Wayne Allwine
Wayne Allwine | |
|---|---|
 Allwine in 1998 | |
| Born | Wayne Anthony Allwine February 7, 1947 Glendale, California, U.S. |
| Died | May 18, 2009 (aged 62) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1966–2009 |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4 |
Wayne Anthony Allwine (February 7, 1947 – May 18, 2009)[1] was an American voice actor, sound editor and Foley artist. He was best remembered as the third official voice of Mickey Mouse in English (following Walt Disney and Jimmy MacDonald) and the first official casting following the establishment of Disney Character Voices International in 1988.[2][3] To date, he holds the record for the longest-running voice actor to play Mickey Mouse, having performed the role for 32 years. He was notably married to Russi Taylor, who voiced Minnie Mouse.[2][3]
Early life
[edit]Allwine was born in Glendale, California, on February 7, 1947, to Wayne Harry Allwine (1914-1977) and Mariruth Bandle (1913-2004).[2] He is a graduate of John Burroughs High School, where he was particularly active in the school's musical theater department.[2] Prior to his birth, his father traveled the country as a barbershop quartet singer.[2]
While in high school, he formed his own acoustic music group, The International Singers, which performed in clubs and colleges throughout the state.[2] After graduating, he briefly toured with the instrumental rock band Davie Allan & the Arrows. In addition to playing rhythm guitar, he can also be heard on harmonica and sax mouthpiece on the 1968 track "Cycle-Delic".[4] He later became an accomplished Dixieland jazz drummer, occasionally sitting in with Firehouse Five Plus Two alumni George Probert's Monrovia Old Style Jazz Band.[5]
Career
[edit] | This section needs additional citations for verification. (December 2022) |
Allwine's career with Disney began in 1966, when at age 19, he took a job in the mailing room at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank. After a brief stint at Western Costume, he returned to Disney to accept a position in Audio Post Production apprenticing under the studio's original head of sound effects, Jimmy MacDonald.[2]
After working in the sound effects department for seven years, Allwine got a call from Disney that an open audition was taking place for the role of Mickey Mouse in late 1976. After a previous actor failed to show up,[2] Allwine tried out for the role, and ultimately won the part. He became the third official voice of Mickey Mouse in 1977.[3][2] He replaced his sound effects mentor, Jimmy MacDonald, who in 1947 had taken over from Walt Disney himself. Disney had performed the role since 1928 as well as supplying Mickey's voice for animated portions of the original The Mickey Mouse Club television show (ABC-TV, 1955–1959).[3]
Television audiences first heard Allwine's Mickey during the animated lead-ins for The New Mickey Mouse Club in 1977.[2] He made his theatrical debut in the 1982 re-release of the film Fantasia, for which he re-dubbed Mickey's voice in the famous handshake scene with conductor Leopold Stokowski. His breakout role came the following year, in the 1983 featurette Mickey's Christmas Carol.[2] In addition to playing the title character, he also voiced a Santa Claus on the street appealing for charity donations at the start of the movie, Moley (who appears with Ratty) "collecting for the poor", and one of the two weasel undertakers in the Christmas future scene.
Further vocal performances include background characters in The Black Cauldron (1985), The Great Mouse Detective (1986), and Ludwig Von Drake in the Disney Channel TV special Ludwig's Think Tank (1985). His most acclaimed Mickey Mouse roles include a cameo in Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), short films The Prince and the Pauper (1990) and Runaway Brain (1995), and the direct-to-video feature Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers (2004). Notable television series include Mickey Mouse Works (1999–2000), House of Mouse (2001–2003) and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (2006–2012).[2] He also provided Mickey's voice in the popular Kingdom Hearts series of video games prior to Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, which was done in collaboration with Japanese video game company Square Enix. Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, which was the last game that used his voice (mainly with Mickey as a playable character in Mission Mode), would leave a message in his memory as the game was released in North America several months after his death.
