June Foray was the voice behind animation's most iconic characters for nearly a century.
In short: Known as the female Mel Blanc, June Foray defined the sound of mid-century animation. From Rocky the Flying Squirrel to Cindy Lou Who, her vocal range spanned radio, television, and film. Beyond her performances, she was a tireless advocate who fundamentally reshaped the industry's recognition of the art form.
Born in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1917, June Foray began her career in radio at age 12. By the time she moved to Los Angeles in the 1930s, she had become a fixture in the medium, eventually starring in her own series, Lady Make Believe. Her transition to animation was marked by a prolific output for studios like Disney and Warner Bros. She voiced characters ranging from Lucifer the Cat in Cinderella to the iconic Granny in Looney Tunes, often without on-screen credit. Her versatility was legendary; Chuck Jones famously remarked that Mel Blanc was actually the male June Foray.
Foray’s influence extended far beyond the recording booth. In the 1960s, she helped formalize ASIFA-Hollywood, an organization dedicated to the promotion of animation. She was instrumental in establishing the Annie Awards in 1972 and spent two decades lobbying the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences to create a category for animated features, which finally debuted in 2001. Her dedication to the craft was recognized with the Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award in 1988, and ASIFA-Hollywood later established the June Foray Award in her honor.
Her career remained vibrant into her final years. In 2012, at age 94, she became the oldest entertainer to win an Emmy Award for her role as Mrs. Cauldron in The Garfield Show. Her final voice role was a 2014 short film reprising her iconic part as Rocky the Flying Squirrel. Foray passed away in 2017 at age 99, leaving behind a legacy that spanned the evolution of animation from early radio dramas to modern digital production, cementing her status as a titan of the industry.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: June Foray
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