Joe Alaskey
Encyclopedia
Joseph "Joe" Alaskey is an American
actor, comedian, and voice artist, credited as one of the successors of Mel Blanc
in impersonating the voices of Bugs Bunny
, Daffy Duck
and other characters from Warner Bros.
cartoons. He was born in Watervliet
, New York
.
(inheriting the role after David Doyle's death in 1997). He voiced Lou again in the Rugrats spin-off series, All Grown Up!
. He also created the voice of Thomas Timberwolf for the internet series TimberWolf created by animation legend, Chuck Jones
', final projects. Alaskey was also heard briefly as the voice-over announcer for the Toon Disney
channel (and sometimes Dcom extras on Disney Channel
). He was also the voice of Curt Connors in the Spider-Man 2 video game
and Doctor Octopus
in Spider-Man: Friend or Foe
.
Alaskey has also been seen occasionally on screen impersonating Jackie Gleason
, with whom he shares a physical resemblance. He also provided a vocal Gleason impersonation in the "Mighty's Wedlock Whimsy" episode of Ralph Bakshi's Mighty Mouse
: The New Adventures in 1988, and a Cary Grant
impersonation in "The Bride of Mighty Mouse" episode from the same season. Alaskey was also in the independent film The Legend of Sasquatch
and voices Mermaid Man in the video games SpongeBob SquarePants: Lights, Camera, Pants!
and SpongeBob SquarePants: Creature from the Krusty Krab
. Alaskey also voiced Stinkie in Casper
as well as that film's 1996 animated spin-off, The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper
.
Alaskey is known for playing the role of Beano Froelich in the television sitcom Out of This World
. Alaskey left the show early in its final season but made appearances in a few episodes.
In 1989, Alaskey worked as the original announcer on the short-lived game show
Couch Potatoes
, hosted by Marc Summers
. Alaskey would make on-screen appearances, portraying the show's "next door neighbor." For the show's final weeks, Alaskey was replaced by Jim McKrell
and the "next door neighbor" concept was dropped.
In 2008, Alaskey participated in a unique interview conducted by Logan Leistikow
and released by TheYellowMic.com. He answered questions and told his story, then went out onto Hollywood Boulevard and talked to people on the street who wanted to hear his famous voices. This was the first time Alaskey had performed in public in this manner.
In 2011, Alaskey returned as the voice of Henery Hawk
, Cecil Turtle, Beaky Buzzard, Hubie
, Mugsy
, and Spike the Bulldog in Cartoon Network's 2011 animated series, The Looney Tunes Show
.
In 2011, Alaskey voiced the character Droopy in the direct-to-video film, Tom and Jerry and the Wizard of Oz.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor, comedian, and voice artist, credited as one of the successors of Mel Blanc
Mel Blanc
Melvin Jerome "Mel" Blanc was an American voice actor and comedian. Although he began his nearly six-decade-long career performing in radio commercials, Blanc is best remembered for his work with Warner Bros...
in impersonating the voices of Bugs Bunny
Bugs Bunny
Bugs Bunny is a animated character created in 1938 at Leon Schlesinger Productions, later Warner Bros. Cartoons. Bugs is an anthropomorphic gray rabbit and is famous for his flippant, insouciant personality and his portrayal as a trickster. He has primarily appeared in animated cartoons, most...
, Daffy Duck
Daffy Duck
Daffy Duck is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons, often running the gamut between being the best friend and sometimes arch-rival of Bugs Bunny...
and other characters from Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
cartoons. He was born in Watervliet
Watervliet, New York
Watervliet is a city in Albany County in the US state of New York. The population was 10,254 as of the 2010 census. Watervliet is north of Albany, the capital of the state, and is bordered on the north, west, and south by the town of Colonie. The city is also known as "the Arsenal City".- History...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
Other work
Alaskey has also done voices for people other than Warner Bros. He has voiced Grandpa Lou Pickles on RugratsRugrats
Rugrats is an American animated television series created by Arlene Klasky, Gábor Csupó, and Paul Germain for Nickelodeon. The series premiered on August 11, 1991, and aired its last episode on June 8, 2004....
