Noel Blanc
Noel Barton Blanc is an American commercial producer, retired voice actor, and the son of cartoon voice actor Mel Blanc.
Early life and career
Blanc was born on October 19, 1938, in Los Angeles, California. He is the only child of voice actor Mel Blanc. Throughout Noel's childhood, adolescence and early adulthood, he worked with his father on the Looney Tunes cartoons, with Mel training him in the field of voice characterization. In 1961, Noel performed some of Mel's voices, uncredited, when Mel was injured in a car crash. On January 29, 1962, they formed Blanc Communications Corporation, a media company which remains in operation. Together, they produced over 5,000 public service announcements and commercials, appearing with Kirk Douglas, Lucille Ball, Vincent Price, Phyllis Diller, Liberace, and The Who. Kirk Douglas' son, Joel, served as one of the executives at Blanc Communications Corporation and helped to develop and produce commercials until the late 1980s.Following Mel Blanc's death in 1989, Noel voiced Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, the Tasmanian Devil, Porky Pig, Tweety and other characters in Tiny Toon Adventures and a series of You Rang? answering machine messages; he was one of several successors to his father in the immediate aftermath of Mel's death, with others including Jeff Bergman, Joe Alaskey, Bob Bergen, Greg Burson, Billy West and most recently Eric Bauza. Warner Bros. had been splitting up the various voice-acting roles to prevent any one of them from being a singular successor. He later contributed voice work to Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story.
Personal life
Relationships and marriages
Blanc has been married three times; he first married Larraine Zax in 1967; they divorced in 1972. Blanc then married actress Martha Smith in 1977; the marriage lasted for nine years, until they divorced in 1986. Blanc married his third wife, Katherine Hushaw, at the Warner Bros. Studios on June 3, 1998.Helicopter incident
In February 1991, Blanc was injured in his personal helicopter when the aircraft collided with a small plane above Santa Paula Airport. Two other people were also injured, including Kirk Douglas, and two people in the plane were killed. Blanc suffered multiple fractures to his right leg, five broken ribs, a bruised lung, and a bruised kidney. He was taken to the intensive care unit at Santa Paula Hospital.Filmography
Video games
Bugs Bunny's Birthday Ball – Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Yosemite Sam, Sylvester, Speedy Gonzales, Barnyard Dawg, ChickensDocumentaries
This Is Your Life – HimselfRoger Rabbit and the Secrets of Toontown – Himself50 Years of Bugs Bunny in 31/2 Minutes – Porky PigHappy Birthday, Bugs!: 50 Looney Years – Himself, Porky PigWhat's Up Doc? A Salut/refe to Bugs Bunny – HimselfEntertaining the Troops – HimselfBehind the Tunes – Himself100 Greatest Cartoons – HimselfThe Chuck Woolery Show – HimselfVicki! – HimselfFriz on Film – HimselfMel Blanc: The Man of a Thousand Voices – HimselfKing-Size Comedy: Tex Avery and the Looney Tunes Revolution – HimselfI [Know That Voice] – HimselfTheme park attractions
- Tomorrowland – Radio PersonalitiesCarousel of Progress – Cuckoo Clock, Radio PersonalitiesThe Looney Tunes Revue – Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Pepé Le Pew, Yosemite Sam, Sylvester, Sylvester Jr., Tweety, Speedy Gonzales, Foghorn Leghorn, Henery Hawk, Tasmanian DevilRabbit-cadabbra – Bugs Bunny Looney Tunes River Ride – Marc Antony