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Jeff Bergman
Jeff Bergman by Gage Skidmore.jpg
Bergman at the 2023 San Diego Comic-Con
Born
Jeffrey Bergman

(1960-07-10) July 10, 1960 (age 65)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Alma mater University of Pittsburgh
Occupation Voice actor
Years active 1984–present
Children 2
Signature
Jeff bergman signature.png

Jeffrey Bergman (born July 10, 1960) is an American voice actor. He is famous for giving modern voices to many classic cartoon characters, especially from Looney Tunes and Hanna-Barbera.

Jeff Bergman was the first person to take over voicing Bugs Bunny and other Warner Bros. cartoon characters after the original voice actor, Mel Blanc, passed away in 1989. Bergman has shared these roles with other talented voice actors like Bob Bergen, Billy West, and Eric Bauza for different Warner Bros. cartoons.

Early Life and Discovering His Voice

Jeff Bergman was born on July 10, 1960, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. From a young age, he loved to imitate famous people and cartoon characters. His first impression was of the comedian Ed Sullivan when he was just 6 years old! By the time he was 15, Bergman was already doing great impressions of various Looney Tunes characters.

Studying and Meeting a Legend

He studied theater and communication at the University of Pittsburgh. There, he started doing voice work at a student radio station. He even got to intern at real radio stations like KQV and WDVE. During this time, he made his first recording of his voice work. A TV show called Evening Magazine featured him, which helped him get an agent after he graduated in 1983.

While at university, Bergman attended a talk by Mel Blanc, the legendary voice of Bugs Bunny and many other Looney Tunes characters. Bergman later found Blanc and met him in his hotel room in 1981. Bergman showed off his impressions of Blanc's characters, and Blanc was so impressed that he spent 45 minutes with him! Bergman says Blanc helped him a lot with his career.

Becoming a Cartoon Voice Star

In 1986, Jeff Bergman tried out to be the voice of the Pillsbury Doughboy. He didn't get that part, but he did get to voice StarKist's mascot, Charlie the Tuna. His work with Warner Bros. also began that year, as he recorded voices for The Bugs Bunny Show.

Taking Over as Bugs Bunny

After trying many times to get hired by Warner Bros. directors, he made a special tape. On this tape, he recorded himself doing several of Mel Blanc's characters, including Bugs Bunny. He played the tape for the production company, switching between his voice and Mel Blanc's original recording. The president of Warner Bros. at the time, Edward Bleier, couldn't tell the difference! So, at 29 years old, Jeff Bergman became the first person to voice Bugs Bunny after Mel Blanc passed away on July 10, 1989 – which was also Bergman's 29th birthday.

First Big Roles

Bergman's first time voicing Bugs Bunny was at the 62nd Academy Awards, where Bugs presented an Oscar. He also voiced Bugs and Daffy Duck in the 1990 TV specials Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue and The Earth Day Special. In The Earth Day Special, he also voiced Tweety Bird and Porky Pig. That same year, he voiced Bugs, Daffy, and Porky in the animated parts of Gremlins 2: The New Batch.

He continued to voice Bugs and Daffy, along with Elmer Fudd, in the 1991 short film Box-Office Bunny. This was Bugs's first short film in over 25 years! He also voiced many characters like Sylvester the Cat and Foghorn Leghorn in TV shows such as Tiny Toon Adventures.

Beyond Looney Tunes

Outside of Looney Tunes, Bergman also voiced George Jetson and Mr. Spacely in Jetsons: The Movie (1990). He took over these roles because the previous voice actors had passed away during the movie's production. He was working at a radio station in Pennsylvania when he got the call to go to California and finish the voices. He also voiced George Jetson for the theme park ride The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera.

In the mid-1990s, Bergman decided to take a break from voicing the Looney Tunes characters because he didn't want to move to Los Angeles. Warner Bros. then hired other voice actors like Joe Alaskey and Billy West to share the roles.

Returning to Classic Characters

Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Bergman kept voicing various Hanna-Barbera characters, especially Fred Flintstone. He returned as the main voice for Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Foghorn Leghorn, Sylvester the Cat, Pepé Le Pew, and Tweety in The Looney Tunes Show in 2011. He also voiced characters in the 2015 series New Looney Tunes and Looney Tunes Cartoons.

Bergman is also a regular voice actor on the TV show Family Guy, often voicing Fred Flintstone and Sylvester the Cat. From 2000 to 2015, he was also the announcer for the Boomerang TV channel. In 2021, Bergman became the new voice of Eustace Bagge in the Courage the Cowardly Dog and Scooby-Doo crossover movie, Straight Outta Nowhere.

Characters Voiced by Jeff Bergman

Jeff Bergman has voiced a huge number of characters throughout his career. Some of his most famous voices include:

Personal Life

Jeff Bergman lives in Los Angeles, California, and has two sons.

Film and Television Roles

Jeff Bergman has lent his voice to many films and TV shows. Here are some of them:

Film Roles

Television Roles

  • 1990–1991: Tiny Toon Adventures (Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Foghorn Leghorn, and more)
  • 2001: The Flintstones: On the Rocks (Fred Flintstone)
  • 2006–present: Family Guy (Fred Flintstone, Sylvester the Cat, and others)
  • 2011–2014: The Looney Tunes Show (Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Sylvester, Tweety, Foghorn Leghorn, Pepé Le Pew)
  • 2015–2020: New Looney Tunes (Bugs Bunny, Sylvester, Foghorn Leghorn, Elmer Fudd)
  • 2020–2023: Looney Tunes Cartoons (Sylvester, Elmer Fudd, Foghorn Leghorn, Ralph Wolf)
  • 2021–2025: Jellystone! (Yogi Bear, Ranger Smith, Wally Gator, Fred Flintstone, George Jetson)
  • 2022–present: Bugs Bunny Builders (Sylvester, Foghorn Leghorn)
  • 2023–2025: Tiny Toons Looniversity (Bugs Bunny, Sylvester, Foghorn Leghorn)

Video Game Roles

  • 1992: Taz-Mania (Tasmanian Devil)
  • 2011: Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure (Zap)
  • 2014: Looney Tunes Dash! (Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, and more)
  • 2018: Lego The Incredibles (Bob Parr / Mr. Incredible)
  • 2020: Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War (Ronald Reagan)

Theme Park and Commercial Roles

  • 2015: Wun Wabbit Wun (Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd)
  • 2018: The Flintstones Bedrock River Adventure (Fred Flintstone, Barney Rubble)
  • 1986–2014: The Pillsbury Company (Auditioned for Pillsbury Doughboy)

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Jeff Bergman para niños

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