Veteran voice Les Tremayne dead at 90

Posted:
Dec 23, 2003

English-born actor Les Tremayne, whose stentorian voice lent itself to countless cartoons, radio programs and movies, died Friday, his family said.

Tremayne was 90. He died at St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California, his wife Joan said Monday. The cause of death was not immediately released.

In 1995, Tremayne was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame for his many achievements.

He provided voices for several cartoon series, including Mister Magoo, Hanna-Barbera's 1978-79 series Godzilla (as part of various hour-long programs) and H-B's The New Jonny Quest (1986).

In 1984, he was one of the voices on The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries.

Other series for which Tremayne provided vocal talent included The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo (1985) and Wildfire (1986), both for Hanna-Barbera.

Tremayne stepped away from H-B to provide a voice in the 1982 Warner Bros. feature film Bugs Bunny's 3rd Movie: 1001 Rabbit Tales. His was the voice of Arthur in the 1985 Filmation Associates animated feature Starchaser: The Legend of Orin. He had the dual roles of Orin and Bombo in DiC Entertainment's 1985 feature Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer.

Much earlier, he had been among the vocal talent in the 1970 MGM cartoon feature The Phantom Tollbooth.

Tremayne portrayed Fagin in the 1974 Filmation Associates feature Oliver Twist, reprising the role in a 1981 ABC special by the same studio.

In the late 1960s to late 1970s, he kept busy with several TV specials produced by Chuck Jones Enterprises.

Tremayne played Churchy La Femme and Beauregard in The Pogo Special Birthday Special (1969). Tremayne was Chester C. Cricket, Harry the Cat, Father and the Music Teacher in A Cricket in Times Square (1973), reappearing as Chester and Harry in A Very Merry Cricket, released later that year. In 1975, he was again Chester and Harry -- as well as John the Firefly, Thomas Jefferson and Paul Revere -- in the Bicentennial sequel Yankee Doodle Cricket.

He portrayed Teddy's Father in Rikki-Tikki-Tavi (1975). Santa Claus and Alexander Graham Wolf were his roles in Raggedy Ann and Andy in The Great Santa Claus Caper (1978), while he was Pumpkin in Raggedy Ann and Andy in The Pumpkin Who Couldn't Smile, released the following year.

Tremayne was born near London on April 16, 1913. His parents were an American electrician-carpenter and an aspiring actress.

When he was 4, the family moved to Chicago; he grew up in tough parts of the city, his wife said.

While still a high-school student, Tremayne got his first voice job on radio on the show Night Court.

He had lead roles in such radio series as The Falcon, The Adventures of the Thin Man (as Nick Charles) and One Man's Family (appearing on the TV version in 1949). From 1936 to 1943, he starred in First Nighter Program.

He moved to Los Angeles in the 1940s. From the late 1940s through the early 1990s, he guested on such TV shows as Perry Mason and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. There were recurring roles in such series as The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin, The Adventures of Ellery Queen and Shazam!.

Tremayne appeared -- or offered his voice -- in such live-action feature films as North by Northwest, The Gallant Hours and Goldfinger.