Joe Alaskey
| Joe Alaskey | |
|---|---|
| Born |
May 26, 1949 New York |
| Years active | 1977–present |
Joseph "Joe" Alaskey (born May 26, 1949) is an American actor, comedian, and voice artist, credited as one of the successors of Mel Blanc in impersonating the voices of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Sylvester, Tweety and other characters from Warner Bros. cartoons, such as Plucky Duck on Tiny Toon Adventures from 1990-95. He was born in Watervliet, New York.
Other work
Alaskey has also done voices for non-Warner Bros. characters. He has voiced Grandpa Lou Pickles on Rugrats (inheriting the role after David Doyle's death in 1997). He voiced Lou again in the Rugrats spin-off series, All Grown Up!. He also created the voice of Thomas Timberwolf for the internet series TimberWolf, created by animation legend Chuck Jones. Alaskey was heard briefly as the voice-over announcer for the Toon Disney channel (and sometimes Dcom extras on Disney Channel). He was the voice of Curt Connors in the Spider-Man 2 video game and Doctor Octopus in Spider-Man: Friend or Foe.
Alaskey has been seen occasionally on screen impersonating Jackie Gleason, with whom he shares a physical resemblance. In the 1980s, Gleason personally chose Alaskey to re-record selected dialogue from the "lost episodes" of The Honeymooners found in Gleason's private collection.[1] Alaskey also provided a vocal Gleason impersonation in the "Mighty's Wedlock Whimsy" episode of Ralph Bakshi's Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures in 1988, and a Cary Grant impersonation in "The Bride of Mighty Mouse" episode from the same season. Alaskey was in the independent film The Legend of Sasquatch and voices Mermaid Man in the video games SpongeBob SquarePants: Lights, Camera, Pants! and SpongeBob SquarePants: Creature from the Krusty Krab. Alaskey also voiced Stinkie in Casper as well as that film's 1996 animated spin-off, The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper. He did additional voices for Beauty and the Beast (1991).
Alaskey is known for playing the role of Beano Froelich in the television sitcom Out of This World. Alaskey left the show early in its final season but made appearances in a few episodes.
In 1989, Alaskey worked as the original announcer on the short-lived game show Couch Potatoes, hosted by Marc Summers. Alaskey would make on-screen appearances, portraying the show's "next door neighbor." For the show's final weeks, Alaskey was replaced by Jim McKrell and the "next door neighbor" concept was dropped.
In 1994, Alaskey voiced McKluck and the Sneetches in Storybook Weaver, and later in 2004, deluxe version in Storybook Weaver Deluxe.
In 2008, Alaskey participated in a unique interview conducted by Logan Leistikow and released by TheYellowMic.com. He answered questions and told his story, then went out onto Hollywood Boulevard and talked to people on the street who wanted to hear his famous voices. This was the first time Alaskey had performed in public in this manner.
In 2011, Alaskey voiced the Butch the Cat, Droopy, Professor Marvel and third title character in the direct-to-video film, Tom and Jerry and the Wizard of Oz.
References
- ↑ Kaplan, Peter W. (January 26, 1985). "75 'Honeymooners' Episodes Found". The New York Times. Retrieved 2006-11-26.