Sterling Holloway

Sterling Price Holloway, Jr. was an American actor and classic Disney voice actor. Most notably, he was the original voice of Winnie the Pooh, as well as the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland, Kaa from The Jungle Book, and Roquefort from The Aristocats. He was the narrator of cartoon shorts The Pelican and the Snipe, Goliath II, Susie the Little Blue Coupe, The Little House, The Cold-Blooded Penguin segment of The Three Caballeros, and the Peter and the Wolf segment from Make Mine Music. In early test recordings of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Holloway is heard in consideration to provide the voice of Sleepy. He voiced Mr. Stork from Dumbo, and the adult version of Flower from Bambi. He played Amos Mouse, the lead character and narrator from Ben and Me, and he reprised his role as Mr. Stork as the narrator of Lambert the Sheepish Lion. He was considered to voice Sexton Mouse in Robin Hood (film).

Sterling said that the role of Winnie the Pooh was his favorite role that he did for Disney. In addition to his work as a voice actor with his distinctive high-pitched voice, Holloway was also a movie and stage actor and appeared in movies such as Meet John Doe (1941) and It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963). He also appeared in a few Gene Autry movies and he also appeared on television in The Andy Griffith Show, A Family Affair, and Gilligan's Island.

Holloway was awarded the Disney Legend of 1991.^[1] He was escorted by the character of Pooh himself to receive the award. Sterling Holloway died on November 22, 1992 at the age of 87 from cardiac arrest. He was never married but did adopt a son named Richard Holloway who survived him. Following Sterling's death, Jim Cummings took over many of his characters for Disney.

Disney Roles

Gallery

Trivia

• Sterling Holloway also voiced Peter, Sasha, Sonia, and Ivan in the segment Peter and the Wolf from Make Mine Music, in which he was also the narrator.
• His voice can be heard in many commercials and TV spots, such as Morton Salt and Libby's.
• Jim Cummings took over many of the characters who were voiced by Sterling Holloway after his death in 1992.

References