Larry Kenney
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Larry Kenney | |
|---|---|
 Kenney in March 2014 | |
| Born | August 5, 1947 Pekin, Illinois, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation(s) | Voice actor, radio personality |
| Years active | 1963–present |
| Known for | Imus in the Morning ThunderCats SilverHawks Count Chocula Sonny the Cuckoo Bird Bowling for Dollars |
| Spouse | Carol Ann Jacobs Kenney[1] |
| Children | 3, including Kerri Kenney |
Larry Kenney (born August 5, 1947) is an American voice actor and radio personality.[2]
Career
In 1963, Kenney began his radio career at the age of 15 as a disc jockey at WIRL in Peoria, Illinois.[2][3] After WIRL, he worked at WOWO, Fort Wayne, Indiana;[2] WKYC (AM, now WTAM), Cleveland, Ohio (1970–1973); WHN, New York City;[3] WYNY, New York City; WJJD (now WYLL), Chicago, Illinois; and WKHK (now WLTW), New York City[2] until 1972.[3]
Kenney was part of the regular cast on the Imus in the Morning[3] radio show from 1973 to 2007, where he recorded impersonations of dozens of characters, including General George Patton, Andy Rooney and Ross Perot. Also in 1973, Kenney joined 1050 WHN (now WEPN), a country music station in New York City. He originally announced the afternoon drive-time, before taking over the prestigious morning drive-time in 1974. He stayed at WHN until the fall of 1979. His show was a hit, not only for the music, but also for his comical characters who "joined" him while performing his deejay duties. He was the host of the New York edition of the television show Bowling for Dollars on WOR-TV (now WWOR-TV) from 1976 to 1979.[citation needed]
He is also known for his voice work as Lion-O on the 1980s Rankin/Bass cartoon ThunderCats, and Karate Kat, a martial arts blackbelt cat featured as part of The Comic Strip. He was also the voice of Bluegrass in SilverHawks and Dolph in TigerSharks.[1] Kenney also did voice work for several breakfast cereal characters, including Count Chocula and Sonny the Cuckoo Bird.[2][3] In recent years, he has reprised this role for humorous ThunderCats references on the animated series Family Guy.[1] In the 2011 ThunderCats animated series on Cartoon Network, Kenney returned to the series, but as Claudus, Lion-O's and Tygra's father.
Kenney provided voice-overs for The State, the 1990s sketch comedy cult classic which featured his daughter, Kerri Kenney. He was also the announcer for VH1's Best Week Ever during its run from 2004 to 2009, and provides introductions for Westwood One's radio coverage of Monday Night Football and various other commercial work.[citation needed] He was the announcer for The Beat 102.7 in the video game Grand Theft Auto IV[1] and K.T.I. Radio in the L.A. Noire.
Personal life
He and his wife Carol Ann Jacobs Kenney[1] have three children: daughters Kerri and Ashley, and son Tanner.[2] Kerri, the eldest, is an actress, best known for her work on the series Reno 911! and The State. Ashley works in the nonprofit sector and is the bassist and singer for the band Witch Hair out of New Haven, Connecticut.[4] Tanner did a voice of the Intelligent Agenda Caller in the video game Grand Theft Auto IV.[5]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus | Commander of the Wind Demons (voice) | Television film |
| 2005 | Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story | Lion-O (voice) | Direct-to-video |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985–1989 | ThunderCats | Lion-O, Jackalman, Snarf Eggbert, Torr, Safari Joe, Wizz-Ra, Pilot (voices) | Main role 125 episodes |
| 1986 | SilverHawks | Lt. Colonel Bluegrass, Pokerface (voices) | 65 episodes |
| 1987 | The Comic Strip | Dolph, Karate Kat, Boom-Boom Burmese (voices) | 2 episodes |
| 2011–2012 | ThunderCats | Claudus[6] (voice) | 4 episodes |
| 2019–2020 | Teen Titans Go! | The Chief, Original Lion-O (voices) | 2 episodes |
| 2020 | ThunderCats Roar | Jaga[6] (voice) | 4 episodes |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Grand Theft Auto IV | The Beat 102.7 Announcer | |
| 2010 | Mafia II | Frank Vinci,[6] DJ | |
| 2011 | L.A. Noire | K.T.I. Radio Announcer | |
| 2012 | Alan Wake's American Nightmare | Eddie Rodman[6] | |
| 2018 | Red Dead Redemption 2 | JB Cripps[6] | Red Dead Online only |
References
- ^ a b c d e Larry Kenney at IMDb. Retrieved 2009-10-22.
- ^ a b c d e f "Larry Kenney". NBC News. Microsoft. Retrieved 2009-10-22.
- ^ a b c d e Fritz, Steve (2008-05-29). "Lion-O - Behind The Fur with Larry Kenney". Newsarama.com. New York City: Imaginova Corp. Retrieved 2009-10-22.
- ^ http://newengland.thedelimagazine.com/17823/loom-creates-echoes-on-new-single
- ^ Tanner Kenney at IMDb. Retrieved 2009-10-22.
- ^ a b c d e "Behind the Voice Actors – Larry Kenney". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
External links
- Larry Kenney on Facebook
- Larry Kenney at IMDb
Interviews
- Larry Kenney e-mail interview (2000) on Thundercatslair.com
- Larry Kenney interview (2002) on Matt Blank website
- Larry Kenney audio interview with Nick Mills (2008) on Thundercatslair.com
- Larry Kenney interview (c. 2008) with Rob Shan Lone on insomniacmania.com — transcript
- "ThunderCat Has His Tongue" (2009) with Don E. Smith Jr. on Cosmic Booknews