainly seems to have been powerful fuel for her imagination.

Personality

Quick, quirky, and a lot of fun to be around.

Anecdotes

June and Jay had their first talk about Rocky and Bullwinkle over cocktails.

Miscellaneous

June appeared on Carson’s Cellar, Johnny Carson’s earlier show.

Filmography

Honors

Annie Award: Winsor McCay Award 1982

Related Links

www.famousinterview.ca/interviews/june_foray.htm

www.povonline.com/cols/COL302.htm

www.povonline.com/cols/COL302.htm

www.imdb.com/name/nm0004931/bio”>www.imdb.com/name/nm0004931/bio

Bibliographic References

Contributors To This Listing

Liston Morris

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