Alan Young facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alan Young
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Young in 1944
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Angus Young
November 19, 1919 North Shields, Northumberland, England
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| Died | May 19, 2016 (aged 96) Woodland Hills, California, U.S.
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| Years active | 1939–2016 |
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| Children | 4 |
| Awards | Primetime Emmy Award for Best Actor |
Alan Young (born Angus Young; November 19, 1919 – May 19, 2016) was a talented actor, comedian, and host. He worked on both radio and television. Many people knew him as Wilbur Post from the TV show Mister Ed. He also famously voiced Scrooge McDuck for over 40 years.
Young started his career in the 1940s and 1950s. He had his own popular comedy shows, The Alan Young Show, on radio and TV. His TV show even won him two Emmy Awards in 1951. He also appeared in many movies, like The Time Machine (1960). Later in his career, he became known to new fans through his voice work for Walt Disney Productions.
Contents
Early Life and Radio Beginnings
Alan Young was born Angus Young on November 19, 1919. His birthplace was North Shields, England. His parents were from Scotland. His father worked in a mine and was a tap dancer. His mother was a singer.
When Alan was a baby, his family moved to Edinburgh, Scotland. Later, when he was six, they moved to West Vancouver, Canada. Young loved radio as a child. He spent a lot of time listening to it because he had severe asthma.
By the time he was in high school, Young had his own comedy radio show. It was on the CBC network. During World War II, he left his show to join the Royal Canadian Navy. He later left the Navy because he would only be writing for a show. He tried to join the Canadian Army, but they turned him down due to his childhood asthma.
A Career in Entertainment
After leaving the military, Young went back to radio in Toronto. An American agent noticed him and brought him to New York City in 1944. He started on American radio shows like Philco Radio Hall of Fame. This led to his own show, The Alan Young Show, on NBC.
From Radio to Television Stardom
Young made his first movie appearance in Margie (1946). In 1950, The Alan Young Show also became a television series. By 1951, the TV show was very successful. Young won Primetime Emmy Awards for Best Actor and Most Outstanding Personality.
After his show ended, Young continued acting in films. These included Androcles and the Lion (1952) and Gentlemen Marry Brunettes (1955). He also appeared in two George Pal films: Tom Thumb (1958) and The Time Machine (1960).
The Talking Horse: Mister Ed
Young became most famous for the TV show Mister Ed (1961–1966). In this CBS comedy, he played Wilbur Post. Wilbur owned a talking horse named Mr. Ed. The horse would only talk to Wilbur, which led to many funny situations. Mr. Ed's secret caused funny problems for Wilbur with his wife and neighbors.
In the late 1960s, Young took a break from acting. During this time, he helped start a broadcasting section for the Christian Science Church.
Voice Acting and Disney Roles
In the 1970s, Young started doing a lot of voice acting. After 1974, he became the voice of Scrooge McDuck for Disney. He voiced Scrooge in many films and the popular TV series DuckTales (1987-1990). He also played Scrooge in Mickey's Christmas Carol. Young continued to voice Scrooge in video games, including the Kingdom Hearts series.
Besides Scrooge McDuck, he voiced other well-known characters. These included Farmer Smurf on The Smurfs. He was also Haggis McHaggis on The Ren & Stimpy Show. Young voiced 7-Zark-7 and Keyop in Battle of the Planets. He was also Hiram Flaversham in The Great Mouse Detective. He also made guest appearances on shows like The Love Boat and Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends.
Later Career and Appearances
Young later starred in the sitcom Coming of Age from 1988 to 1989. In 1991, he returned to the stage in a musical called Show Boat. He also appeared in other plays.
In 1993, he reprised his role as Filby in a mini-sequel to The Time Machine. This was called Time Machine: The Journey Back. In 1994, Young was in the Eddie Murphy film Beverly Hills Cop III. He played Uncle Dave Thornton, the founder of a fictional theme park.
After 1994, he continued to act and do voice work. He voiced characters in animated series like Megas XLR and Batman: The Animated Series. In 2002, he had a small role in the remake of The Time Machine. He also read H.G. Wells's original novel The Time Machine for an audio production. Young made guest appearances on many TV shows, including Murder, She Wrote and Sabrina, the Teenage Witch.
Personal Life
Alan Young was married three times and had four children. He supported Ronald Reagan in politics. However, he later said he was not very interested in politics.
Death
Alan Young spent his later years in Woodland Hills, California. He lived at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital. He passed away from natural causes on May 19, 2016, at the age of 96. He was buried at sea.
Images for kids
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Young in 1944
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Connie Hines and Alan Young in TV's Mister Ed
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Alan Young with Olga San Juan
See also
In Spanish: Alan Young para niños
