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Vance DeBar "Pinto" Colvig, Sr. was a vaudeville American actor, voice actor, comedian, newspaper cartoonist, circus performer, screenwriter, and animator, who was the story man at Walt Disney Productions, perhaps better known for his voice work. His most famous for his Disney role was as the original voice of Goofy from 1932 to 1938, and again from 1941 until his death in 1967. He also provided the voices of Pluto from 1932 to 1937 and again from 1954 to 1957, Grumpy and Sleepy in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Practical Pig in The Three Little Pigs, and other classic characters.

Born in Jacksonville, Oregon; one of seven children, he attended, but did not graduate from Medford High School. However, Colvig was accepted and attended, sporadically from 1910 to 1913, Oregon Agricultural College, in Corvallis, where he took art classes and played clarinet in the band as well as drawing cartoons for the Oregon Agricultural College Barometer newspaper, and the yearbook.

From 1913 to 1922, Colvig worked as a cartoonist and in various performances outlets including the Al G. Barnes Circus before moving his family to Hollywood. Continuing work as animator and writer for different companies, Colvig eventually obtained an eight-year contract with Walt Disney Productions as a writer and sound effects artist. Between 1937 and 1940, Colvig did not work for the Disney studio, after falling out with Walt Disney and worked with Fleischer Studios, such as the 1939 film Gulliver's Travels before returning to Disney.

He also voiced other characters such as Bluto (Popeye the Sailor), the sounds of Jack Benny's Maxwell on The Jack Benny Program, a Munchkin in the 1939 MGM film The Wizard of Oz, and Bozo the Clown for Capitol Records in which he played the role for a full decade, which also included portraying the character on television.

A lifelong smoker, Colvig was one of the pioneers in advocating warning labels about cancer risk on cigarette packages. He died of lung cancer in 1967 and was interred at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City.

Disney writing credits[]

Year Film Position
1932 Mickey's Revue Story and voice - uncredited
1932 The Whoopee Party Story and voice - uncredited
1932 Touchdown Mickey Story and Voice - uncredited
1932 The Klondike Kid Story and voice - uncredited
1933 The Steeple-Chase Story and voice - uncredited
1933 Three Little Pigs Writer and voice
1934 The Grasshopper and the Ants Story and voice - uncredited
1935 The Cookie Carnival Writer and voice
1935 Music Land Writer and voice
1935 Broken Toys Writer and voice
1937 Mickey's Amateurs Writer and voice
1938 Merbabies Writer

Disney Roles[]

Trivia[]

  • Colvig was the original Bozo the Clown. He played the role of Bozo from 1946 to 1949.
  • He posthumously became a Disney Legend in 1993 and was put in the Clown Hall of Fame in 2004.

Gallery[]

External Links[]



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Walt Disney Animation Studios - Transparent Logo
1920s—1970s
Disney's Nine Old Men: Milt KahlFrank ThomasOllie JohnstonLes ClarkJohn LounsberyMarc DavisWard KimballEric LarsonWolfgang Reitherman

Animators: Bill TytlaArt BabbittLee BlairPreston BlairFred MooreShamus CulhaneCy YoungDon LuskNorman FergusonHal KingJack HannahDick KinneyHal AmbroKen O'BrienJudge WhitakerBill JusticeDon BluthGary GoldmanCharles A. NicholsBlaine GibsonJohn EwingWalt StanchfieldRolly CrumpFred HellmichAmby PaliwodaWilfred JacksonXavier AtencioBen SharpsteenEarl HurdDale OliverEric CleworthDavid HandFred SpencerJulius SvendsenJack BradburyKenneth MuseRudolf IsingHugh HarmanFriz FrelengWalt KellyLeo SalkinJohn DehnerRetta ScottDavid SwiftMel ShawJack CuttingGrant SimmonsArt StevensFrank TashlinWathel RogersTyrus WongJohnny Cannon
Visual Development, Layout, Background Artists and Character Designers: Gustaf TenggrenMary BlairMarjorie RalstonLillian BoundsJoe GrantMel ShawClaude CoatsDon DaGradiJohn HenchEyvind EarleKen O'ConnorThor PutnamAlbert HurterJohn HubleyHerbert RymanDon GriffithBasil DavidovichJack BoydPeter EllenshawRuthie TompsonEarl DuvallRetta DavidsonUb IwerksVance GerryHazel SewellJames BodreroLance NolleyGrace BaileyMaurice NobleDale BarnhartAndy EngmanEustace LycettJohn EmersonJoe Hale
Storyboard Artists and Writers: Bill PeetRalph WrightDick HuemerFloyd NormanYale GraceyTed SearsErdman PennerJoe RinaldiWinston HiblerOtto EnglanderWilliam CottrellBill BergAl BertinoT. HeeHomer BrightmanTed OsbourneLarry ClemmonsHarry ReevesJesse MarshChuck CouchWebb SmithDick Sebast
Directors: Clyde GeronimiHamilton LuskeJack KinneyTed BermanRichard RichGeorge ScribnerRiley ThomsonDick LundyJack KingBurt GillettJames AlgarBill RobertsLarry Lansburgh
Producers: Walt DisneyRon MillerKen AndersonDon DuckwallPerce PearceMargaret J. Winkler

1980s—present
Renaissance Directors: Rob MinkoffRoger AllersGary TrousdaleKirk WiseChris SandersMark DindalJohn Musker

Story Trust Directors: Ron ClementsChris BuckByron HowardDon HallChris WilliamsRich MooreStephen J. AndersonNathan GrenoFawn Veerasunthorn
Producers: Peter Del VechoClark SpencerRoy ConliDorothy McKimDon HahnShane Morris
Chief Creative Officer: Jennifer Lee
Associated Figures: Bob IgerRoy Edward DisneyMichael EisnerJohn LasseterEd CatmullJeffrey KatzenbergBob Chapek
Signature Voice Actors: Jim CummingsAlan TudykKatie LowesJohn DiMaggioMaurice LaMarcheJodi BensonDavid Ogden StiersJesse CortiPaul BriggsRaymond S. PersiPhil JohnstonFrank WelkerBill FarmerBrian Cummings
Signature Musicians: Robert B. Sherman Richard M. Sherman Alan Menken Kristen Anderson-Lopez Robert LopezLin-Manuel MirandaHoward AshmanTim RicePhil CollinsStephen SchwartzMarc ShaimanDanny Troob
Supervising Animators: Glen KeaneAndreas DejaEric GoldbergMark HennJohn PomeroyRandy HaycockDale BaerTony BancroftTom BancroftTony FucileAnthony DeRosaRuss EdmondsRandy HaycockBruce W. SmithDuncan MarjoribanksRuben AquinoNik RanieriRon HusbandRick FarmiloeTom SitoTony AnselmoWill FinnKathy Zielinski
Visual Development & Storyboard Artists: Dean DeBloisClaire KeaneBrittney LeeJin KimShiyoon KimRyan Green

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