Cree Summer

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Cree Summer
Born Cree Summer Francks
July 7, 1969 (1969-07-07) (age 38)
Los Angeles, California
Occupation Actress, voice actor, singer
Years active 1983–present

Cree Summer Francks (born July 7, 1969 in Los Angeles, California), best known as Cree Summer, is an American-born actress, musician, and Emmy Award-nominated voice actress. She has followed a Native American spiritual lifestyle for most of her adult life.

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[edit] Early life and family

Summer was born in Los Angeles, California in 1969, but grew up on the Red Pheasant Reserve in Saskatchewan. She is the daughter of Canadian actor Don Francks and Lili Red Eagle, a member of the Plains Cree First Nations. Her brother, Rainbow Sun Francks, is a former MuchMusic VJ and former cast member of the television show Stargate Atlantis. Summer is well known as a close personal friend of actress Lisa Bonet.

[edit] Acting and voice acting career

Summer's career began in 1983 when she was cast as the voice of niece Penny on the original cartoon version of Inspector Gadget. Her unique, throaty voice was instantly recognizable to casting agents (as well as viewers even today), who began frequently casting her in animated programs. Many of these were part of cult franchises, like The Care Bears Movie (1985) and Ewoks (1985, part of the Star Wars franchise).

Audiences finally had a chance to put Summer's voice to a face when she was cast as the Afrocentric Winifred "Freddie" Brooks in The Cosby Show spin-off A Different World. Summer, a multiracial woman (of Caucasian, Black, and Native American descent) who wears her hair in a large afro-style, proved to have an appearance as unique as her voice. She remained a regular cast member of the show from 1988 through its end in 1993.

During the run of A Different World, Summer continued working in voice acting. She was cast in the short-lived television series Sweet Justice in 1994 until its cancellation in 1995. Barring guest appearances on other live-action television shows such as Living Single and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Summer's professional work since has been limited to voice acting.

In all, Summer has voiced over 70 animated characters between 1983 and 2006, many of them African-American girls. These have spanned the realm of video games, cartoon television series, animated films and commercials. Among her most famous roles was in Tiny Toon Adventures (1990) as Elmyra Duff (which she reprised for Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain) and Mary Melody, Aka Pella in Histeria!, Susie Carmichael in Rugrats and its spin-off All Grown Up!, Foxxy Love in Drawn Together, Dulcy the dragon in Sonic the Hedgehog, Princess 'Kida' Kidagakash for Disney's Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Valerie Gray in Danny Phantom (2004), Numbuh 5 and Cree Lincoln in Codename: Kids Next Door, Penelope in Barbie As Rapunzel and Miranda from As Told by Ginger.

[edit] Music career

Cree Summer
Birth name Cree Summer Francks
Born July 7, 1969 (1969-07-07) (age 38)
Origin Los Angeles, California, United States
Genre(s) Rock, Alternative
Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter, Actress, Voice Actor
Instrument(s) Vocals
Years active 1990 - Present
Label(s) A&M Records
Work Records
Associated acts Subject to Change, Lenny Kravitz
Website creesummer.com

Summer has also ventured into the realm of music. In 1990, she sang background vocals on two tracks for fellow A Different World cast member Jasmine Guy's self titled LP. In 1993 she released an album (as lead singer) with her band Subject to Change. The album was not officially released by Capitol Records because of creative differences; the records that were produced were distributed as promotions and are considered a rarity. The band, with an aggressive political message and rock-soul fusion sound, remained popular as a co-headlining act with other performers. In 1999, Summer released her solo album Street Faërie produced by and featuring guest artist (and friend) Lenny Kravitz, but the album was not hugely successful. Although Summer toured as Kravitz's opening act, her label dropped her and a planned spot with Lilith Fair was canceled. The label continued to promote the album, however, sending out a four-track sampler to radio and issuing remix singles of the track "Revelation Sunshine" in Europe, with a special single specifically for Austria. The character of Susie in All Grown Up! was portrayed as a "singer with real talent", allowing Summer to sing in the role.[1]

[edit] Filmography

[edit] Animated series roles

[edit] Film roles

[edit] Live-action TV show roles

[edit] Video game roles

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

  • Appeared on the Juno Award-nominated album I Lost My Pet Lizard (1979)
  • Appeared as Debbie in the Canadian Sesame Street album Big Bird & Oscar the Grouch: Camping in Canada (1981)
  • Womb Amnesia – (1993)
  • Street Faërie – (1999)

[edit] Singles

  • Revelation Sunshine
  • Savior Self
  • Cool Kitty

[edit] Trivia

  • Cree's full name is Cree Summer Lisa Francks. She stated that 'Francks' sounds like "a hotdog ad" which is why she chooses to drop her last name and go by Cree Summer.
  • Cree has provided the vocals for a select number of TV show themes, including All Grown Up, As Told by Ginger (the original version, before it was replaced in all episodes — past and present — by the Macy Gray version), and OWL/TV.
  • Cree reprised her role of Penny from Inspector Gadget in the Robot Chicken episode "Adoption's an Option" alongside Frank Welker reprising his roles as Dr. Claw, Brain and MAD Cat.
  • Cree is referenced in a Kanye West song, "Spaceship", when West says "That's a different world like Cree Summer".
  • Cree Summer joined her first band at age 13.
  • She was in a long-term relationship with actor Kadeem Hardison during the run of A Different World. She was never bothered by his character's on-screen romance with Jasmine Guy, stating that they were "like sisters" in real life, the direct opposites of their characters
  • In the first season Drawn Together DVD commentary she stated that she was originally hired to do the voice of Meg on FOX's animated series Family Guy, but was fired as she was "too black".

[edit] References

  1. ^ Inside The "All Grown Up" Series

[edit] External links

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