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Lionel Wilson (voice actor)

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For other people named Lionel Wilson, see Lionel Wilson.
Lionel Wilson
Born
Lionel Lazarus Salzer

(1924-03-22)March 22, 1924
Brooklyn, New York City, New York
DiedApril 30, 2003(2003-04-30) (aged 79)
Manhattan, New York City, New York
Cause of deathPneumonia
Years active1936–2002


Lionel Wilson (born Lionel Lazarus Salzer; March 22, 1924 – April 30, 2003) was a veteran American voice actor, reader of audiobooks, stage actor, and author of children's books. He was known for his roles from Tom Terrific through to his last role, voicing Eustace Bagge on the Cartoon Network's Courage the Cowardly Dog.[1]

[N.B.: The voice actor Lionel Wilson is frequently confused with the film actor Lionel G. Wilson at IMDb.]

Career

As stage actor

Lionel Wilson's interest in acting on the stage began at an early age—his first professional stage performance was in 1936 at the age of twelve. A few years later he was selected for the 1942 Barter Theatre Scholarship, which included summer in a kind of boot camp for aspiring thespians.[2] Over the course of his career he played in at least 25 professional stage productions, including four on Broadway:

As TV actor

Although his primary interest continued to be the stage, the unpredictability of that line of work led him to also undertake supporting roles in several TV series. Since supporting roles are sometimes not credited, the following list is almost certainly not complete:[29][30][31] [32]

  • The Magic Cottage, as Father Time, 28 December 1950 and an unidentified 1954 episode. Unfortunately, most episodes have apparently been lost, along with the credits. DuMont TV.
  • The Aldrich Family, as George Bigelow, occasional unidentified episodes, 1952–53. NBC TV.
  • Broadway Television Theatre, as Kiwi in The Hasty Heart, season 3 episode 4, November 1953; as Scooper in Janie, season 3 episode 5, November 1953; as Leo Davis in Room Service, season 3 episode 14, January 1954. WOR-TV (New York City).

As voice actor

An early venture in voiceover performance was in 1950, in episode 2 of the NBC radio show Top Secret, “The Admiral's Strange Identity”, playing Admiral Strassner voicing Karen Gaza.[33] To provide a more stable income he took on more voiceover work in the 1950s with television commercials.[34] In 1957 Gene Deitch invited him to work at Terrytoons, voicing all the characters for the innovative cliffhanger cartoon series Tom Terrific,[35][36][37] including Mighty Manfred the Wonder Dog and memorable baddie Crabby Appleton. The series consisted of 26 storylines, each of which had five 5-minute episodes. While at Terrytoons he also voiced characters in the John Doormat series,[38] A Bum Steer, the Clint Clobber Theatrical Series, Gaston le Crayon, and The Sidney the Elephant series of 19 episodes, one of which, Sidney's Family Tree, was nominated for an Academy Award as best short subject in 1959.[39] In 1963, the Sidney the Elephant series was repeated on The Hector Heathcote Show.[40] Starting in 1965 Wilson played Possible Possum, Macon Mouse, Owlawishus Owl and Billy Bear (pronounced "B'ar") and other minor characters in the Possible Possum series of 37 Terrytoons shorts. In 1966-67 he portrayed Rope Man, Cuckoo Man, and James Hound in the animated series of 20 seven-minute episodes of The Mighty Heroes, Ralph Bakshi's spoof of super avengers for Terrytoons.[41]

In 1965 he voiced Jester, Minstrel, Royal Mathematician, and Royal Wizard in Many Moons, which was later used as one segment of Alice of Wonderland in Paris.[42] In 1965–1970 he voiced Astronut in two episodes of The Astronut Show(1965–1970), Martian Moocher in one episode, and Cuckoo Man and Rope Man in one episode.[43] In 1968 he dubbed Hannibal Mouse, Mayor, and Watchdog in The World of Hans Christian Andersen.[44] In 1969 he provided all voices in the 52-episode revival of Winky Dink and You! [45] He was one of the voice performers in the Australian 1972 full-length cartoon Marco Polo Junior Versus the Red Dragon.[46] In 1981 he dubbed the voice of Glikko in the English-language release of the Japanese anime Enchanted Journey.[47] From 1983–1985 he was the narrator of Odd Card Out / Safari Solitaire and Mysteriosos / The Riddler in the six episodes of Braingames,[48] and in 1984 he dubbed the voice of Jason Jetter in episodes 53-77 of Star Blazers, the English adaptation of the Japanese anime series Space Battleship Yamato. [49][50] In 1998 he voiced unidentified characters in the feature cartoon The Secret of Mulan.[51]

In 1999, at the age of 75, Wilson landed the role of Eustace Bagge, the main antagonist on the Cartoon Network animated series Courage the Cowardly Dog,[52] and he played the same role in the Cartoon Network's Staylongers series in the summer of 2000.[53] Having completed 33 Courage episodes, in June 2002 Wilson retired because of illness and was replaced by Arthur Anderson[54].