(inheriting the role after David Doyle's death in 1997). He voiced Lou again in the Rugrats spin-off series, All Grown Up!
All Grown Up!
All Grown Up! is an American animated television series created by Arlene Klasky and Gábor Csupó. After the success of All Growed Up, the Rugrats 10th anniversary special, Nickelodeon commissioned All Grown Up! as a spin-off series based on the episode.The series ran from April 12, 2003 to August...
. He also created the voice of Thomas Timberwolf for the internet series TimberWolf created by animation legend, Chuck Jones
Chuck Jones
Charles Martin "Chuck" Jones was an American animator, cartoon artist, screenwriter, producer, and director of animated films, most memorably of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts for the Warner Bros. Cartoons studio...
', final projects. Alaskey was also heard briefly as the voice-over announcer for the Toon Disney
Toon Disney
Toon Disney was an American cable television channel owned by The Walt Disney Company. A spinoff of Disney Channel, it mostly aired children's animated series and some live action programming. Its format had similarities to those of Cartoon Network and Nicktoons...
channel (and sometimes Dcom extras on Disney Channel
Disney Channel
Disney Channel is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. It is under the direction of Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney. The channel's headquarters is located on West Alameda Ave. in...
). He was also the voice of Curt Connors in the Spider-Man 2 video game
Spider-Man 2 (video game)
Spider-Man 2 is the name of several computer and video games based on the Spider-Man universe and particularly the Spider-Man 2 film. It is a follow up to the game Spider-Man: The Movie and was followed by Spider-Man 3 to promote the release of the third film in 2007...
and Doctor Octopus
Doctor Octopus
Doctor Octopus is a fictional character, a supervillain that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics since 1963. A highly intelligent mad scientist, Doctor Octopus is one of Spider-Man's greatest foes...
in Spider-Man: Friend or Foe
Spider-Man: Friend or Foe
Spider-Man: Friend or Foe is a Spider-Man computer and video game based on the comic book series and Spider-Man movies. The game was released on October 2, 2007....
.
Alaskey has also been seen occasionally on screen impersonating Jackie Gleason
Jackie Gleason
Jackie Gleason was an American comedian, actor and musician. He was known for his brash visual and verbal comedy style, especially by his character Ralph Kramden on The Honeymooners, a situation-comedy television series. His most noted film roles were as Minnesota Fats in the drama film The...
, with whom he shares a physical resemblance. He also provided a vocal Gleason impersonation in the "Mighty's Wedlock Whimsy" episode of Ralph Bakshi's Mighty Mouse
Mighty Mouse
Mighty Mouse is an animated superhero mouse character created by the Terrytoons studio for 20th Century Fox.-History:The character was created by story man Izzy Klein as a super-powered housefly named Superfly. Studio head Paul Terry changed the character into a cartoon mouse instead...
: The New Adventures in 1988, and a Cary Grant
Cary Grant
Archibald Alexander Leach , better known by his stage name Cary Grant, was an English actor who later took U.S. citizenship...
impersonation in "The Bride of Mighty Mouse" episode from the same season. Alaskey was also in the independent film The Legend of Sasquatch
The Legend of Sasquatch
The Legend of Sasquatch is a 2006 computer-animated independent film released by Gorilla Pictures that stars William Hurt and John Rhys-Davies...
and voices Mermaid Man in the video games SpongeBob SquarePants: Lights, Camera, Pants!
SpongeBob SquarePants: Lights, Camera, Pants!
SpongeBob SquarePants: Lights, Camera, Pants! is a party video game based on the TV series SpongeBob SquarePants. It was released in October 2005 for the Xbox, PlayStation 2, GameCube, Game Boy Advance, and the PC. It was released for the Nintendo DS in Korea in 2007, but its North American release...
and SpongeBob SquarePants: Creature from the Krusty Krab
SpongeBob SquarePants: Creature from the Krusty Krab
SpongeBob SquarePants: Creature from the Krusty Krab is a video game for the Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation 2, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, and Wii developed by Blitz Games and published by THQ. It stars SpongeBob SquarePants, his best friend Patrick Star and their enemy Sheldon J. Plankton as...
