Thurl Ravenscroft

Thurl Ravenscroft was an American voice actor and singer.

Ravenscroft was born in Norfolk, Nebraska. He served as a navigator in the WWII Air Transport Command before settling in Hollywood.

An accomplished singer, he performed with The Sportsmen, The Mellomen, The Johnny Mann Singers, and many major stars, including Jim Nabors and Elvis Presley. He is best known, however, for his mellifluous voiceovers, particularly as the voice of Tony the Tiger in both English and Spanish commercials for Kellogg's Frosted Flakes cereal. In 1996, he and his wife June retired in Southern California, although he still did occasional work as Tony until his death.

His voice can be heard in several Disney theme park attractions, including The Haunted Mansion (as the lead singing bust), Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room (as Fritz, Tangaroa and some of the Tiki Masks), Country Bear Jamboree (as Buff), Pirates of the Caribbean (as several singing pirates), and as a former narrator on the Disneyland Railroad. He also voiced the herald declaring Sleeping Beauty Castle open during Disneyland's opening day.

In 1995, he was honored as a Disney Legend.

He died in his home in Fullerton, California on May 22, 2005.

Disney Film and TV Roles

 * Pinocchio (1940) - Monstro
 * Dumbo (1941) - Singer
 * The Nifty Nineties (1941) - Singer
 * Springtime for Pluto (1944) - The deep-voiced singing caterpillar before it transforms
 * Make Mine Music (1946) - Singer
 * Melody Time (1948) - Big Toot
 * Cinderella (1950) - Additional voices
 * Alice in Wonderland (1951) - Card Painter
 * Peter Pan (1953) - Chorus Singer
 * Lady and the Tramp (1955) - Al the Alligator
 * The Story of Anyburg, U.S.A. (1957) - Cyrus P. Sliderule
 * Paul Bunyan (1958) - Paul Bunyan
 * Sleeping Beauty (1959) - Singer (uncredited)
 * One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961) - Captain
 * The Sword in the Stone (1963) - Sir Bart
 * Dr.Syn: The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh (1963) - Singer (uncredited)
 * Mary Poppins (1964) - Hog/Andrew's Whimper (uncredited)
 * Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree (1966) - Singer (uncredited)
 * The Jungle Book (1967) - Shere Khan (singing voice), Colonel Hathi's crew (uncredited)
 * Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day (1968) - Singer (uncredited)
 * Story and Song from The Haunted Mansion (1969) - Narrator; Lead singing bust
 * The Aristocats (1970) - Billy Boss
 * Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971) - Singer
 * Disney on Parade (1971) - Baloo, Stromboli
 * Robin Hood (1973) - Singer
 * The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977) - Singer (uncredited)
 * The Small One (1978) - The Potter
 * The Great Mouse Detective (1986) - Singer
 * The Brave Little Toaster (1987) - Kirby
 * The Little Mermaid (1989) - Singer
 * Disneyland Fun (1990) - "Grim Grinning Ghosts" singer
 * Beauty and the Beast (1991) - Singer
 * The Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue (1998) - Kirby
 * The Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars (1999) - Kirby

Disney Parks Roles

 * Sailing Ship Columbia - Sea chantey singer
 * Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room - Fritz; Tangaroa; singing tiki masks
 * It's a Small World - Finale singer
 * Adventure Thru Inner Space - "Miracles From Molecules" singer
 * Pirates of the Caribbean - Singing pirates; singing dog
 * The Haunted Mansion - Lead singing bust
 * Country Bear Jamboree - Buff; Big Al's laugh
 * Country Bear Christmas Special - Buff
 * Country Bear Vacation Hoedown - Buff
 * Pan Galactic Pizza Port - Pan Galactic Pizza Port commercial spokesman.
 * Disneyland Railroad - Narrator
 * Mark Twain Riverboat - First mate
 * Splash Mountain - Singing Bullfrogs
 * The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh - Singer