As audiobook narrator

In between his other activities, he narrated or helped narrate over 100 children's audiobooks.[55]

As author

Wilson wrote a dozen books for children,[56] the scripts for several of his audiobooks such as the Clifford series,[57] and authored or co-authored the plays Pocket Full O'Rye (with Stanley Schacter),[58] Simon Says (with Fred Ebb),[59] Oh Where Have You Been, Billy Boy (with Lawrence N. Kasha),[60] Come And Be Killed,[61] and The Mischief on Merry Mountain.[62]

Death

Wilson died of pneumonia on April 30, 2003, at the age of 79.[63][64]

Citations

  1. ^ Eury, Michael (2017). Hero-A-Go-Go: Campy Comic Books, Crimefighters, & Culture of the Swinging Sixties. p. 217. ISBN 1605490733. Cuckoo Man and Rope Man were portrayed by Lionel G.[sic] Wilson, a voice actor whose Tom Terrific roles put him on the map. Wilson continued to work behind the microphone up until his 2003 death, voicing Eustace Bagge on the Cartoon Network's Courage the Cowardly Dog.
  2. ^ "Two Selected For Season At Barter". Richmond (Virginia) Times-Dispatch. 3 June 1942. p. 11.
  3. ^ Trebor, Haynes (15 September 1936). "'Dodsworth' Excellent Despite Balky Scenery". North Shore Daily Journal. (Flushing, New York). p. 8.
  4. ^ Wilson (2018), pp. 33–37.
  5. ^ "'Merry Widow' Week at Lyric Circus". Citizen–Advertiser. (Auburn, New York). 6 July 1958. p. 2.
  6. ^ "Janie". Playbill. 10 September 1942. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  7. ^ "At the Bucks County Playhouse in the Bellevue". Philadelphia Inquirer. 10 July 1944. p. 6.
  8. ^ "Good Morning, Corporal". Playbill. 8 August 1944. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  9. ^ "Kiss and Tell". Playbill. 17 March 1943. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  10. ^ Styron, Betty (10 July 1946). "'Eileen' Comes to Skaneateles". Post-Standard. (Syracuse, New York). p. 7.
  11. ^ "Tenting Tonight". The Sun. (New York City). 7 February 1947. p. 26.
  12. ^ "Sylvia Sidney enacts 'Joan'". Philadelphia Inquirer. 10 August 1947. p. 58.
  13. ^ "'John Loves Mary' New Bill At the Flatbush Theater". Brooklyn Eagle. 20 June 1948. p. 29.
  14. ^ Currie, George (15 September 1948). "Nancy Walker Whispers Through a Local Tryout". Brooklyn Eagle. p. 18.
  15. ^ "The Intruder". The Playgoer. 8 December 1952.
  16. ^ Apikian, Nevart (14 July 1954). "High Button Shoes Shine Brightly . . ". The Post-Standard. (Syracuse, New York). p. 5.
  17. ^ "Fragile Fox". Playbill. 12 October 1954. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  18. ^ "Rejuvenated 'Rio Rita' Begins Weeks Run . . ". Citizen-Advertiser. (Auburn, New York). 13 July 1955. p. 14.
  19. ^ "E.V.W." (24 August 1955). "Lyric Has Good Show In 'Wonderful Town'". Syracuse Herald-Journal. p. 54.
  20. ^ "At Allenberry". The Gazette and Daily. (York, Pennsylvania) Includes photograph. 29 June 1956. p. 41.
  21. ^ Simpson, Peg (14 August 1956). "Cartoon Voices Have Interesting Persons Attached". The Post-Standard. (Syracuse, New York). p. 26.
  22. ^ Taubman, Howard (29 January 1964). "'Once in a Lifetime' at the York Playhouse". The New York Times. p. 20.
  23. ^ "20th Anniversary Season, Pocono Playhouse". The Morning Call. (Allentown, Pennsylvania) Advertisement, including photograph. 12 June 1966. p. 81.
  24. ^ "The Fantasticks". Playbill. 22 January 1968.
  25. ^ "At the Drew". The East Hampton Star. (East Hampton, New York) Includes photograph. 1 August 1968. p. 15.
  26. ^ Albrecht, Ernest (12 February 1969). "Betsy puts the Bloom in 'Cactus Flower'". The Central NJ Home News. (New Brunswick, New Jersey). p. 19.
  27. ^ Marill, Alvin H. (2004). Mickey Rooney: His Films, Television Appearances, Radio Work, Stage Shows, and Recordings. p. 179. OCLC 56559427.
  28. ^ "Bergen Youth Orchestra to stage 'Soldier's Tale'". Newark Star-Ledger. (Newark, New Jersey). 5 April 1984. p. 67.
  29. ^ Rowan, Terry. Character-Based Film Series, Part I. p. 97.
  30. ^ Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (1992). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946–Present. p. 28.
  31. ^ Hawes, William (2001). Live Television Drama, 1946–1951. p. 280.