In addition to his voice work, Allwine had a dual career as a sound effects editor and Foley artist for Walt Disney Productions and its affiliate studios, receiving Sound Department recognition in films like The Black Hole (1979), Frankenweenie (1984), and Three Men and a Baby (1987). He also received sound editor credit in the movies Innerspace (1987), Alien Nation (1988) and Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989) for studios outside Disney. In 1986, he was awarded a group Primetime Emmy Award for his sound editing contributions to a World War II-focused episode of the Steven Spielberg anthology television series Amazing Stories (1985). The same project earned him his first Golden Reel Award from the Motion Picture Sound Editors society. He received his second for sound editing on The Great Mouse Detective (1986).
Personal life
[edit]In 1991, he married Russi Taylor, who voiced Minnie Mouse from 1986 until her death in 2019. Both were named Disney Legends in 2008; they remained married until his death the following year.[3][2][6] Allwine fathered three biological children and one adopted child from previous marriages.[2][3]
Death
[edit]Allwine died of hypertensive crisis caused by complications from acute diabetes at the age of 62 on May 18, 2009, at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. His prospective understudy, Bret Iwan, assumed the role of voicing Mickey Mouse.[2][7][8] Allwine is now interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.[2]
Filmography
[edit]Film
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Fantasia (1982 reissue) | Mickey Mouse | Handshake scene with Leopold Stokowski |
| 1983 | Mickey's Christmas Carol | Mickey Mouse/Weasel Gravedigger/Beggar Dog/Moley | Short film |
| 1985 | The Black Cauldron | Henchman | [9] |
| 1986 | The Great Mouse Detective | Thug Guard #2 | [9] |
| 1988 | Who Framed Roger Rabbit | Mickey Mouse | [9] |
| 1990 | The Prince and the Pauper[9] | Mickey Mouse/Prince Mouse | Short film |
| 1995 | A Goofy Movie | Mickey Mouse | Cameo[9] |
| Runaway Brain | Short film | ||
| 1998 | The Spirit of Mickey | Direct-to-video | |
| 1999 | Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas | Direct-to-video[9] | |
| Fantasia 2000 | Segment: "Pomp and Circumstance" | ||
| 2001 | Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse | Direct-to-video | |
| 2002 | Mickey's House of Villains | ||
| 2004 | Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers | Direct-to-video[9] | |
| Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas | |||
| 2007 | Mickey's Great Clubhouse Hunt | Special | |
| 2009 | Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Choo Choo Express | Special; posthumous release, "In Loving Memory of" dedication | |
| Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Mickey's Adventures in Wonderland | Special; posthumous release | ||
| 2010 | Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Road Rally | Television film; posthumous release | |
| 2011 | Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Space Adventure | Final television film; posthumous release |
Television
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977–1979 | The New Mickey Mouse Club | Mickey Mouse | 11 episodes |
| 1983 | Mousercise | ||
| 1985 | Ludwig's Think Tank | Ludwig Von Drake | Television special[9] |
| 1987 | D-TV Doggone Valentine | Mickey Mouse | Television film |
| D-TV Monster Hits | |||
| 1988 | Totally Minnie | ||
| Mickey's 60th Birthday | |||
| Here's to you, Mickey Mouse | Television film | ||
| 1989 | Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color | 2 episodes | |
| 1990 | The Muppets at Walt Disney World | Television film | |
| Disney Sing-Along Songs: Disneyland Fun | Direct-to-video | ||
| 1992 | Mickey's Nutcracker | Uncredited Television special | |
| 1993 | Bonkers | Episode: "I Oughta Be in Toons" | |
| 1994–1995 | Mickey's Fun Songs series | ||
| 1995 | Mickey: Reelin' Through the Years | Television film | |
| 1999–2000 | Mickey Mouse Works | 30 episodes | |
| 2001–2003 | House of Mouse | 52 episodes | |
| 2006–2012 | Mickey Mouse Clubhouse | 99 episodes, final television series |
Video games
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | My Disney Kitchen | Mickey Mouse | |
| 2000 | Mickey's Speedway USA | ||
| Mickey Mouse Preschool | [9] | ||
| Mickey Mouse Kindergarten | [9] | ||
| Mickey Mouse Toddler | [9] | ||
| 2001 | Disney Learning: Phonics Quest | ||
