Arnold Stang facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Arnold Stang
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Stang in 1947
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| Born |
Arnold Sidney Stang
September 28, 1918 New York City, U.S.
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| Died | December 20, 2009 (aged 91) Newton, Massachusetts, U.S.
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| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1937–2004 |
| Spouse(s) |
JoAnne Taggart Stang
(m. 1949) |
| Children | 2 |
Arnold Sidney Stang (September 28, 1918 – December 20, 2009) was a funny American actor. He was known for being small and having a unique, squeaky voice with a Brooklyn accent. Arnold Stang worked for 70 years in radio, TV, theater, and as a voice actor for cartoons. Many people remember him as the voice of Top Cat. He also played Frank Sinatra's friend in The Man with the Golden Arm. And he was one of the gas station owners in the big comedy movie It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.
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Early Life
Arnold Stang was born in Manhattan, New York City, on September 28, 1918. He grew up in Brooklyn. He started acting in radio shows when he was just nine years old.
Career Highlights
Arnold Stang began his career in radio. As a teenager, he appeared on children's shows like The Horn and Hardart Children's Hour. He also acted in shows for teens, such as The Goldbergs. Later, he became a sidekick for famous comedians like Henry Morgan and Milton Berle. He even voiced Jughead for a short time on the Archie Andrews radio show.
Stang also appeared in several movies. These included My Sister Eileen and So This Is New York. On Broadway, he performed in plays like Sailor Beware. A very important movie role was "Sparrow" in The Man with the Golden Arm (1955).
Television Roles
Arnold Stang was one of the first actors to work in commercial television. He had a regular role in The School House in 1949. He also appeared on Captain Video and His Video Rangers as Clumsy McGee.
He became a regular on Milton Berle's Texaco Star Theater. Stang played Francis the Stagehand, often making fun of the star for laughs. He also guest-starred on other variety shows like The Colgate Comedy Hour.
Stang's biggest TV role was voicing the main character in Hanna-Barbera's cartoon Top Cat (1961-62). The show had 30 episodes and was shown again for many years. At first, Stang was asked to sound like another actor, Phil Silvers. But later, he changed the voice to sound more like his own unique voice.
In 1964, Stang joined the TV show Broadside. He played Stanley Stubbs, the outspoken master chef.
Voice Acting
Arnold Stang once said his voice sounded like "a frightened chipmunk who's been out in the rain too long." His unique, squeaky voice was very easy to recognize.
He voiced characters for cartoons like Famous Studios. He was the voice of Shorty, a friend of Popeye. He also voiced Herman the mouse and Tubby Tompkins in Little Lulu shorts. In 1965, he voiced Nurtle the Turtle in the animated movie Pinocchio in Outer Space.
Stang's voice was also used in many TV commercials. He was known for the Chunky candy bar ads. He also promoted Alcoa aluminum window screens, saying, "Arnold Stang says don't get stung."
Later Career
Arnold Stang continued to be busy with movies, TV shows, commercials, and stage plays. Director Stanley Kramer chose him for the big comedy film It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963). Stang played Ray, a gas station owner, alongside Marvin Kaplan. They had a funny scene defending their station from an angry driver. This movie is one of Arnold Stang's most famous roles.
He also starred in two smaller movies: Second Fiddle to a Steel Guitar (1965) and Hercules in New York (1970). In Hercules in New York, he acted with Arnold Schwarzenegger, who was just starting his career.
Stang returned to voice acting in 1976 for Misterjaw. He voiced Catfish, the small sidekick to a playful shark. He also voiced Queasy the Parrot in the 1977 film Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure. He played Top Cat again in Yogi's Treasure Hunt and Top Cat and the Beverly Hills Cats.
He appeared in an episode of Tales from the Darkside. He also had a role on The Cosby Show and in the movie Ghost Dad. In the 1993 film Dennis the Menace, he played the photographer. Stang also provided many voices for the Courage the Cowardly Dog cartoon series. He voiced the Honey Nut Cheerios Bee in the 1980s.
In 2004, Stang gave his last interview. It was about the making of Top Cat and can be found on the Top Cat DVD set.
Personal Life
In 1949, Arnold Stang married JoAnne Taggart. She was an author and journalist. They lived in New Rochelle, New York, and later in Greenwich, Connecticut. They had two children, David and Deborah.
Death
Arnold Stang passed away from pneumonia on December 20, 2009. He was 91 years old. He died in Newton, Massachusetts. His wife of 60 years, JoAnne Taggart Stang, passed away in 2017.
Partial filmography
- Includes all feature films, but excludes shorts and TV movies
- My Sister Eileen (1942) as Jimmy (uncredited)
- Seven Days' Leave (1942) as Bitsy Slater
- They Got Me Covered (1943) as Drugstore Boy (uncredited)
- Let's Go Steady (1945) as Chet Carson
- So This Is New York (1948) as Western Union Clerk
- Two Gals and a Guy (1951) as Bernard
- The Man with the Golden Arm (1955) as Sparrow
- Alakazam the Great (1960) as Lulipopo (voice in the English version)
- Dondi (1961) as Peewee
- The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm (1962) as Rumpelstiltskin
- It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) as Ray, service station co-owner
- Second Fiddle to a Steel Guitar (1965) as Jubal A. Bristol
- Pinocchio in Outer Space (1965) as Nurtle the Turtle (voice)
- Skidoo (1968) as Harry
- Hello Down There (1969) as Jonah
- Hercules in New York (1970) as Pretzie
- Marco Polo Junior Versus the Red Dragon (1972) as The Delicate Dinosaur (voice)
- Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure (1977) as Queasy (voice)
- I Go Pogo (1980) as Churchy LaFemme (voice)
- Little Miss (1983) as the Narrator
- Ghost Dad (1990) as Mr. Cohen, elderly patient
- Dennis the Menace (1993) as Photographer