  32. ^ Terrace, Vincent (2013). Television Specials: 5336 Entertainment Programs, 1936–2012 (2 ed.). pp. 73–74.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link)
  33. ^ "The Admiral's Strange Identity". Top Secret (radio program). Episode 2. 19 June 1950. Event occurs at 17:03-17:36, credit at 29:18. NBC radio. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
  34. ^ Wilson (2018), pp. 171–174.
  35. ^ Deitch, Gene (2011). "35 Lionel Wilson". GeneDeitchCredits. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  36. ^ "What's New on the East Coast". TV-Radio Mirror. 48 (2): 79. July 1957.
  37. ^ Ehrbar, Greg (3 July 2018). "Terrytoons' "Tom Terrific" and Lionel Wilson on Records". Cartoon Research. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
  38. ^ McCall, Douglas L. (1998). Film Cartoons : a guide to 20th century American animated features and shorts. p. 196.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link)
  39. ^ "Academy Awards Database". (Search for Sidney's Family Tree). Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  40. ^ McCall (1998), p. 196.
  41. ^ McCall (1998), p. 202.
  42. ^ Beck, Jerry (2005). "Alice of Wonderland in Paris". The Animated Movie Guide. Chicago Review Press. pp. 12–13.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link)
  43. ^ Perlmutter, David. The Encylopedia of American Animated Television Shows. p. 46.
  44. ^ Beck (2005), p. 319.
  45. ^ "The Big Cartoon Database / Winky Dink and You!". Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  46. ^ "Marco Polo Junior". YouTube. Credit at 1:21:14 – 1:21:20. Retrieved 1 October 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  47. ^ Clements, Jonathan; McCarthy, Helen (2015). The Anime Encylopedia, 3rd Revised Edition: A Century of Japanese Animation. Enchanted Journey.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  48. ^ Terrace (2013), p. 130.
  49. ^ Painter, Arthur (21 June 2013). "Cosmo DNA: Episode 4 Commentary". (and following episodes). Retrieved 28 September 2018.
  50. ^ Wilson (2018), p. 253.
  51. ^ "The Secret of Mulan". YouTube. Credit at 49:01 – 49:04. Retrieved 1 October 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  52. ^ Brooks & Marsh (1992), p. 290.
  53. ^ "Behind the Voice Actors: Eustace Bagge". Retrieved 1 October 2018.
  54. ^ Catolico, Gianna Francesca (18 April 2016). "Voice of 'Eustace' in 'Cowardly Dog' is dead". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 24 September 2018. The original voice actor of Eustace, Lionel Wilson, left the show after 33 episodes due to illness. Anderson replaced him.
  55. ^ "Wilson, Lionel > Audiobook". WorldCat. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
  56. ^ "Books by Lionel Wilson". ISBNS.net. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
  57. ^ "Clifford the big red dog". WorldCat. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
  58. ^ Catalog of Copyright Entries Series Three [Periodicals, January–June]. p. 193 & p. 209: Library of Congress. 1948.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  59. ^ Funke, Lewis (7 May 1961). "News of the Rialto / Musical Will Lampoon Television Commercials—Sundry Other Items". The New York Times. p. X1.
  60. ^ "2 Broadway Shows Planned By Kasha". The New York Times. 8 April 1969. p. 42.
  61. ^ Norton, Elliot (20 June 1975). "About the New Plays in Summer Theaters". Boston Herald. p. 30.
  62. ^ Kronenberger, Lewis (1975). The Best Plays of 1974–1975.
  63. ^ "Lionel Wilson, Who Gave Voice To Tom Terrific, Is Dead at 79". The New York Times. 24 May 2003. p. A30. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
  64. ^ "Lionel Wilson, Actor-writer, voiced Tom Terrific on 'Captain Kangaroo'". Variety (6 May 2003 on-line ed.). 3 June 2003. p. 20. Retrieved 19 September 2018.

General references

  • Wilson, Lionel (2018). ″and also in the cast . . . ″ : The Saga of a Supporting Player. (Wilson's autobiography, completed in 1999 and published posthumously) vi + 279 pages. ISBN 978-1720738398.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link)
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