Daws Butler facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Daws Butler
Butler in 1976
Born	Charles Dawson Butler (1916-11-16)November 16, 1916 Toledo, Ohio
Died	May 18, 1988(1988-05-18) (aged 71) Los Angeles, California
Resting place	Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City
Other names	Dawes Butler
Occupation	Voice actor
Years active	1935–1988
Notable work	Hanna-Barbera
Spouse(s)	Myrtis Martin ​ (m. 1943)​
Children	4
Awards	Inkpot Award (1975)

Charles Dawson Butler (born November 16, 1916 – died May 18, 1988), known as Daws Butler, was an American voice actor. He was famous for creating the voices of many beloved cartoon characters. Most of his work was for the Hanna-Barbera animation company. He voiced characters like Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound, Snagglepuss, Auggie Doggie, Wally Gator, Quick Draw McGraw and Baba Looey, and Elroy Jetson.

Becoming a Voice Actor

Butler was born in Toledo, Ohio. He was the only child of Charles Allen and Ruth Butler. His family later moved to Oak Park, Illinois. There, Daws became very interested in copying people's voices and actions.

In 1935, Butler started performing as an impressionist. He joined many amateur contests and usually won. He did this not just to show his talent, but to help himself overcome shyness. Soon, he was performing professionally in theaters.

He then formed a comedy group called The Three Short Waves. They performed in theaters, on radio, and in nightclubs. The group broke up in 1941 when Butler joined the U.S. Navy during World War II. He met his future wife, Myrtis, at an event near Washington, D.C.

His first cartoon voice job was in 1948 for a short film called Short Snorts on Sports. At Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio, Tex Avery hired Butler. He voiced a British wolf in Little Rural Riding Hood (1949). He also narrated several other cartoons.

During the late 1940s and mid-1950s, Butler voiced many characters in Avery's cartoons. These included the Fox in Out-Foxed and Mysto the Magician in Magical Maestro. He also voiced a wolf with a Southern accent who whistled a lot. This character appeared in cartoons like The Three Little Pups.

In 1949, Butler got a role in a TV puppet show called Time for Beany. It was created by Bob Clampett. Butler worked with Stan Freberg, and they voiced all the puppets. Butler voiced Beany Boy and Captain Huffenpuff. The show ran until 1954 and won several Emmy Awards.

Butler also wrote and voiced TV commercials for a short time. In the 1950s, Freberg asked him to help write comedy skits for his music albums. Their first project, "St. George and the Dragonet", was a huge hit. It was the first comedy record to sell over a million copies.

Butler worked with Freberg and actress June Foray on a CBS radio show in 1957. He also voiced Magoo's nephew, Waldo, in the Mr. Magoo cartoons.

In 1957, William Hanna and Joseph Barbera started their own animation company. Butler and his friend Don Messick were there to provide voices. Their first show was The Ruff and Reddy Show, with Butler voicing Reddy. This show set the style for many cartoons that followed. Butler played the main characters in The Huckleberry Hound Show, The Quick Draw McGraw Show, and The Yogi Bear Show. He also voiced many other characters.

Famous Cartoon Voices

Daws Butler voiced many characters from 1948 to 1978. Some of his most famous voices include:

Butler voiced most of these characters for many years. He was the voice of the breakfast cereal mascot Cap'n Crunch from the 1960s to the 1980s. He based Cap'n Crunch's voice on actor Charles Butterworth.

In 1961, Daws Butler filled in for Mel Blanc to voice Barney Rubble in five episodes of The Flintstones. Blanc was recovering from a car accident. Butler had also voiced Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble in the very first pilot for the show.

In the movie Mary Poppins, Butler voiced a penguin and a turtle. This was his only known work for Disney.

How He Created Voices

Daws Butler often based his cartoon voices on famous people.

• Yogi Bear's voice started as an impression of actor Art Carney. Butler later made it deeper and more musical.
• Hokey Wolf sounded like actor Phil Silvers.
• Snagglepuss was inspired by actor Bert Lahr. When Snagglepuss appeared in commercials, Lahr thought Butler was copying his voice too closely. As a result, a special message "Snagglepuss voice by Daws Butler" had to appear on each commercial. This made Butler the only voice actor to get credit in an animated TV commercial at that time.
• Huckleberry Hound's voice came from a neighbor of Butler's wife's family in North Carolina.

Later Years and Legacy

In the 1970s, Butler voiced "Hair Bear" and characters in other cartoons like C.B. Bears. He was also the voice for almost the entire "Yogi Yahooey" team on Laff-a-Lympics. He voiced the main character in The Funky Phantom.

Butler continued his work in the 1980s with a return of The Jetsons and the Hanna-Barbera crossover series Yogi's Treasure Hunt.

In 1975, Butler started an acting workshop. He taught many future voice actors, including Nancy Cartwright (the voice of Bart Simpson), Corey Burton (who voices Count Dooku and Dale), Bill Farmer (the current voice of Goofy and Pluto), and Bob Bergen (the voice of Porky Pig). He also personally trained Joe Bevilacqua to do all his characters.

The movie The Good, the Bad, and Huckleberry Hound was released in the year Butler passed away. It featured many of his early characters.

Personal Life

Daws Butler married Myrtis Martin in 1943. They had four sons: David, Don, Paul, and Charles. They were married until Daws's death in 1988.

Death

Daws Butler passed away on May 18, 1988, at age 71. He had suffered a stroke and pneumonia before his death. The TV special Hanna-Barbera's 50th: A Yabba Dabba Doo Celebration was dedicated to him. Many of his famous roles were later taken over by Greg Burson, whom Butler had trained.

Myrtis Butler, Daws's wife, lived to be 101 years old. She passed away in 2018 and was buried next to Daws.

Filmography

Animated Films and Theatrical Shorts

Television

Live-action roles

See also

In Spanish: Daws Butler para niños