Joseph Francis Alaskey III (April 17, 1952 – February 3, 2016) was an American actor and comedian. He was one of Mel Blanc's successors at the Warner Bros. Animation studio until his death. He alternated with Jeff Bergman, Greg Burson, Jim Cummings, Bob Bergen, Maurice LaMarche, and Billy West in voicing Warner Bros. cartoon characters such as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Sylvester, Tweety, Elmer Fudd, Yosemite Sam, Foghorn Leghorn, Pepé Le Pew, Marvin the Martian, Speedy Gonzales, Wile E. Coyote, Road Runner and Taz, among many others. He also voiced Plucky Duck on Tiny Toon Adventures from 1990 to 1995. Alaskey was the second actor to voice Grandpa Lou Pickles on the Nickelodeon cartoon Rugrats (taking over after David Doyle's death in 1997). He voiced Lou again in the Rugrats spin-off series All Grown Up!.
Joe Alaskey | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Joseph Francis Alaskey III April 17, 1952 Troy, New York, U.S. |
| Died | February 3, 2016 (aged 63)[1] |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1975–2016 |
| Website | www.joealaskey.com (archived) |
Early life edit
Alaskey was born in Troy, New York, on April 17, 1952 to Joseph Francis Alaskey Jr. and Domenica "Dorothy" De Sorrento De Luca Alaskey.[3][2] At age three, he was looking for a pair of sunglasses or people's cigar butts so that he could portray different characters.[4] Alaskey was interested in archeology at the age of ten.[4] After archeology, he was interested in becoming a priest and an English teacher.[4] Alaskey moved to New York City in the 1970s, where he worked in insurance while preparing to become an actor.[4]
Career edit
After moving to New York City, Alaskey began his show business career as a stand-up comedian and broadcaster.[5][6] He was occasionally seen onscreen impersonating Jackie Gleason, with whom he shared a physical resemblance.[4] In the 1980s, Gleason personally chose Alaskey to re-record selected dialogue from the "lost episodes" of The Honeymooners found in Gleason's private collection.[7] After Gleason died in 1987, the project was shelved.[4] In 1985, Alaskey provided various voices for Galtar and the Golden Lance. Alaskey was in several television shows including Night Court, Head of the Class, Back to the Future, and Spitting Image: The 1987 Movie Awards. His first major film was Who Framed Roger Rabbit as Yosemite Sam.[8] Alaskey provided a vocal Gleason impersonation in the "Mighty's Wedlock Whimsy" episode of Bakshi-Hyde Ventures' Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures in 1988, and a Cary Grant impersonation in "The Bride of Mighty Mouse" episode from the same season.
Although best known for his ability to successfully impersonate Looney Tunes characters, Alaskey did voice work for non-Warner Bros. characters as well. He has voiced Grandpa Lou Pickles on Rugrats (inheriting the role after David Doyle's death in 1997).[3][9] He voiced Lou again in the Rugrats spin-off series, All Grown Up!. He also created the voice of Thomas Timberwolf for the internet series TimberWolf, created by animation legend Chuck Jones. He was heard briefly as a voice-over announcer for the Toon Disney channel (and sometimes Dcom extras on Disney Channel). He was the voice of Curt Connors in the Spider-Man 2 video game and Doctor Octopus in Spider-Man: Friend or Foe. Alaskey was in the independent film The Legend of Sasquatch and voiced Mermaid Man in the video games SpongeBob SquarePants: Lights, Camera, Pants! and SpongeBob SquarePants: Creature from the Krusty Krab. He voiced Stinkie in Casper as well as that film's 1996 animated spin-off, The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper. Alaskey played Beano Froelich in Out of This World but left the show early in its final season, making only infrequent appearances in a few episodes. In the 1980s, he worked as the original announcer on the short-lived game show Couch Potatoes, hosted by Marc Summers. Alaskey made several onscreen appearances, portraying the show's "next door neighbor". For the show's final weeks, he was replaced by Jim McKrell and the "next door neighbor" concept was dropped. During this time, he was also a panelist on The New Hollywood Squares, hosted by John Davidson.[citation needed]
In 2003, he took over the roles of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck in the film Looney Tunes: Back in Action.[8] He also, at times, provided the voices for Sylvester, Tweety, and other Looney Tunes characters.[8] Alaskey was the primary voice for Plucky Duck on Tiny Toon Adventures.[8]
In 2008, Alaskey participated in a unique interview conducted by Logan Leistikow and released by TheYellowMic.com. He answered questions and told his story, then went out onto Hollywood Boulevard and talked to people on the street who wanted to hear his famous voices. This was the first time Alaskey had performed in public in this manner.[10]
In 2014, Alaskey started narrating the television documentary series Murder Comes to Town, which airs on the Investigation Discovery Network.
