Melvin Jerome "Mel" Blanc (May 30, 1908, San Francisco, California, USA – July 10, 1989, Los Angeles, California, USA) was an American voice actor, actor, radio comedian, and recording artist. Although he began his sixty-plus-year career performing in radio, Blanc is best remembered for his work as the voices of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Tweety Bird, Sylvester the Cat, Yosemite Sam, Foghorn Leghorn, Marvin the Martian, Pepé Le Pew, Speedy Gonzales, Wile E. Coyote, Road Runner, the Tasmanian Devil and many of the other characters from the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoon short films during the golden age of American animation - in fact, for all of the major Warner Bros. cartoon characters except for Elmer Fudd, whose voice was provided by radio actor Arthur Q. Bryan (although Blanc would later voice Fudd as well after Bryan's death).
He later worked for Hanna-Barbera's television cartoons, most notably as the voices of Barney Rubble on The Flintstones and Mr. Spacely on The Jetsons. Blanc was also the original voice of Woody Woodpecker for Universal Pictures, and provided vocal effects for the Tom and Jerry cartoons directed by Chuck Jones for MGM. Furthermore, during the golden age of radio, Blanc was a frequent performer on the radio programs of famous comedians from the era; including Jack Benny, Abbott and Costello, Burns and Allen, and Judy Canova.
Referred to as "The Man of a Thousand Voices", he is regarded as one of the most influential people in the voice acting industry, and as one of the greatest voice actors of all time.
Blanc began smoking cigarettes when he was 9 years old. He continued his pack-a-day habit until age 77, after he was diagnosed with Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. On May 19, 1989, Blanc was checked into Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles by his family when they noticed he had a bad cough while shooting a commercial; he was originally expected to recover. Blanc's health then worsened and doctors discovered that he had advanced coronary artery disease. After nearly two months of staying at the hospital, Blanc died on July 10, 1989, at Cedars-Sinai of complications from both illnesses. He was 81 years old. He is interred in Hollywood Forever Cemetery section 13, Pinewood section, plot #149 in Hollywood. Blanc's will stated his desire to have the inscription on his gravestone read, "THAT'S ALL FOLKS", the phrase with which Blanc's character, Porky Pig, concluded Warner Bros. cartoons.
