Chuck McCann facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Chuck McCann
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| Born |
Charles John Thomas McCann
September 2, 1934 Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
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| Died | April 8, 2018 (aged 83) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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| Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor, comedian, puppeteer, commercial presenter, television host |
| Years active | 1942–2018 |
| Spouse(s) |
Betty Fanning
(m. 1977) |
| Children | 3 |
Charles John Thomas McCann (born September 2, 1934 – died April 8, 2018) was an American actor, comedian, and puppeteer. He was also a TV host and appeared in many commercials. Chuck was best known for his work on children's TV shows and for doing voices for animated cartoons. He also had his own show, The Chuck McCann Show, and made funny comedy albums.
Contents
Chuck McCann's Amazing Career
Early Days in Entertainment
Chuck McCann started his career early. In 1958, when he was 23, he played Oliver Hardy in a comedy sketch with Dick Van Dyke on The Dick Van Dyke Show. They had done this sketch before on The Gary Moore Show.
Chuck also worked on other children's shows, like Captain Kangaroo in the 1960s. He even lent his voice to The First Family, a popular comedy album from the 1960s that made fun of President John F. Kennedy.
Until 1975, Chuck hosted fun puppet shows in New York with Paul Ashley and his puppets. They had shows like The Puppet Hotel and The Chuck McCann Show. Chuck also appeared at fun places like Palisades Amusement Park and Freedomland U.S.A. to meet kids. By the end of the 1960s, he was also in the movie The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter.
He began a new part of his career doing voices for cartoons. He voiced characters like Sonny the Cuckoo Bird for Cocoa Puffs commercials.
Chuck McCann on TV in the 1970s
In the 1970s, Chuck moved to Los Angeles. He appeared on many popular TV shows. These included Little House on the Prairie, Bonanza, Columbo, and The Rockford Files.
He also starred with Bob Denver in the Saturday morning show Far Out Space Nuts, which Chuck helped create. He became famous for a series of commercials for Right Guard deodorant. In these ads, he played an excited neighbor who would pop up from a shared medicine cabinet.
Chuck also played Oliver Hardy in commercials, often with Jim MacGeorge as Stan Laurel. He was also Kris Kringle on the TV show Santa Barbara during the holidays. In 1965, he helped start The Sons of the Desert, a fan club for Laurel and Hardy.
Chuck McCann's Movies
After The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter, Chuck acted in many comedy movies. He co-starred with Tim Conway in They Went That-A-Way & That-A-Way (1978).
Some of his other well-known movies include The Projectionist (1971), Foul Play (1978), and Herbie Rides Again (1974). In Herbie Rides Again, he played Loostgarten, who was the president of a wrecking company.
He also had a small role in Mel Brooks' funny movie Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993) and played an innkeeper in Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995).
Returning to His Roots
In the 1980s, Chuck worked again with Paul Ashley on some TV show ideas. One was LBS Children's Theater, where Chuck and the Paul Ashley Puppets would introduce cartoons. Sadly, Paul Ashley became ill and passed away before the show aired. Chuck hosted the show by himself.
Chuck also did voices for The Walt Disney Company. He was the voice of Dreamfinder at the Journey Into Imagination ride at Epcot. He also voiced characters like Duckworth, Burger Beagle, and Bouncer Beagle in the 1987 animated series DuckTales.
In 1989, Chuck returned to daily children's TV with Chuck McCann's Funstuff.
Chuck McCann in the 1990s
In the 1990s, Chuck helped start a group called Yarmy's Army. This group of comedians and actors would meet to cheer each other up as they got older and found it harder to get work.
Chuck continued to do a lot of voice work for cartoons. He voiced Jollo in the video game King's Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow. He was also the voice of The Thing in the Fantastic Four and Hulk animated shows. He also played Blizzard in the Iron Man cartoon.
He voiced Heff Heffalump in Disney's The New Adventures of Winnie The Pooh. He was also Leatherneck on G.I. Joe. Around Christmas time, he often played Santa Claus in commercials.
Chuck McCann in the 2000s and 2010s
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In the 2000s, Chuck appeared in movies like They Call Him Sasquatch (2003). He also did voices for The Powerpuff Girls and Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas. He lent his voice to video games like True Crime: New York City.
He appeared on The Radio Adventures of Dr. Floyd as Benjamin Franklin. He was also a judge on the TV show Boston Legal. In 2007, he voiced characters on the radio drama Adventures in Odyssey.
In 2013, Chuck voiced Moe on Adventure Time and Mayor Grafton on The Garfield Show. He also voiced Duckworth and the Beagle Boys again in DuckTales Remastered. In 2016, he returned as the Amoeba Boys in the new The Powerpuff Girls show. In 2017, he recorded a comedy podcast called "Trump: The Last Family."
Chuck McCann's Personal Life
Chuck McCann was born in Brooklyn, New York. His father was a bandleader and singer. Chuck was also a good friend of Hugh Hefner.
Chuck McCann's Death
Chuck McCann passed away on April 8, 2018, at the age of 83. He died from heart failure in Los Angeles. His remains are at Forest Lawn Memorial Park.
He is survived by his third wife, Betty Fanning, and two daughters from his second marriage. His son, Sean, from his first marriage, passed away in 2009.
Images for kids
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Chuck McCann
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Chuck McCann in October 2013
See also
In Spanish: Chuck McCann para niños