Alaskey's only leading role in a live-action film was as lovable loser Ron Douglas in the black comedy Lucky Stiff, directed by Anthony Perkins and co-starring Donna Dixon and Jeff Kober.
Death edit
Alaskey died in his apartment in Green Island, New York, from cancer with his brother by his side on February 3, 2016, at the age of 63. Five days later, his wake was held at St Patrick's Cemetery in Watervliet.[2][11][12]
Filmography edit
Film edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Who Framed Roger Rabbit | Yosemite Sam | [13] |
| 1990 | Spaced Invaders | Dr. Ziplock | |
| The Jungle Book | Kaa | ||
| 1991 | Bugs Bunny's Lunar Tunes | Daffy Duck, Marvin the Martian | Direct-to-video |
| A Wish for Wings That Work | Truffles, The Ducks | ||
| 1992 | Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation | Plucky Duck, Elmer Fudd, Tupelo Toad, Johnny Carson, Ed McMahon | Direct-to-video[13] |
| 1995 | Casper | Stinkie | [13] |
| Carrotblanca | Daffy Duck, Sylvester | Short | |
| Another Froggy Evening | Marvin the Martian | Short | |
| 1996 | Marvin the Martian in the Third Dimension | Duck Dodgers, K-9, Martian Commander | Short |
| 1997 | Father of the Bird | Sylvester | Short |
| 1998 | Bugs Bunny's Silly Seals | Daffy Duck, Sylvester, Henery Hawk, Sylvester Junior, Wile E. Coyote, Slowpoke Rodriguez[13] | Direct-to-video |
| Looney Tunes Sing-Alongs | Daffy Duck, Tweety | ||
| Quest for Camelot Sing-Alongs | Daffy Duck, Tweety | ||
| The Rugrats Movie | Grandpa Lou Pickles | [13] | |
| 2000 | Tweety's High Flying Adventure | Tweety, Sylvester, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Pepé Le Pew, Marvin the Martian, Henery Hawk, Colonel Rimfire | Direct-to-video |
| Rugrats in Paris: The Movie | Grandpa Lou Pickles | [13] | |
| 2001 | Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase | Officer Wembly[13] | Direct-to-video |
| 2002 | Balto II: Wolf Quest | Hunter, Nuk[13] | Direct-to-video |
| 2003 | Rugrats Go Wild | Grandpa Lou Pickles[13] | |
| Looney Tunes: Stranger Than Fiction | Daffy Duck, Sylvester, Sylvester Jr., Tweety, Marvin the Martian | Direct-to-video | |
| Looney Tunes: Reality Check | Daffy Duck, Sylvester, Tweety, Wile E. Coyote, Cecil Turtle, Beaky Buzzard | ||
| Looney Tunes: Back in Action | Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Sylvester, Beaky Buzzard, Mama Bear | Nominated - Annie Award for Voice Acting in a Feature Production[13] | |
| 2004 | Hare and Loathing in Las Vegas | Bugs Bunny | Short |
| Daffy Duck for President | Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck | ||
| 2006 | The Legend of Sasquatch | Dave | |
| Bah, Humduck! A Looney Tunes Christmas | Daffy Duck, Sylvester, Marvin the Martian, Foghorn Leghorn, Pepé Le Pew[13] | Direct-to-video | |
| 2007 | Elf Bowling the Movie: The Great North Pole Elf Strike | Santa Claus, Bagger, Chief Manamana | [13] |
| 2007 | Tom and Jerry: A Nutcracker Tale | Jerry Mouse | |
| 2008 | Justice League: The New Frontier | Bugs Bunny[13] | Direct-to-video |
| 2009 | The Haunted World of El Superbeasto | Erik the Newscaster, Van Sloan[13] | |
| 2011 | Tom and Jerry and the Wizard of Oz | The Wizard of Oz, Butch, Droopy Dog[13] | |
| 2012 | Tom and Jerry: Robin Hood and His Merry Mouse | Friar Tuck, Droopy Dog[13] | |
| 2013 | Tom and Jerry's Giant Adventure | Droopy Dog, King Droopy[13] | |
| 2015 | Tom and Jerry: Spy Quest | Droopy Dog[13] | |
| 2016 | Tom and Jerry: Back to Oz | The Wizard of Oz, Butch, Droopy Dog | Posthumous release Direct-to-video (final film role), dedicated in memory.[13] |
Animation edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures | Sourpuss | 6 episodes |
