David Seville
David Seville | |
---|---|
Alvin and the Chipmunks character | |
First appearance | 1958: Created |
Created by | Ross Bagdasarian Sr. |
Portrayed by | Jason Lee |
Voiced by | Ross Bagdasarian Sr. (1958–72) Ross Bagdasarian Jr. (1979–present) |
In-universe information | |
Species | Human |
Gender | Male |
Occupation | Record producer, band manager, songwriter |
Family | Toby Seville (cousin) |
Children |
|
Relatives | Jackie Seville (aunt) |
Nationality | American |
Official website | chipmunks |
David "Dave" Seville is a fictional character, the adoptive father and producer and manager of the fictional singing group Alvin and the Chipmunks. The character was created by Ross Bagdasarian Sr., who had used the name "David Seville" as his stage name prior to the creation of the Chipmunks, while writing and recording novelty records in the 1950s.[1] One of the records, recorded in 1958 under the David Seville stage name, was "Witch Doctor", featuring a sped-up high-pitched vocal technique. Bagdasarian would later use that technique in "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)", which would introduce both Alvin and the Chipmunks as a singing group and Bagdasarian's music producer "Dave". Bagdasarian would go on to create The Alvin Show, based on the Alvin and the Chipmunks group, where he voiced the semi-fictional character David Seville,[2] based largely on himself, with Alvin based on Ross's sometimes rebellious son Adam.[1]
Bagdasarian Sr. died in 1972, and his son (Adam's brother) Ross Bagdasarian Jr. took over ownership of Bagdasarian Productions. He reprised the David Seville character, first in a series of novelty albums beginning with 1980's Chipmunk Punk.[3] Bagdasarian Jr. subsequently assumed the role on the TV series Alvin and the Chipmunks, which ran in original episodes from 1983–1990. Bagdasarian Jr. has voiced David Seville in all official animated and recorded incarnations of David Seville since taking over for his father in the 1970s, including TV series, animated specials, and direct-to-video productions. He most recently voiced the character in the 2015 reboot of the Alvin and the Chipmunks television show.
Actor Jason Lee also portrays David Seville in live action/CGI films starring Alvin and the Chipmunks, which use a combination of live-action acting and computer animation.[4] While Ross Bagdasarian Jr. does not do any voices for the film series, the films are all produced in association with Bagdasarian Productions, which owns the rights to all of the characters.
Portrayed by
Portrayed by | TV Series | Film Series | Air Date | Year | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ross Bagdasarian Sr. | The Alvin Show | 1961–62 | 1950s–1972 | Creator | |
Ross Bagdasarian Jr. | Alvin and the Chipmunks | 1983–1990 | 1979–present | Producer and voice | |
ALVINNN!!! and the Chipmunks | 2015–present | ||||
Jason Lee | Film series | 2007–2015 | live action/CGI films |
Filmography
Films
Year | Title | Role | Portrayed By | Production | Producer |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1987 | The Chipmunk Adventure | Main | Ross Bagdasarian Jr. | Bagdasarian Productions | Ross Bagdasarian Jr. |
1999 | Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet Frankenstein | Bagdasarian Company Universal Cartoon Studios |
Kathi Castillo | ||
2000 | Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet the Wolfman | ||||
2003 | Little Alvin and the Mini-Munks | Bagdasarian Company Paramount Pictures |
Ross Bagdasarian Jr. | ||
2007 | Alvin and the Chipmunks | Jason Lee | Bagdasarian Company Fox 2000 Pictures Regency Enterprises |
Janice Karman Ross Bagdasarian Jr. | |
2009 | Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel | ||||
2011 | Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked | ||||
2015 | Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Voice by | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1961–1962 | The Alvin Show | Main | Ross Bagdasarian Sr. | October 1961 |
1983–1990 | Alvin and the Chipmunks | Ross Bagdasarian Jr. | Original Series | |
2015–present | ALVINNN!!! and the Chipmunks | Started August 2015 |
See also
References
- ^ a b Blevins, Joe (November 10, 2015). "The Dark, Angry Father of 'Alvin and the Chipmunks'". Splitsider. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
- ^ Beck, Jerry (January 14, 2015). ""The Alvin Show" Coming to Blu-Ray". IndieWire. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
- ^ Rayl, Salley; Bell, Bonnie (October 20, 1980). "Chipmunk Punk? Yep, Those Amazing Animals—Alvin, Simon & Theodore—have Chirped Back Onto the Charts". People. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
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: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Radish, Christina (December 13, 2011). "Jason Lee ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: CHIPWRECKED Interview". Collider. Retrieved October 3, 2018.