Grace Stafford
Encyclopedia
Gracie Lantz also known by her stage name Grace Stafford, was an American
actress and the wife of animation
producer Walter Lantz
. Stafford is best known for providing the voice of Woody Woodpecker
from 1950 until 1972.
. Some of her more notable roles were in the films Anthony Adverse
and Blossoms In the Dust
.
Stafford was the voice of Woody Woodpecker
from 1950 until 1990 but she asked not to be credited in that role until the cartoon Misguided Missile
in 1958. She believed that children would be "disillusioned" if they knew Woody was voiced by a woman. Walter Lantz always insisted that his wife had submitted her audition tape for the role anonymously, and was cast before he knew it was her voice.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress and the wife of animation
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
producer Walter Lantz
Walter Lantz
Walter Benjamin Lantz was an American cartoonist, animator, film producer, and director, best known for founding Walter Lantz Productions and creating Woody Woodpecker.-Early years and start in animation:...
. Stafford is best known for providing the voice of Woody Woodpecker
Woody Woodpecker
Woody Woodpecker is an animated cartoon character, an anthropomorphic acorn woodpecker who appeared in theatrical short films produced by the Walter Lantz animation studio and distributed by Universal Pictures...
from 1950 until 1972.
Career
Grace appeared in feature live action films from 1935, Dr. Socrates, to 1975, Doc Savage: The Man of BronzeDoc Savage: The Man of Bronze
Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze is a 1975 camp action film starring Ron Ely as pulp hero Doc Savage. This was the last film completed by pioneering science-fiction producer George Pal.- Plot :...
. Some of her more notable roles were in the films Anthony Adverse
Anthony Adverse
Anthony Adverse is a 1936 American drama film directed by Mervyn LeRoy. The screenplay by Sheridan Gibney is based on the sprawling 1,224-page novel of the same title by Hervey Allen.-Plot:...
and Blossoms In the Dust
Blossoms in the Dust
Blossoms in the Dust is a 1941 American film which tells the story of the non-fictional Edna Gladney who takes it upon herself to help orphaned children to find homes, despite the opposition of the "good" citizens who think that illegitimate children are beneath their interest...
.
Stafford was the voice of Woody Woodpecker
Woody Woodpecker
Woody Woodpecker is an animated cartoon character, an anthropomorphic acorn woodpecker who appeared in theatrical short films produced by the Walter Lantz animation studio and distributed by Universal Pictures...
from 1950 until 1990 but she asked not to be credited in that role until the cartoon Misguided Missile
Misguided Missile
Misguided Missile is the 82nd animated cartoon short subject in the Woody Woodpecker series. Released theatrically on January 27, 1958, the film was produced by Walter Lantz Productions and distributed by Universal International.-Plot:...
in 1958. She believed that children would be "disillusioned" if they knew Woody was voiced by a woman. Walter Lantz always insisted that his wife had submitted her audition tape for the role anonymously, and was cast before he knew it was her voice.
Live-action filmography
- Doc Savage: The Man of BronzeDoc Savage: The Man of BronzeDoc Savage: The Man of Bronze is a 1975 camp action film starring Ron Ely as pulp hero Doc Savage. This was the last film completed by pioneering science-fiction producer George Pal.- Plot :...
(1975) - You're Telling Me (1942)
- Larceny, Inc.Larceny, Inc.Larceny, Inc. is an American film. Originally released on May 2, 1942 by Warner Brothers, the film is a cross between the comedy and gangster genres. Directed by Lloyd Bacon, it stars Edward G. Robinson, Jane Wyman, Broderick Crawford, Jack Carson, Anthony Quinn, and Edward Brophy.The film is based...
(1942) - Dr. Kildare's Victory (1942)
- Unfinished Business (1941)
- Blossoms In the DustBlossoms in the DustBlossoms in the Dust is a 1941 American film which tells the story of the non-fictional Edna Gladney who takes it upon herself to help orphaned children to find homes, despite the opposition of the "good" citizens who think that illegitimate children are beneath their interest...
(1941) - Affectionately Yours (1941)
- Model Wife (1941)
- Santa Fe TrailSanta Fe TrailThe Santa Fe Trail was a 19th-century transportation route through central North America that connected Missouri with Santa Fe, New Mexico. Pioneered in 1822 by William Becknell, it served as a vital commercial and military highway until the introduction of the railroad to Santa Fe in 1880...
(1940) - A Dispatch from Reuter's (1940)
- MargieMargie (film)Margie is a 1946 American film directed by Henry King.-Plot:Starting in 1946, Margie is a housewife who looks back to her teenage life in the 1920s. Back then, she was a joyful, high-spirited girl living with her dominant but good-hearted grandmother McSweeney...
(1940) - I Can't Give You Anything But Love, BabyI Can't Give You Anything but Love, Baby"I Can't Give You Anything but Love" is an American popular song and jazz standard by Jimmy McHugh and Dorothy Fields .The song was introduced by Adelaide Hall at Les Ambassadeurs Club in New York in January 1928 in Lew Leslie's Blackbird Revue, which opened on Broadway later that year as the...
(1940) - La Conga Nights (1940)
- Flight Angels (1940)
- Blondie Brings Up Baby (1939)
- Indianapolis Speedway (1939)
- The Greener Hills (1939)
- Confessions of a Nazi SpyConfessions of a Nazi SpyConfessions of a Nazi Spy is a 1939 American spy thriller film and the first blatantly anti-Nazi film produced by a major Hollywood studio prior to World War II. The film stars Edward G. Robinson, Francis Lederer, George Sanders, and a large cast of German actors, including some who had emigrated...
(1939) - The Man Who DaredThe Man Who DaredThe Man Who Dared is a 1946 film directed by John Sturges. It tells the story of a reporter who concocts a false case so as to get himself convicted for first degree murder. He does this to prove that the death sentence should be banned, because it can be given based on circumstantial evidence....
(1939) - Anthony AdverseAnthony AdverseAnthony Adverse is a 1936 American drama film directed by Mervyn LeRoy. The screenplay by Sheridan Gibney is based on the sprawling 1,224-page novel of the same title by Hervey Allen.-Plot:...
(1936) - I Married a Doctor (1936)
- Dr. Socrates (1935)