Lorenzo Music facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lorenzo Music
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Music with his wife Henrietta
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| Born |
Gerald David Music
May 2, 1937 |
| Died | August 4, 2001 (aged 64) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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| Other names | L. Music |
| Alma mater | University of Minnesota Duluth |
| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1958–2001 |
| Spouse(s) |
Henrietta Music
(m. 1959) |
| Children | 4 |
| Relatives | Carla Lalli Music (daughter-in-law) |
Lorenzo Music (born Gerald David Music; May 2, 1937 – August 4, 2001) was an American actor, writer, and producer. He was best known for his unique voice. Many people recognized him as the voice of Garfield the cat. He voiced Garfield in many animated TV specials and the cartoon series Garfield and Friends.
Lorenzo Music also helped create and write the popular TV show The Bob Newhart Show. He even wrote its theme song with his wife, Henrietta. Another famous role was the voice of Carlton the Doorman on the TV show Rhoda. Even though you never saw Carlton, his voice was very well-known.
Contents
Early Life and Beginnings
Gerald David Music was born on May 2, 1937, in Brooklyn, New York. When he was six, his family moved to Duluth, Minnesota. This was because of his father's job at a shipyard.
He went to Central High School. Later, he studied at the University of Minnesota Duluth. There, he met his future wife, Henrietta, in the Theatre Arts Department. They formed a comedy team called "Gerald and His Hen." They performed together for eight years.
Music later changed his first name to Lorenzo. He did this for spiritual reasons after joining a group called Subud.
Career Highlights
Writing and TV Shows (1962–1981)
Lorenzo Music started his career as a writer. From 1968 to 1969, he wrote and performed on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. His writing work on The Mary Tyler Moore Show in 1970 helped him get a big break.
He then co-created The Bob Newhart Show with his partner, David Davis. This show was very popular on CBS from 1972 to 1978. Lorenzo and Henrietta Music also wrote the show's theme song together.
Music continued writing for Rhoda, a spin-off of The Mary Tyler Moore Show. For Rhoda, producers needed a voice for a character named Carlton the Doorman. This character was heard but never seen. When they heard Music's calm, deep voice, they knew he was perfect. Carlton became very popular, making Music's voice famous around the world. In 1980, Music also co-produced and co-wrote an animated special called Carlton Your Doorman. It even won an Emmy Award!
In 1976, Lorenzo and Henrietta had their own TV variety show. It was called The Lorenzo and Henrietta Music Show. However, it did not last long. In 1983, Music voiced Ralph the All-Purpose Animal in the animated film Twice Upon a Time.
The Voice of Garfield (1982–2001)
In 1982, Jim Davis's Garfield was a super popular comic strip. Books and merchandise of Garfield were selling very well. Jim Davis wanted to make an animated TV special.
Producers needed someone to voice Garfield, the lazy, sarcastic, and demanding cat. Many famous voice actors tried out for the role. But after just one audition, Lorenzo Music was chosen. Jim Davis famously said, "I looked at the room full of [voice] actors, and then in the corner I saw Lorenzo, quietly licking himself."
Music became the voice of Garfield for nearly 20 years. He voiced Garfield in more than 12 TV specials. He also voiced him in the Garfield and Friends TV series, which ran from 1988 to 1994. You could also hear his voice as Garfield in video games and commercials. His last time voicing Garfield was for a car commercial in 2001, the year he passed away.
Other Voice Roles
Besides Garfield, Lorenzo Music voiced many other cartoon characters. He was Sgt. Dunder in TaleSpin. He was the first voice of Peter Venkman in The Real Ghostbusters. He also voiced Tummi Gummi in Adventures of the Gummi Bears and Ozzie in Fluppy Dogs. Other shows he worked on include Pac-Man, Pound Puppies, and Darkwing Duck. After the mid-1990s, he mostly stopped doing cartoon voice acting.
During the 1980s, Music also did voice-overs for many TV commercials. He was Larry the Crash Test Dummy in public safety announcements. These ads taught people about car safety. He also voiced commercials for Florida grapefruit juice.
Later Years (1995–2001)
In 1996, Lorenzo Music's voice was heard on an album by Stan Freberg. Music played characters like James Madison and Robert E. Lee on the album. He also appeared as an intercom announcer on an episode of The Drew Carey Show.
In the early 1990s, he did voice-overs for commercials for Ore-Ida Potatoes and Fruit and Cream Strawberry Twinkies. Later, he was the voice for Ruggles Ice Cream, a local brand.
Personal Life
Lorenzo Music was married to Henrietta Music, who was a composer and writer. They had four children together.
Death
Lorenzo Music passed away on August 4, 2001. He was 64 years old. He died from problems related to lung cancer and bone cancer. His ashes were scattered at sea.
Legacy
After Lorenzo Music's death, other actors took over the voice of Garfield. Frank Welker often voices Garfield in newer animated movies like Garfield Gets Real and The Garfield Show. In the live-action movies Garfield: The Movie and Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties, Bill Murray voiced Garfield.
It's interesting that Music voiced Peter Venkman in The Real Ghostbusters cartoon. Bill Murray played Peter Venkman in the original Ghostbusters movies!
Images for kids
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Garfield and Friends.jpg
Garfield, voiced by Music, with Odie and Jon Arbuckle.
See also
In Spanish: Lorenzo Music para niños