| 1990–1992 | Tiny Toon Adventures | Plucky Duck, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Sylvester, Yosemite Sam, Marvin the Martian, Speedy Gonzales, Wile E. Coyote, Roger Rabbit, Hugo the Abominable Snowman, Additional voices | Main Role 85 episodes |
| 1991 | Back to the Future | The Sheriff | 2 episodes |
| Where's Waldo? | Additional voices | 13 episodes | |
| 1992 | The Little Mermaid | Lobster Mobster | 3 episodes |
| Tom & Jerry Kids | Additional voices | Episode: "Penthouse Mouse/12 Angry Sheep/The Ant Attack" | |
| The Plucky Duck Show | Plucky Duck, Plucky's Dad, and Wade Pig | Main Role 13 episodes | |
| 1993 | Bonkers | Flaps the Elephant | 4 episodes |
| 1994–1996 | Duckman | Dream Sequence Criminal | 3 episodes |
| 1995–2002 | The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries | Sylvester, Tweety, Daffy Duck, and Marvin the Martian | 52 episodes |
| 1995 | The Baby Huey Show | Baby Huey | Season Two only[13] |
| 1996 | Life with Louie | Johnny Love | Episode: "A Fair to Remember" |
| 1996–1998 | The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper | Stinkie and Gorey Narrator | Recurring Role 52 Episodes |
| 1997 | Extreme Ghostbusters | Sturt | 3 episodes |
| 1997–2004 | Rugrats | Grandpa Lou Pickles, Additional voices | 49 episodes |
| 1998 | The Drew Carey Show | Daffy Duck | Episode: "My Best Friend's Wedding" |
| 1999 | Timon & Pumbaa | Little Jimmy | 2 episodes |
| Hey Arnold! | German Major and Soldier #2 | Episode: "Veterans Day" | |
| Men in Black: The Series | Short Bug and Truck Driver | Episode: "The Mine, Mine, Mine Syndrome" | |
| 2000 | Buzz Lightyear of Star Command | Soda Vendbot and Newspaper Vendbot | Episode: "The Slayer"[13] |
| 2001 | Johnny Bravo | Jean Paul, Piney, and Platypus | Episode: "Lumberjack Johnny"[13] |
| Time Squad | Robin Hood, Wilbur Wright, Samuel F. B. Morse | Episode: "If It's Wright, It's Wrong/Recruitment Ad/Killing Time" | |
| Samurai Jack | General and Alien #3 | Episode: "Episode VII"[13] | |
| 2003 | Teamo Supremo | Chief | Episode: "The Chief of Cheer" |
| Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law | Peter Potamus, FEAR #1, and Employee | 2 episodes[13] | |
| 2003–2005 | Duck Dodgers | Captain Duck Edgar Dumas Aloysius Dodgers, Additional voices | Main role, 39 episodes[13] |
| 2003 | My Life as a Teenage Robot | Ivan, Storeowner #3, and Eyedrop Salesman | Episode: "See No Evil"[13] |
| 2003–2008 | All Grown Up! | Grandpa Lou Pickles and Rustler #2 | 15 episodes |
| 2006–2007 | Avatar: The Last Airbender | Dealer and Broadsword Man | 2 episodes |
| 2006 | Codename: Kids Next Door | Principal Smelling | Episode: "Operation R.E.C.E.S.S." |
| 2006–2007 | Loonatics Unleashed | Melvin the Martian, Sylth Vester, The Royal Tweetums, and Stoney the Stone | 5 episodes[13] |
| 2008–2013 | The Garfield Show | Additional voices | 5 episodes |
| 2009 | Looney Tunes: Laff Riot | Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck | Unaired pilot for The Looney Tunes Show[14] Replaced by Jeff Bergman |
Video games edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Sylvester and Tweety in Cagey Capers | Sylvester | |
| 1995 | Daffy Duck in Hollywood | Daffy Duck | Sega Genesis version |
| 1996 | Tiny Toon Adventures: Buster and the Beanstalk | Plucky Duck | Credited as Joe Alasky |
| 1997 | Dilbert's Desktop Games | Phil The Prince of Insufficient Light, Accounting Troll | |
| The X-Fools | |||
| 1998 | Microshaft Winblows 98 | Bill Gates | |
| Rugrats Adventure Game | Grandpa Lou Pickles | [13] | |
| Rugrats: Search for Reptar | |||
| Tiny Toon Adventures: The Great Beanstalk | Plucky Duck | Uncredited | |
| 1999 | Bugs Bunny: Lost in Time | Marvin the Martian, Rocky and Mugsy | [13] |
| Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace | Important Merchant, Interpreter, Watto's Flunky | ||
