April Winchell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
April Winchell
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Winchell in 2011
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| Born |
April Terri Winchell
January 4, 1960 New York City, New York, U.S.
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| Education | North Central Michigan College Orange Coast College |
| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1972–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Mick Kuisel
(m. 1996; div. 2013)John Foley
(m. 2013) |
| Parent(s) | Paul Winchell Nina Russell |
April Terri Winchell (born January 4, 1960) is an American actress, writer, and radio host. She is well-known for being the voice of Clarabelle Cow since 1996. She has lent her voice to many popular animated characters in TV shows and movies.
Contents
Early Life and Education
April Winchell was born in Whitestone, New York, on January 4, 1960. She grew up in the Los Angeles area, mainly in Woodland Hills. Her father was Paul Winchell, a famous inventor, ventriloquist, and comedian. Her mother was Nina Russell, an actress and writer. April has shared stories about her father's amazing talent and some difficult times from her childhood.
She attended Sequoia Junior High School. Later, she studied at North Central Michigan College and Orange Coast College. In 1977, she performed in a summer theater show called Mack and Mabel at Orange Coast College. A critic from the Los Angeles Times praised her lively acting and strong singing in the play.
Career Highlights
April Winchell has had a long and successful career in many areas, especially in voice acting.
Voice Acting in Animation
April Winchell is famous for her voice work in hundreds of animated TV shows and movies. She voiced Sylvia in Wander Over Yonder, a Disney Channel animated series. This show follows the adventures of Wander and his loyal friend Sylvia as they travel through the universe.
She has also voiced many other memorable characters, including:
- Peg Pete in Goof Troop
- Mrs. Muriel Finster in Recess
- Clarabelle Cow in House of Mouse and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
- Dyl Piquel in Bonkers
- Lydia Pearson (the main character's mom) in Pepper Ann
- Miss Gracie Graves in Kids from Room 402
- Terk in The Legend of Tarzan (taking over from Rosie O'Donnell)
- Cruella De Vil in 101 Dalmatians: The Series
- Molly Mange in SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron
Her voice can also be heard in many animated films, such as Antz, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Monsters University, and The Haunted World of El Superbeasto.
Radio Work
Besides her voice acting, April Winchell has also worked a lot in radio. She directed, wrote, and performed in many radio advertisements. She also hosted her own radio talk show on KFI, a Los Angeles radio station, for three years. This show became very popular quickly. She also appeared regularly on other radio programs in Los Angeles.
In 2005, she planned to develop and host a show for HBO on Sirius Satellite Radio, but the deal did not go through.
Theater Performances
April Winchell has also performed in musical theater. She played Ado Annie in a revival of Oklahoma! and appeared alongside Kevin Spacey in Gypsy.
She wrote and starred in her own show as a character named "Sheila Sands" at the Roxy Theatre in Los Angeles. The show was very successful and was produced by famous comedians Lily Tomlin and Jane Wagner. She later performed as Sheila Sands again, opening for comedian Brad Garrett in Las Vegas.
Advertising and Internet Projects
In 1992, April Winchell and her husband at the time, Mick Kuisel, started a company called Radio Savant Productions. This company created radio advertisements. Winchell has won many awards for her work in advertising, including the Cannes and Clio awards.
In 2009, April Winchell launched a blog website called Regretsy, using the name "Helen Killer." The site made fun of handmade crafts found on other websites. It became incredibly popular very quickly, getting millions of views. This success led to a book based on the Regretsy website, published in 2010. The book featured funny and unusual crafts and stories from Winchell's own life. By 2012, the Regretsy site had raised over $200,000 for charity. She stopped updating Regretsy in 2013.
Other Creative Work
April Winchell worked on the 1996 video game Toonstruck, where she voiced several characters and also helped with casting and directing the dialogue. She also wrote for the movie Recess: School's Out and wrote three episodes for the TV show Roseanne.
Personal Life
April Winchell is married to John Foley.
Selected Filmography
April Winchell has voiced characters in many animated films and television shows. Here are some of her notable roles:
Animated Films
- Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) – Mrs. Herman, Baby Herman's baby voice
- Antz (1998) – Additional voices
- Tarzan (1999) – Terk's Mom
- Recess: School's Out (2001) – Miss Finster, Mrs. Detweiller
- Mickey's House of Villains (2002) – Clarabelle Cow
- Monsters University (2013) – Additional voices
- Home (2015) – Boovs
Animated Television Shows
- Goof Troop (1992–1993) – Peg Pete
- Bonkers (1993–1994) – Dyl Piquel
- SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron (1993–1994) – Molly Mange
- 101 Dalmatians: The Series (1997–1998) – Cruella De Vil
- Pepper Ann (1997–2000) – Lydia Pearson
- Recess (1997–2001) – Muriel Finster
- House of Mouse (2001–2003) – Clarabelle Cow
- Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (2006–2016) – Clarabelle Cow
- Wander Over Yonder (2013–2016) – Sylvia (Main role)
- Mickey Mouse (2016–2018) – Clarabelle Cow
- DuckTales (2018–2021) – Black Heron, Chip, Dale, and others
- The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse (2020–2023) – Clarabelle Cow
Video Games
- Toonstruck (1996) – Ms. Fit, Polly
- Epic Mickey (2010) – Clarabelle Cow
- Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two (2012) – Clarabelle Cow
See also
In Spanish: April Winchell para niños