. Alaskey also voiced Stinkie in Casper
Casper (film)
Casper is a 1995 American comedy fantasy film starring Bill Pullman and Christina Ricci, based on the Casper the Friendly Ghost animated cartoons and comic books. The ghosts featured in the film were created through computer-generated imagery...
as well as that film's 1996 animated spin-off, The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper
The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper
The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper was an animated television spin-off of the feature film Casper, which, in turn, was based on the Harvey Comics character of Casper the Friendly Ghost....
.
Alaskey is known for playing the role of Beano Froelich in the television sitcom Out of This World
Out of This World (TV series)
Out Of This World is an American fantasy sitcom about a teenage girl who is half alien, which gives her unique supernatural powers. It first aired in U.S. syndication on September 17, 1987 and ended on May 25, 1991. It was first broadcast in the UK on the ITV network on April 9, 1990, usually at...
. Alaskey left the show early in its final season but made appearances in a few episodes.
In 1989, Alaskey worked as the original announcer on the short-lived game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
Couch Potatoes
Couch Potatoes (game show)
Couch Potatoes was an American game show that aired in syndication as a midseason replacement from January 23 to September 8, 1989 with reruns airing on USA Network...
, hosted by Marc Summers
Marc Summers
Marc Summers is an American television personality, comedian, game show host, producer, and a two-time talk show host. He is best known for hosting the Nickelodeon game show Double Dare and currently hosts Unwrapped on The Food Network.- Early career :Summers was born Marc Berkowitz in...
. Alaskey would make on-screen appearances, portraying the show's "next door neighbor." For the show's final weeks, Alaskey was replaced by Jim McKrell
Jim McKrell
James "Jim" MacKrell is an television personality, best known for emceeing television game shows such as Celebrity Sweepstakes and The Game Game. He was born in Little Rock, Arkansas...
and the "next door neighbor" concept was dropped.
In 2008, Alaskey participated in a unique interview conducted by Logan Leistikow
Logan Leistikow
Logan Leistikow is an American filmmaker known for his documentary, The Comedy Garage. Leistikow also produced and directed Tom Green Live and several behind-the-scenes videos and promos for NBC....
and released by TheYellowMic.com. He answered questions and told his story, then went out onto Hollywood Boulevard and talked to people on the street who wanted to hear his famous voices. This was the first time Alaskey had performed in public in this manner.
In 2011, Alaskey returned as the voice of Henery Hawk
Henery Hawk
Henery Hawk is a cartoon character from the American Looney Tunes series, who appeared in twelve cartoons. His first appearance was The Squawkin' Hawk, directed by Chuck Jones and produced by Leon Schlesinger. Henery's next appearance was Walky Talky Hawky which also featured Foghorn Leghorn and...
, Cecil Turtle, Beaky Buzzard, Hubie
Hubie and Bertie
Hubie and Bertie are animated cartoon mouse characters in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons. Though largely forgotten today, Hubie and Bertie represent some of animator Chuck Jones' earliest work that was intended to be funny rather than cute.-First film:Jones...
, Mugsy
Rocky and Mugsy
Rocky and Mugsy are animated cartoon characters in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons. They were created by Friz Freleng.-Character Biography:...
, and Spike the Bulldog in Cartoon Network's 2011 animated series, The Looney Tunes Show
The Looney Tunes Show
The Looney Tunes Show is a packaged show, created for Cartoon Network, and broadcast from 2002 to 2005. It was produced by Warner Bros. Animation. The show featured cartoon shorts from the original Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies theatrical cartoon series produced from 1930 to 1969.-External links:...
.
In 2011, Alaskey voiced the character Droopy in the direct-to-video film, Tom and Jerry and the Wizard of Oz.