Len Maxwell
Encyclopedia
Len Maxwell was an American voice actor and announcer
.
He appeared on The Tonight Show
several times, on a CBS
special called, The Nut House, an NBC
special called The Future Lies Ahead and appeared in night clubs and theaters in Las Vegas, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, etc. with such luminaries as Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Lena Horne, Ella Fitzgerald to name but a few.
At an engagement at New York’s Copacabana, a producer for an advertising agency approached Len and asked him if he would be willing to do some of the voices in his act on a series of commercials. Len agreed. Two weeks later, when he received a check for the few hours of what was an easy and enjoyable experience, Len was shocked at the large amount of the check. He called the advertising agency, saying there had to be some mistake. They said they would look into it. Two days later a representative of the agency called back and apologized for the error and said they would send Len the rest. It was at that moment that Len decided to make voice-overs his career.
During Len’s career in voice-overs he recorded over 25,000 commercials, including the voice for "Punchy" the iconic Hawaiian Punch
mascot - plus dozens of animated cartoons, and voice-overs in motion pictures.
Len won the advertising industry’s coveted CLIO award for best voice-over actor/announcer.
He co-wrote and co-produced the short animated film "The Crunch Bird" in which he did all five voices. The film won the Academy Award for best animated short. He also directed the sound track for the film. He also provided several voices for the 1970 Christmas animated special, The Night the Animals Talked
.
He supplied the voices of Karate and The Chief in the children's cartoon series
Batfink
.
Len wrote some comedy with Woody Allen
. He appeared with Woody on screen in Woody’s film, What's Up Tiger Lily, and did the voices of most of the main characters in that film. Voice-overs in Woody’s Take the Money and Run and Sleeper followed. He and Woody remained friends until his death.
He was also the voice of the character Nick Diamond in the popular MTV
animated series Celebrity Deathmatch
from 1998-2002. He was credited in most episodes as Barry Manos.
In 1964, Maxwell released the Christmas/Monster-themed LP, "A Merry Monster Christmas". This album entertained families for decades with its head-on collision of classic movie monsters with traditional Christmas observances. The album became difficult to find until Maxwell updated and re-released it on CD in 2005.
. His birthplace was Inglewood, California
. He had been in bad health for a long time and had been hospitalized since December.
Announcer
An announcer is a presenter who makes "announcements" in an audio medium or a physical location.-Television and other media:Some announcers work in television production , radio or filmmaking, usually providing narrations, news updates, station identification, or an introduction of a product in...
.
Career
Prior to his career in voice-overs, Len was a stand up comedian.He appeared on The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. It is the longest currently running regularly scheduled entertainment program in the United States, and the third longest-running show on NBC, after Meet the Press and Today.The Tonight Show has been hosted by...
several times, on a CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
special called, The Nut House, an NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
special called The Future Lies Ahead and appeared in night clubs and theaters in Las Vegas, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, etc. with such luminaries as Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Lena Horne, Ella Fitzgerald to name but a few.
At an engagement at New York’s Copacabana, a producer for an advertising agency approached Len and asked him if he would be willing to do some of the voices in his act on a series of commercials. Len agreed. Two weeks later, when he received a check for the few hours of what was an easy and enjoyable experience, Len was shocked at the large amount of the check. He called the advertising agency, saying there had to be some mistake. They said they would look into it. Two days later a representative of the agency called back and apologized for the error and said they would send Len the rest. It was at that moment that Len decided to make voice-overs his career.
During Len’s career in voice-overs he recorded over 25,000 commercials, including the voice for "Punchy" the iconic Hawaiian Punch
Hawaiian Punch
Hawaiian Punch is a brand of fruit punch drinks owned by Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc. . It was created in 1934 by A.W. Leo, Tom Yates, Ralph Harrison as an ice cream topping in a converted garage in Fullerton, Calif.; customers later discovered that it made an appealing drink when mixed with water...
mascot - plus dozens of animated cartoons, and voice-overs in motion pictures.
Len won the advertising industry’s coveted CLIO award for best voice-over actor/announcer.
He co-wrote and co-produced the short animated film "The Crunch Bird" in which he did all five voices. The film won the Academy Award for best animated short. He also directed the sound track for the film. He also provided several voices for the 1970 Christmas animated special, The Night the Animals Talked
The Night the Animals Talked
The Night the Animals Talked is an animated children's Christmas special first shown on ABC television on December 9, 1970. It was broadcast only four times on ABC, from 1970 through 1973.-Production notes:...
.
He supplied the voices of Karate and The Chief in the children's cartoon series
Cartoon series
A cartoon series is a set of regularly presented animated television programs with a common series title, usually related to one another. These episodes typically share the same characters and a basic theme...
Batfink
Batfink
Batfink is an animated television series, consisting of five-minute shorts, that first aired in September 1967. The 100-episode series was quickly created by Hal Seeger, starting in 1966, to parody the popular Batman and The Green Hornet television series which had premiered the same...
.
Len wrote some comedy with Woody Allen
Woody Allen
Woody Allen is an American screenwriter, director, actor, comedian, jazz musician, author, and playwright. Allen's films draw heavily on literature, sexuality, philosophy, psychology, Jewish identity, and the history of cinema...
. He appeared with Woody on screen in Woody’s film, What's Up Tiger Lily, and did the voices of most of the main characters in that film. Voice-overs in Woody’s Take the Money and Run and Sleeper followed. He and Woody remained friends until his death.
He was also the voice of the character Nick Diamond in the popular MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
animated series Celebrity Deathmatch
Celebrity Deathmatch
Celebrity Deathmatch is a claymation television show that depicts celebrities against each other in a wrestling ring, almost always ending in the loser's gruesome death. It was known for its excessive amount of blood used in every match and exaggerated physical injuries...
from 1998-2002. He was credited in most episodes as Barry Manos.
In 1964, Maxwell released the Christmas/Monster-themed LP, "A Merry Monster Christmas". This album entertained families for decades with its head-on collision of classic movie monsters with traditional Christmas observances. The album became difficult to find until Maxwell updated and re-released it on CD in 2005.
Death
Len Maxwell died on May 13, 2008 in Los AngelesLos 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...
. His birthplace was Inglewood, California
Inglewood, California
Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, southwest of downtown Los Angeles. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. Its population stood at 109,673 as of the 2010 Census...
. He had been in bad health for a long time and had been hospitalized since December.