Jump to content

Tony Jay

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 188.241.47.43 (talk) at 09:02, 19 June 2017 (→Death). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Tony Jay
Born(1933-02-02)2 February 1933[1]
London, England, UK
Died13 August 2006 (2006-08-14) (aged 73)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Cause of deathComplications of a non-cancerous tumor in his lungs following endoscopic surgery
Resting placeForest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills
NationalityBritish
CitizenshipBritish (1933-1986)
American (1986-2006)
Alma materPinner County Grammar School
Occupation(s)Actor, voice actor, singer
Years active1966–2006
Notable workVoice of Megabyte in ReBoot (1994-2001)
Original voice of Judge Claude Frollo in Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)
Height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
SpouseMarta MacGeraghty (1974-2006; his death)
ChildrenAdam Jay (b. 1990)
ParentEdith Jay (mother)
RelativesRobert Jay (brother)
Lynda Jay (sister-in-law)

Tony Jay (February 2, 1933[2] – August 13, 2006)[3] was an English actor, voice actor, and singer. A former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, he was known for his voice work in animation, film, and video games. Jay was particularly well known for his distinctive baritone voice, which often led to him being cast in villainous roles. He was best known as the voice of Judge Claude Frollo in Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), Megabyte in ReBoot (1994-2001) and the Elder God (plus various other roles) in the Legacy of Kain series of video games.

Jay also made many distinguished onscreen appearances, including the role of Nigel St. John on Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1993-1995). He further made guest appearances on programs including The Golden Girls, Twin Peaks, and Night Court. His most prominent onscreen role, however, is that of Professor Werner in Twins (1988), the mentor to Arnold Schwarzenegger's protagonist Julius Benedict.

Career

Tony Jay appeared on-screen in several Tom and Jerry: The Movie films and on television, including Love and Death, Night Court, The Golden Girls, Twins, and Eerie, Indiana. He also developed a career in the theatre, in plays such as The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, Great Expectations, and The Merchant of Venice. Jay's other non-animation roles included Paracelsus on the 1987 CBS TV series adaptation of Beauty and the Beast; Minister Campio on Star Trek: The Next Generation; and Lex Luthor's villainous aide-de-camp Nigel St. John in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.

He was also well known for his role as the voice of the virus Megabyte in the computer animated television show ReBoot (1994-2001), and for his voice work as Judge Claude Frollo in Disney's 1996 animated film adaptation of The Hunchback of Notre Dame and in the Walt Disney World version of the nighttime light and fireworks show Fantasmic!. He also previously voiced Monsieur D'Arque, the amoral asylum superintendent, in Disney's 1991 hit animated film version of Beauty and the Beast. In 1995-96, Jay had another animation voice as he voiced a vile alien warlord named Lord Dregg, the new main villain of the original 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated TV series in the show's last two seasons.

He is also well-known among fans of the 1996-2003 video game series Legacy of Kain for his voicing of the original Mortanius and of the Elder God, alongside several other minor characters. He was also the successor of actor George Sanders from the 1967 Disney animated film The Jungle Book in the role of Shere Khan. In 1990-91, Jay voiced the character in Disney's animated TV series TaleSpin and reprised his role of the character for fifteen years after it ended until his death. In 2003, The Jungle Book 2 was his final reprisal of the role.

Jay was a devotee of classic Broadway and made several recordings and performances of old-time Broadway lyrics, in spoken-word form. A CD of these readings, Speaking of Broadway, was released in 2005; a version recorded years earlier of the same collection was titled Poets on Broadway, as is his website. It features Jay reciting lyrics written by the likes of Noël Coward, Ira Gershwin, and Oscar Hammerstein and was composed entirely by him, according to the CD liner notes.

Personal life

Jay was born in London. He moved to South Africa and was involved with many radio productions on the SABC Commercial Radio Service, Springbok Radio, until 1980. He later moved to the United States, and became a naturalized American citizen. He married Married With Children make up artist, Kathy Rogers, in 1988, and they had a son, Adam, later that year.[4] In 2004, he married Marta MacGeraghty.[3]

Illness and death

In April 2006, he underwent surgery in Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles to remove a non-cancerous tumor from his lungs.[5] He never fully recovered from the operation and was in a critical condition throughout the following months. Jay eventually died on August 13, 2006, at the age of 73. He was survived by his wife Marta, his son Adam, his brother Robert, his sister-in-law Lynda, his nephew Rylan, his niece Natasha, and his mother Ethel[6].[7] [citation needed] Tony Jay is buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles, California.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Narration

Notable projects for which Tony Jay provided narration include:

Voice-overs

Notable projects for which Tony Jay narrated include:

  • LBC Radio (London) - Tony Jay narrated voice-overs for the station's main jingle packages between 1974 and 1980.
  • SPRINGBOK RADIO (South Africa) - Tony Jay acted, wrote & produced many radio series in South Africa on the Commercial Radio Service, Springbok Radio.
  • Kirby's Dream Land 2 commercial.

References

  1. ^ Behind The Voice Actors. "Tony Jay". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  2. ^ Behind The Voice Actors. "Tony Jay". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  3. ^ a b "Tony Jay—Obituary". The Associated Press. 21 August 2006. Retrieved 28 August 2013. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ Jay, Natasha, 2017 (niece of Tony Jay).
  5. ^ "Daytime Emmy nominated Tony JayLoses Fight to Recover". Archived from the original on 7 September 2006. Retrieved 14 April 2010.
  6. ^ Jay, Natasha, 2017. (niece of Tony Jay)
  7. ^ Nelson, Valerie J. (20 August 2006). "Obituaries: Tony Jay, 73; Veteran Voice Actor in Film and Video Games". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tony_Jay&oldid=786410786"