| Tiny Toon Adventures: Toonenstein | Plucky Duck | ||
| Rugrats: Studio Tour | Grandpa Lou Pickles | [13] | |
| 2000 | Vampire: The Masquerade – Redemption | ||
| Duck Dodgers Starring Daffy Duck | Daffy Duck, Marvin the Martian, Dr. I.Q. Hi | [13] | |
| Escape from Monkey Island | Digg the Lucre Lawyer, Judge Edd | ||
| Looney Tunes Racing | Daffy Duck, Sylvester, Gossamer, Rocky, Marvin the Martian, Tweety, Smokey the Genie, Evil Scientist | [13] | |
| Looney Tunes Space Race | Daffy Duck, Sylvester, Marvin the Martian, Tweety | [13] | |
| Bugs Bunny & Taz: Time Busters | Count Blood Count, Daffy Duck, Tweety, Bubba Chop | [13] | |
| 2001 | Sheep, Dog 'n' Wolf | Daffy Duck, Marvin the Martian, Gossamer, Phantom | [13] |
| 2002 | Rugrats: Royal Ransom | Grandpa Lou Pickles | [13] |
| Loons: The Fight for Fame | Daffy Duck, Sylvester, Rocky and Mugsy | ||
| Taz: Wanted | Daffy Duck, Tweety | ||
| Hot Wheels Velocity X | Rupert, Backroads, Opponent | [13] | |
| Tiny Toon Adventures: Defenders of the Universe | Plucky Duck | Cancelled Game | |
| 2003 | Looney Tunes: Back in Action | Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Mr. ACME Chairman, Sylvester, Marvin the Martian | |
| 2004 | Spider-Man 2 | Dr. Connors, Thug | [13] |
| The Dukes of Hazzard: Return of the General Lee | |||
| 2005 | Fantastic Four | Additional voices | Credited as Joe Alasky |
| SpongeBob SquarePants: Lights, Camera, Pants! | Mermaid Man | [13] | |
| 2006 | Gothic 3 | English Dub | |
| SpongeBob SquarePants: Creature from the Krusty Krab | Mermaid Man | ||
| The Sopranos: Road to Respect | |||
| Superman Returns | The Citizens of Metropolis | ||
| 2007 | Spider-Man: Friend or Foe | Otto Octavius / Doctor Octopus | [13] |
| Looney Tunes: Duck Amuck | Daffy Duck | ||
| Looney Tunes: Acme Arsenal | Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Sylvester, Marvin the Martian | [13] | |
| 2008 | Looney Tunes: Cartoon Conductor | Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Barnyard Dawg, Marvin the Martian, Road Runner, Speedy Gonzales, Sylvester | [13][15] |
| White Knight Chronicles | Drisdall | English Dub[13] | |
| 2011 | Looney Tunes Click 'N READ Phonics | Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Yosemite Sam, Sylvester, Tweety, Tasmanian Devil | [16] |
| 2014 | Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham | Green Loontern |
Live-action edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Night Court | Thomas Dobbs | Episode: "Author, Author" |
| 1987 | Head of the Class | Jack | Episode: "Ode to Simone" |
| 1987–1988 | Super Password | Himself | 10 episodes |
| 1987–1991 | Out of this World | Beano Froelich | 68 episodes |
| 1988 | Lucky Stiff | Ron Douglas | |
| 1989 | Couch Potatoes | Himself, The Neighbor | 9 episodes |
| 1992 | Nurses | Trekker #1 | Episode: "Eat Something" |
| The Golden Palace | Mr. Smith #3 | Episode: "Camp Town Races Aren't Nearly as Much Fun as They Used to Be" | |
| 1993 | Bank Robber | Night Clerk #2 | |
| The Waiter | Producer | Short | |
| 1994 | Forrest Gump | President Richard Nixon (voice) | [13] |
| 2015 | Murder Comes to Town | Narrator (voice) | Investigation Discovery true crime television series Episode: "Cowboys from Hell" |
| Dark Seduction | Fatman |
Theme parks edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Looney Tunes River Ride | Daffy Duck Sylvester Speedy Gonzales |
[13] |
| 1992 | Yosemite Sam and The Gold River Adventure | Daffy Duck Sylvester Speedy Gonzales | |
| 1993 | The Toonite Show Starring Bugs Bunny | Daffy Duck Foghorn Leghorn | |
| 1995 | The Bugs Bunny Wacky World Games | Daffy Duck | |
| 1999 | Looney Tunes: What's Up, Rock? | Daffy Duck Sylvester | |
