Terry McGovern (actor)


Terence McGovern is an American actor, television broadcaster, radio personality and acting instructor. He is best known as the original voice of Disney character Launchpad McQuack from DuckTales and spin-off Darkwing Duck. He was also elected into the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame as a member of its Class of 2008.

Career

McGovern was schooled at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh with a double major in journalism and English, and later studied acting with Stella Adler and Milton Katselas. McGovern worked at KDKA radio and KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh from 1965 to 1969, leaving for KSFO in San Francisco during the summer of 1969. At age 30, McGovern traveled to Los Angeles, California, to further pursue his entry into acting. He started his career in films with George Lucas, in Lucas' inaugural film, THX 1138. It was on this film that Terry created the word Wookiee. According to Lucas in a 1977 Rolling Stone interview, he stated: " We were riding along in the car one day and he said: 'I think I ran over a Wookiee back there,' and this really cracked me up and I said, 'What is a Wookiee?' and he said, 'I don’t know, I just made it up.'"
Lucas and McGovern continued their work together in the 1970s classics American Graffiti and Star Wars. McGovern played the role of the young high school teacher Mr. Bill Wolfe in American Graffiti, and in Star Wars he provided voice-overs for various personalities of the Empire. In 1993, he appeared in Mrs. Doubtfire, playing a voiceover director who argues with Daniel Hillard during the opening scene. McGovern also appeared in Back to the Future in a deleted scene as the McFlys' neighbor, who pressures George into buying an entire case of peanut brittle to help fund his daughter's Little League team.
McGovern played Jim Coyle in the CBS series Charlie & Co. and has helped to create hundreds of television and radio commercials. McGovern starred in Walt Disney’s animated series DuckTales and Darkwing Duck as the characters Launchpad McQuack and Babyface Beagle. On theatrical stages, McGovern has had roles ranging from musical comedies to Shakespeare.
Since 1999, McGovern has voiced "Dan Stevens", fictional play-by-play announcer, for the NFL 2K series of sports video games, alongside voice actor Jay Styne. Both have provided their voices for all seven games in the series, the last being the unlicensed All-Pro Football 2K8. Critics have praised McGovern and Styne's commentary as a great alternative to sports video games featuring real commentary teams.
McGovern is an instructor of commercial and character voice and scene and monologue acting, and he contributes to the College of Marin with his expertise. He taught script writing and the history of broadcast announcing for the University of San Francisco. He is also the artistic director of The Marin Actors' Workshop, which he founded. He published a poetry booklet entitled Rod McCroon's Look at the Loud, which is a parody of Listen to the Warm by Rod McKuen. The poetry was presented to his KSFO audience.
Since 2012, he has hosted the weekend morning show on Boss Boss Radio. The internet radio station plays the Top 40 hits of the Boss Radio era, 1964 thru 1980.

Personal life

McGovern and his wife Molly have two sons, and they live in Marin County, California.

Selected filmography

Film

  • THX 1138 as Announcer
  • The Candidate as Reporter
  • American Graffiti as Mr. Wolfe
  • Magnum Force as Demonstrator
  • Smile as Judge #2
  • Northville Cemetery Massacre as Teddy
  • The Enforcer as Disc Jockey
  • Star Wars as Stormtroopers
  • Americathon as Danny Olson
  • J-Men Forever
  • Cardiac Arrest as Brewer
  • The Incredible Shrinking Woman as Cheese Demonstrator
  • Girls Just Want to Have Fun as Ira
  • Radioactive Dreams as Nicky Nuker
  • Innerspace as Travel Agent
  • Amazon Women on the Moon as Salesman
  • Party Line as Simmons
  • DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp as Launchpad McQuack
  • Mrs. Doubtfire as A.D.R. Director Lou
  • Nine Months as Dr. Newsoe
  • Jack as Radio Personality
  • The Californians as Mr. Putterman

    Television

  • Happy Days as Sloan Marlowe
  • Fernwood 2 Night as Larry Guy, Terry Guy
  • Three's Company as Ray Hagen
  • Mork & Mindy as Club manager
  • St. Elsewhere as Reporter
  • Dempsey as Benson
  • The A-Team Terry McGovern, in the Season 1 "The Rabbit Who Ate Las Vegas" as Prof. Bruce Warfel
  • Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer as Taylor Wilson
  • The Jetsons
  • Charlie & Co. as Jim Coyle
  • Kissyfur as Jolene
  • Transformers as Wildrider
  • Greatest Adventure: Stories from the Bible as Derek
  • Foofur
  • DuckTales as Launchpad McQuack / Baby Face Beagle
  • Hogan Family, The as Buddy Natkin
  • The Magical World of Disney as Launchpad McQuack
  • Darkwing Duck as Launchpad McQuack
  • Raw Toonage Launchpad McQuack
  • MythBusters Mission Impossible Mask Episode as himself

    Video games

  • Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sith as Rebel Commander / Pirate Raider / Rebel Soldier 2 / Stormtrooper / Civilian Man / Trandoshan / Abron Mar
  • Star Wars: Droid Works
  • Sim Theme Park as Advisor
  • D no Shokutaku 2
  • Mechwarrior 3 as Dominic Paine
  • NFL 2K as Dan Stevens
  • Clock Tower II: The Struggle Within as Allen Hale, George Maxwell
  • X Fire
  • Star Wars: Force Commander as Stormtrooper #1
  • Ms. Pac-Man Maze Madness as Professor Pac
  • NFL 2K1 as Dan Stevens
  • Star Wars: Episode I: Battle for Naboo as Kol Kotha, Trader 1
  • Shadow of Memories as Pedestrian 1, Pedestrian 6
  • Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds as Jedi Knight / Stormtrooper
  • Reader Rabbit: Capers on Cloud Nine as Sam the Lion
  • NFL 2K2 as Dan Stevens
  • SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs
  • Shinobi
  • Pac-Man World 2 as Professor Pac
  • NFL 2K3 as Dan Stevens
  • Jet Set Radio Future
  • The Sims: Superstar as Sim
  • ESPN NFL Football as Dan Stevens
  • Airforce Delta: Blue Wing Knights
  • Batman Begins
  • All-Pro Football 2K8 as Dan Stevens
  • Family Feud 2010 Edition as Announcer
  • Press Your Luck 2010 Edition as Announcer
  • Axis Football 17 as Dave Stevens
  • Axis Football 2018 as Dave Stevens

    Broadcast history

  • KDKA Radio and Television, Pittsburgh, 1965–69
  • KSFO Radio, San Francisco, 1969–74
  • KPIX Television, San Francisco, 1975–77
  • KSAN Radio, San Francisco, 1974–79
  • KWST Radio, Los Angeles, 1980
  • KRLA Radio, Los Angeles, 1982–83
  • POWER 104 Radio, New York, 1983
  • K-101 Radio, San Francisco, 1988–92
  • KYA Radio, San Francisco, 1992–94
  • KTVU Television, San Francisco, 1992–94
  • KRON-TV and BayTV, San Francisco, 1994–97
  • "Profiles in Rock," syndicated radio series from Watermark, Inc., 1980