Donavan Freberg
Encyclopedia
Donavan Freberg, sometimes credited as Donovan Freberg (born April 6, 1971 in Los Angeles
, California
, U.S.
) is an American
advertising
creative, voice actor, photographer, and writer
.
His voice-acting credits include Peanuts
' Linus
(1977–1978) and Charlie Brown
(1978–1980) in commercials and public service announcement
s; Tom Little on The Littles
(1983–1985); Montgomery Moose on The Get-Along Gang
; the video game Zork: Grand Inquisitor; and voiceovers for hundreds of radio and television commercials. He also performed the puppet
character Baby Boolie on The Weird Al Show
.
He is probably best known for appearing in a series of commercials for Encyclopædia Britannica
produced by his father, satirist and advertising creative Stan Freberg
. The 1988–1993 advertising campaign was the most successful in the company's 200 year history; Freberg was elevated to cult status, parodied on Saturday Night Live
and SCTV
, dubbed a "Pop Intellectual" by GQ magazine, and named "The Most Annoying Geek of the '90s" by TV Tome
. He was spoofed in a 2003 feature in The Onion
, and in 2006, was chosen for VH1
's 100 Greatest Teen Stars, ranking number 83. He created a series of videos that he has posted to YouTube
.
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
) is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
advertising
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
creative, voice actor, photographer, and writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
.
His voice-acting credits include Peanuts
Peanuts
Peanuts is a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz, which ran from October 2, 1950, to February 13, 2000, continuing in reruns afterward...
Linus van Pelt
Linus van Pelt is a character in Charles M. Schulz's comic strip Peanuts. The best friend of Charlie Brown, Linus is also the younger brother of Lucy van Pelt and older brother of Rerun van Pelt. He first appeared on September 19, 1952; however, he was not mentioned by name until three days later....
(1977–1978) and Charlie Brown
Charlie Brown
Charles "Charlie" Brown is the protagonist in the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz.Charlie Brown and his creator have a common connection in that they are both the sons of barbers, but whereas Schulz's work is described as the "most shining example of the American success story", Charlie...
(1978–1980) in commercials and public service announcement
Public service announcement
A public service announcement or public service ad is a type of advertisement featured on television, radio, print or other media...
s; Tom Little on The Littles
The Littles
The Littles is a series of children's novels by American author John Peterson, the first of which was published in 1967. Peterson's books were adapted into the The Littles animated series by DIC Entertainment 16 years later...
(1983–1985); Montgomery Moose on The Get-Along Gang
The Get-Along Gang
The Get Along Gang were characters created in 1983 by American Greetings' toy design and licensing division, "Those Characters from Cleveland" , for a series of greeting cards...
; the video game Zork: Grand Inquisitor; and voiceovers for hundreds of radio and television commercials. He also performed the puppet
Puppet
A puppet is an inanimate object or representational figure animated or manipulated by an entertainer, who is called a puppeteer. It is used in puppetry, a play or a presentation that is a very ancient form of theatre....
character Baby Boolie on The Weird Al Show
The Weird Al Show
The Weird Al Show is a television show hosted by "Weird Al" Yankovic. Produced in association with Dick Clark Productions, it aired Saturday mornings on the CBS TV network from September to December 1997. The show was released on DVD on August 15, 2006...
.
He is probably best known for appearing in a series of commercials for Encyclopædia Britannica
Encyclopædia Britannica
The Encyclopædia Britannica , published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia that is available in print, as a DVD, and on the Internet. It is written and continuously updated by about 100 full-time editors and more than 4,000 expert...
produced by his father, satirist and advertising creative Stan Freberg
Stan Freberg
Stanley Victor "Stan" Freberg is an American author, recording artist, animation voice actor, comedian, radio personality, puppeteer, and advertising creative director whose career began in 1944...
. The 1988–1993 advertising campaign was the most successful in the company's 200 year history; Freberg was elevated to cult status, parodied on Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
and SCTV
Second City Television
Second City Television is a Canadian television sketch comedy show offshoot from Toronto's The Second City troupe that ran between 1976 and 1984.- Premise :...
, dubbed a "Pop Intellectual" by GQ magazine, and named "The Most Annoying Geek of the '90s" by TV Tome
TV Tome
TV Tome was a U.S. based website devoted to informational guides for English-language television shows and the people involved in their production. It was run mainly by volunteer editors, with the assistance of user contributions...
. He was spoofed in a 2003 feature in The Onion
The Onion
The Onion is an American news satire organization. It is an entertainment newspaper and a website featuring satirical articles reporting on international, national, and local news, in addition to a non-satirical entertainment section known as The A.V. Club...
, and in 2006, was chosen for VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
's 100 Greatest Teen Stars, ranking number 83. He created a series of videos that he has posted to YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
.
External links
- Demented Tidbits, Freberg's weblog, including biography (Note: Contains adult material)
- Donavan Freberg's profile at Voice Chasers