Legendary Cartoon Voice Actor June Foray Wins First Emmy at 94
One of the living legends of animation has finally been rewarded for her pioneering work.
June Foray, an actress who has provided voiceover work for such cartoons as 'The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show' and 'Looney Tunes,' among others, received her first Emmy for her television work at 94 years old.
Foray, who many remember as the voice of Rocky the Squirrel and Tweety Bird's Granny, received a Daytime Emmy award last Sunday for her work on Cartoon Network's 'The Garfield Show.' According to her Internet Movie Database page, it's not just the first time she's won an Emmy award -- it's also her first nomination. That seems unthinkable for someone who has been at the top of the voiceover game for almost 70 years.
Foray actually got her start in voiceover work long before her first professional credit. At the age of 12, she started working in radio where she learned how to do voices from a speech teacher in Springfield, MA. When she moved with her family to California, she started writing and performing a radio show for children at 15. She found steady work after that on radio and in the music industry recording voices for albums with Capitol Records with the likes of comedian Stan Freberg and voiceover artist Daws Butler, leading to her first big screen job as the voice of Lucifer the cat in Walt Disney's 1950 animated film 'Cinderella.'
Warner Brothers also hired her for their 'Looney Tunes' and 'Merrie Melodies' shorts and eventually, animator Jay Ward brought Foray on board for his beloved cartoon classic, 'Rocky and Bullwinkle.'
Apparently, she hasn't stopped working since then.