| 2000 | The Looney Tunes Rockin' Road Show | Daffy Duck Sylvester | |
| 2010 | Looney Tunes Dance Off | Bugs Bunny Daffy Duck Sylvester Tweety Bird |
Web series edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Timber Wolf | Thomas Timber Wolf |
References edit
- ^ Kiefer, Halle (February 4, 2016). "Looney Tunes Voice Actor Joe Alaskey Dies at 63". Vulture. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
According to his spokesperson, prolific voice actor and impressionist Joe Alaskey died of cancer Wednesday night at the age of 63.
- ^ a b c Leovy, Jill (February 4, 2016). "Joe Alaskey dies at 63; impersonator was a later voice of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
- ^ a b Ortiz, Erik (February 4, 2016). "Joe Alaskey, Voice Behind Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, Dies at 63". NBC News. Retrieved February 4, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f Greene Jr., James (December 3, 2012). "Sufferin' Succotash! Looney Tunes Voice Actor Joe Alaskey On Bugs Bunny, Geraldo, & Why He Wasn't In 'Space Jam'". Split Sider. Archived from the original on January 13, 2017. Retrieved February 4, 2016.
- ^ Verhoeven, Beatrice (February 4, 2016). "Joe Alaskey, Voice of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, Dies at 63". TheWrap.
- ^ Wang, Yanan (February 5, 2016). "Joe Alaskey, 'voice of many childhoods' as Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, dies at 63". The Washington Post.
- ^ Kaplan, Peter W. (January 26, 1985). "75 'Honeymooners' Episodes Found". The New York Times. Retrieved November 26, 2006.
- ^ a b c d Dornbush, Jonathon (February 4, 2016). "Modern Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck voice actor Joe Alaskey dies at 63". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved February 4, 2016.
- ^ Westbrook, Caroline (February 4, 2016). "Joe Alaskey – aka the voice of Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny – has died aged 63". Metro. Retrieved February 4, 2016.
- ^ "The Yellow Mic: Meet Bugs Bunny". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 12, 2021.
- ^ Sorto, Gabrielle (February 4, 2016). "Joe Alaskey, voice of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, dies at 63". CNN. Turner Broadcasting System (Time Warner). Retrieved February 4, 2016.
- ^ Grondahl, Paul (February 5, 2016). "Joe Alaskey, Troy native, voice of Daffy Duck, dies at 63". Time Union. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as "Joe Alaskey (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its opening and/or closing credits and/or other reliable sources of information.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link) - ^ "Laff Riot (full Unaired Pilot)". November 4, 2009 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "Joe Alaskey interview (Tiny Toon Adventures, Looney Tunes, Who Framed Roger Rabbit)". Saturday Morning Rewind. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
Since 1981, over the past 30 years, I've been doing Bugs, Daffy and the other characters. I'm the only guy in the talent pool who has played all of the major characters, including… yes, including Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner, but also Porky. You have to hunt for some of these credits, but I have done them all at one point; Hubie and Bertie, and Henery Hawk, all those characters.
- ^ "Looney Tunes ClickN READ Phonics clips". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 12, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
External links edit
- www.joealaskey.com/ (archived copy)
- Joe Alaskey at IMDb
- Joe Alaskey Archived October 8, 2017, at the Wayback Machine at TV.com Archived April 12, 2019, at the Wayback Machine
