Thurl Ravenscroft facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Thurl Ravenscroft
Ravenscroft in 1967
Born	Thurl Arthur Ravenscroft (1914-02-06)February 6, 1914 Norfolk, Nebraska, U.S.
Died	May 22, 2005(2005-05-22) (aged 91) Fullerton, California, U.S.
Resting place	Crystal Cathedral Memorial Gardens, Garden Grove, California
Alma mater	Otis College of Art and Design
Occupation	Actor singer
Years active	1939–2005
Spouse(s)	June Seamans ​ ​ (m. 1946; died 1999)​
Children	2

Thurl Arthur Ravenscroft (born February 6, 1914 – died May 22, 2005) was an American actor and a deep-voiced singer, known as a bass. He is most famous for being the voice of Tony the Tiger, the friendly mascot for Kellogg's Frosted Flakes cereal, for over 50 years.

He also sang the well-known song "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" from the classic Christmas TV special, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

Thurl Ravenscroft also lent his voice and singing talents to many Disney movies and attractions at Disneyland (and later Walt Disney World). Some of his most famous Disney roles include voices in The Haunted Mansion, Country Bear Jamboree, Mark Twain Riverboat, Pirates of the Caribbean, Disneyland Railroad, and Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room. His voice acting career started in 1940 and continued until he passed away in 2005 at 91 years old.

Early Life and Amazing Career

Thurl Ravenscroft was born in Norfolk, Nebraska. In 1933, he moved to California and studied art at the Otis Art Institute. He quickly found success as part of a singing group called The Mellomen.

The Mellomen sang backup for many popular artists during the Big Band era, including Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney. They also contributed to several Disney films. Their first Disney work was for Pinocchio (1940), where they sang a song that was later removed. Ravenscroft also voiced Monstro the Whale in Pinocchio. The Mellomen also sang in Alice in Wonderland and Lady and the Tramp.

During World War II, Ravenscroft worked as a civilian navigator for the U.S. Air Transport Command. He flew important missions across the Atlantic Ocean for five years. He even flew famous people like Winston Churchill and Bob Hope on his flights.

Ravenscroft's deep voice was featured in many songs. He sang bass on Rosemary Clooney's "This Ole House," which was a number one hit in 1954. He also sang on the soundtrack for South Pacific, a very popular album. You can hear his voice in the chorus of many Johnny Mann Singers albums.

He also sang the opening songs for two Disney TV shows on The Mickey Mouse Club: Boys of the Western Sea and The Hardy Boys: Mystery of the Applegate Treasure.

At Disneyland, his voice was a big part of many attractions. He was Uncle Theodore, the main singer of the spooky busts in the cemetery at The Haunted Mansion. He also narrated The Story and Song From the Haunted Mansion. In the Enchanted Tiki Room, he was the voice of Fritz the parrot and the tree-like Tangaroa tiki god. He also voiced the Disneyland Railroad in the 1990s and was the voice of Buff, the American bison head, at The Country Bear Jamboree.

Famous Voices and Later Work

One of Thurl Ravenscroft's most famous roles was singing "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch." For a long time, he wasn't given credit for this song, and many people thought Boris Karloff (the narrator of the cartoon) or Tennessee Ernie Ford sang it. But now, everyone knows it was Thurl! The song even made it onto the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in 2021.

Ravenscroft also sang "No Dogs Allowed" in the Peanuts movie Snoopy, Come Home.

For over 50 years, he was the voice of Tony the Tiger for Kellogg's Frosted Flakes. His powerful bass voice made Tony the Tiger famous for his catchphrase: "They're g-r-r-r-eat!!!!"

Thurl Ravenscroft was a very religious person. He appeared on many Christian TV shows, like The Hour of Power. In 1970, he recorded an album called Great Hymns in Story and Song, where he sang 10 hymns and told the stories behind them.

He once said his dream was to record the entire Bible on tape. Interestingly, on an episode of the TV show Donny & Marie, Ravenscroft even provided the voice for Darth Vader in a Star Wars segment.

Later Life and Legacy

Thurl Ravenscroft married June Seamans in 1946, and they had two children. June passed away in 1999. After that, Ravenscroft mostly retired, but he continued to voice Tony the Tiger until 2004. He passed away at his home on May 22, 2005, from prostate cancer. He was buried at the Memorial Gardens at the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California.

After his death, Kellogg's placed an advertisement in an industry magazine that said: "Behind every great character is an even greater man." While Lee Marshall took over as the voice of Tony the Tiger, some old commercials still use clips of Thurl Ravenscroft's famous voice.

Film and TV Roles

Commercials

Songs by Thurl Ravenscroft

See also

In Spanish: Thurl Ravenscroft para niños