Ed Gilbert facts for kids

Ed Gilbert (born Edmund Francis Giesbert, June 29, 1931 – May 8, 1999) was a talented American actor. He was famous for his voice work in many animated shows and movies. You might know his voice best as Baloo from the Disney cartoon TaleSpin. He also did some live-action acting and even discovered new kinds of beetles!

Ed Gilbert's Acting Journey

Early Life and First Roles

Ed Gilbert grew up in Chicago, Illinois. He went to the University of Chicago. After college, he served in the Korean War. In the 1960s, he started acting on TV shows. Some of these included The Gallant Men, Combat!, and Mannix. He also played Fenton Hardy in The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries in the 1970s.

Famous Voice Roles

Ed Gilbert became very well known for his voice acting. He gave life to many cartoon characters. Here are some of his most famous voice roles:

• Baloo in the Disney animated series TaleSpin and Jungle Cubs.
• Superion, Thrust, and Blitzwing in The Transformers.
• General Hawk in G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero.
• Puggsy and Daddy Starling in Tom and Jerry: The Movie.
• Mr. Smee in Peter Pan and the Pirates.
• The Mandarin in Iron Man: The Animated Series.
• Dormammu in Spider-Man.
• He also voiced characters in Batman: The Animated Series and other Batman movies.

He even voiced a security guard named Daryl in the computer game Leisure Suit Larry 6: Shape Up or Slip Out!.

Ed Gilbert's Love for Beetles

Besides acting, Ed Gilbert had another interesting hobby. Using his birth name, Edmund Giesbert, he studied beetles! He even found and described many new types of beetles. He focused especially on a group called Cerambycidae, which are longhorn beetles.

His Final Years

Ed Gilbert passed away on May 8, 1999. He was 67 years old. He died from lung cancer at his home in Beverly Hills, California. He is buried in Newhall, California.

Film and TV Appearances

Here are some of the movies and TV shows where Ed Gilbert lent his voice or appeared:

Movies

Television Shows