Voice of "Tony the Tiger" died

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Voice of "Tony the Tiger" died

Posted: 5/24/2005 6:18:08 AM EDT

FULLERTON, California (AP) -- Thurl Ravenscroft, who provided the rumbling "They're Grrrrreeeat!" for Kellogg's Tony the Tiger ads and voiced a host of Disney characters, has died. He was 91.

Ravenscroft died Sunday of prostate cancer, said Diane Challis Davy, director of Laguna Beach's Pageant of the Masters.

For more than 50 years, Ravenscroft was the affable voice behind Tony the Tiger, TV's popular cartoon pitchman for Kellogg's Frosted Flakes.

"I'm the only man in the world that has made a career with one word: Grrrrreeeat!" Ravenscroft told the Orange County Register in 1996. "When Kellogg's brought up the idea of the tiger, they sent me a caricature of Tony to see if I could create something for them. After messing around for some time I came up with the `Grrrrreeeat!' roar, and that's how it's been since then."

He also narrated the summertime Pageant of the Masters at Laguna Beach for 20 years and lent his voice to characters on thrill rides at Disneyland, including the Pirates of the Caribbean, Splash Mountain, the Enchanted Tiki Room and the Haunted Mansion.

"Disneyland wouldn't have been, and wouldn't be, the same without him," the park's former president, Jack Lindquist, told the Register. "His voice was one of the things that made it all come alive."

Ravenscroft also did voices for the animated films "Cinderella," "The Jungle Book," "Mary Poppins," "Alice in Wonderland," "Lady and the Tramp" and many others.

Born in Norfolk, Nebraska, Ravenscroft moved to California in 1933 to study art. By the mid-1930s he was appearing regularly on radio, and by the late-1930s he was singing backup for Bing Crosby.

After military service during World War II, he returned to Hollywood, where he sang with the Mellomen, a group that performed with Frank Sinatra, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney and Elvis Presley.

In 1952, Ravenscroft's voice appeared in the first Frosted Flakes commercial.

Ravenscroft is survived by two children and four grandchildren. June, his wife of 53 years, died in 1999 at age 80.

Posted: 5/24/2005 6:54:50 AM EDT

[#1]

Heeeeees DEAD!

Posted: 5/24/2005 7:07:24 AM EDT

[#2]

Dead? Now wait just a minute... This guy was a "Big" part of entertainment history: he had "Small" parts to be sure, but all of us who live in the US and England would have noticed if it wasn't him in those roles and commercials. Now ask yourself: will you be remembered the same way?

I thought not.

Posted: 5/24/2005 7:11:11 AM EDT

[#3]

He also sang the songs in the TV version of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas."

"Your brain is full of spiders,
You've got garlic in your soul,
Mr. Gri--INCH!
I wouldn't touch you with a
Thirty-nine and a half foot pole!"

Posted: 5/24/2005 7:13:13 AM EDT

[#4]

Holy d00p!, Batman!

Posted: 5/24/2005 7:46:36 AM EDT

[#5]

Quoted:
Heeeeees DEAD!

And so will you someday, hopefully before you pollute the gene pool.

I just don't understand someone poking fun of a guy's death.

Posted: 5/24/2005 3:28:36 PM EDT

[#6]

Damn, the guy who was the voice of Fred Flintstone died too.

All the great ones are going.

Posted: 5/24/2005 3:29:58 PM EDT

[#7]

Quoted:
He also sang the songs in the TV version of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas."

"Your brain is full of spiders,
You've got garlic in your soul,
Mr. Gri--INCH!
I wouldn't touch you with a
Thirty-nine and a half foot pole!"

I thought that was Boris Karloff.

Posted: 5/24/2005 3:33:30 PM EDT

[#8]

ernest t bass from andy griffith show died today too....

that character was great

it's me it's me it's ernest t

Posted: 5/24/2005 3:39:59 PM EDT

[#9]

Quoted:
Quoted:
Heeeeees DEAD!

And so will you someday, hopefully before you pollute the gene pool.

I just don't understand someone poking fun of a guy's death.

I think that is HILARIOUS. But at the same time I feel really bad about laughing at someone's death.

Posted: 5/24/2005 3:52:08 PM EDT

[#10]

I think Boris Karloff did the Grinch speaking parts

Quoted:
Quoted:
He also sang the songs in the TV version of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas."

"Your brain is full of spiders,
You've got garlic in your soul,
Mr. Gri--INCH!
I wouldn't touch you with a
Thirty-nine and a half foot pole!"

I thought that was Boris Karloff.

Posted: 5/24/2005 4:00:39 PM EDT

[#11]

Quoted:
Quoted:
He also sang the songs in the TV version of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas."

"Your brain is full of spiders,
You've got garlic in your soul,
Mr. Gri--INCH!
I wouldn't touch you with a
Thirty-nine and a half foot pole!"

I thought that was Boris Karloff.

Nope. They had a tv special on the guy a couple years ago highlighting some of his most famous roles, including singing the songs on the Grinch and Tony the Tiger.

Anyone else remember the old Scrubbing Bubbles commercials? That was the same guy who did the voice for Tigger from Winnie the Pooh.

Ahem. Different person than the Tony the Tiger person. He also died long ago.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Voice of "Tony the Tiger" died

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