Thanks Fred!

Just a few short months after the passing of voice over superstar Wayne Allwine, another legendary voice talent has sadly passed away. Comedian/Voice Actor Fred Travalena passed away on Sunday, June 28, 2009.

In addition to his impeccable impersonations (which included actors, politicians, musicians, and many, many others) Travalena was also a consummate voice acting professional. He provided numerous character voices for shows such as Scooby-Doo, The Smurfs, Dinosaurs, Shirt Tales, Dragon’s Lair, and The Super Mario Brothers Show. He was also skilled in doing dialogue replacement for feature films, often replacing high-profile stars when they weren’t available to loop their own dialogue for edited-for-television versions. You probably heard Mr. Travalena without even realizing it in films such as Casino, Brazil, and Just Cause, as he often did dialogue replacement for stars such as Jack Nicholson, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sean Connery, Robert DeNiro, Robert Wagner, and Joe Pesci, among others.

Best known for his work as a stand-up comedian and impressionist extraordinaire, Travalena was often called “The Man of a Thousand Faces” and “Mr. Everybody.” He got his start with numerous comedy and impression appearances on shows such as The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, The Mike Douglas Show, The Merv Griffin Show, and Late Night With David Letterman. Travalena also became a staple on various game shows in the 1980s, even hosting his own show for a while.

Fred Travalena was an incredibly talented man, and we’re saddened to see him go. His comedy and impressions will live on, while the voice over field has sadly lost another great talent.

Rest In Peace, Fred.

Links:

To be linked to “Late Show With David Letterman”:

To be linked to “The Merv Griffin Show”:

To be linked to “Shirt Tales”:

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One Response

1. 07.03.09 02:23 pm

   Mike Spring said:

   I remember Fred from when I was younger and he guest starred on numerous sitcoms and game shows, but I’ve also seen him on countless talk shows and he was always, always funny. His impressions were amazing, and as a child of the ’80s, The Shirt Tales (for which he voiced Bogey the Orangutan) is an indelible part of my childhood!

   We’ll miss you, Fred!