How a 29-year-old voice actor convinced Warner Bros he was Mel Blanc

Entertainment · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: When legendary voice actor Mel Blanc died in 1989, the world lost the voice of Bugs Bunny. Jeff Bergman, a young impressionist, secured the role by creating a blind test for studio executives. By toggling between his own recordings and Blanc's, he proved that his mimicry was indistinguishable from the original.

Born in 1960 in Philadelphia, Jeff Bergman began honing his craft early, impersonating Ed Sullivan at age six. His path to animation royalty was cemented during his time at the University of Pittsburgh. In 1981, he managed to secure a 45-minute session with Mel Blanc himself, an encounter Bergman credits with helping him graduate two years later. By the mid-1980s, he was actively pursuing voice work, eventually landing the role of Charlie the Tuna in 1986.

The pivotal moment for Bergman arrived in 1989. Following Blanc's death on July 10—coincidentally Bergman's 29th birthday—the actor sought to fill the void left in the Looney Tunes franchise. After facing initial rejection from directors, he produced a demo tape that featured a direct comparison to Blanc's work. Warner Bros. president Edward Bleier was unable to discern the difference, leading to Bergman becoming the first performer to voice Bugs Bunny after Blanc. His debut in the role occurred at the 62nd Academy Awards.

Bergman's career expanded far beyond Looney Tunes. He took over roles for George Jetson and Mr. Spacely in 1990 after their original actors passed away during production. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, he maintained a prolific career voicing Hanna-Barbera characters like Fred Flintstone. While he briefly stepped back from Looney Tunes in the mid-1990s due to a reluctance to relocate to Los Angeles, he returned to the franchise in 2011. Today, his vast vocal repertoire includes dozens of iconic characters, from Sylvester the Cat to Mr. Potato Head, a role he assumed in 2026 following the death of Don Rickles.

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