| 2002 | Disney Learning Adventure: Search for the Secret Keys | ||
| Kingdom Hearts | |||
| Disney's Magical Mirror Starring Mickey Mouse | [9] | ||
| Disney Golf | |||
| Disney Sports Soccer | |||
| Disney Sports Skateboarding | |||
| Disney Sports Football | |||
| Disney Sports Basketball | |||
| 2003 | Disney's Party | ||
| Disney's Hide and Sneak | |||
| Toontown Online | |||
| 2006 | Kingdom Hearts II | ||
| 2008 | Disney Think Fast | ||
| Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories | |||
| 2009 | Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days | ||
| 2013 | Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix | (Kingdom Hearts Final Mix and RE:CoM) | |
| 2014 | Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix | (Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix) | |
| 2017 | Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 Remix | (Kingdom Hearts Final Mix, RE:CoM and Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix) |
Theme parks
[edit]| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Muppet*Vision 3D | Waldo C. Graphic posing as Mickey Mouse |
| 1992 | Fantasmic! | Mickey Mouse |
| 2003 | Mickey's PhilharMagic |
Crew work
[edit]| Year | Title | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | A Christmas Carol | Sound effects editor | |
| 1979 | The Black Hole | ||
| 1981 | The Fox and the Hound | Uncredited | |
| 1983 | Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore | Uncredited | |
| Something Wicked This Way Comes | |||
| Mickey's Christmas Carol | Uncredited | ||
| 1984 | Country | ||
| Frankenweenie | Foley artist | ||
| 1985 | Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend | ||
| The Black Cauldron | Sound editor | ||
| My Science Project | |||
| Amazing Stories | 1 episode | ||
| 1986 | Psycho III | ||
| The Great Mouse Detective | |||
| 1987 | Innerspace | ||
| 3 Men and a Baby | |||
| 1988 | Alien Nation | ||
| The Good Mother | |||
| 1989 | Three Fugitives | ||
| Star Trek V: The Final Frontier |
Awards and recognitions
[edit]| Year | Award | Category | Title | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Golden Reel Award (Motion Picture Sound Editors) | Best Sound Editing – Television Pilots and Specials | Amazing Stories; Season 1, Episode 5: "The Mission" | Won |
| 1986 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series | Won | |
| 1987 | Golden Reel Award (Motion Picture Sound Editors) | Best Sound Editing – Animated Feature | The Great Mouse Detective | Won |
| 2003 | Disneyana Fan Club | Disney Legend Award | Won | |
| 2008 | Disney Legend Award | Animation - Voice | Won |
References
[edit]- ^ "Disney Legends – D23". Legends.disney.go.com. Archived from the original on June 9, 2011. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p McLellan, Dennis (May 21, 2009). "Wayne Allwine, Voice of Mickey Mouse, Dies at 62". Los Angeles Times (Obituary). Archived from the original on November 2, 2012. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f "Wayne Allwine, Mickey's Voice, Dies at 62". New York Times. May 20, 2009. Archived from the original on July 28, 2019. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
- ^ "Davie Allan Interview". June 22, 2011.
- ^ "Firehouse Five Plus Two". rbistudio.com. Archived from the original on October 14, 2020. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
- ^ Hagen, Sheila (May 22, 2009). "Remembering Wayne Allwine, the Official Voice of Mickey Mouse". Mouseplanet.com. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
- ^ "Voice of Mickey Mouse Dies". Abc.net.au. May 21, 2009. Archived from the original on April 9, 2021. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
- ^ Hickerson, Mike (May 21, 2009). "Remembering Wayne Allwine". Slice of SciFi. Archived from the original on August 24, 2017. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Wayne Allwine (73 Character Images)". Behind the Voice Actors. Archived from the original on August 4, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
External links
[edit]| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
- 1947 births
- 2009 deaths
- Male actors from Glendale, California
- American male video game actors
- American male voice actors
- American tenors
- Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)
- Disney Legends
- Male actors from Los Angeles
- Primetime Emmy Award winners
- Deaths from diabetes in California
- 20th-century American male actors
- 21st-century American male actors