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One-Hit Wonders: Voice Acting Edition
Let's hear it for the one-hit wonders!
The world of voice actors has plenty of heavy hitters, with actors like Mel Blanc and Don Messick appearing in hundreds if not thousands of cartoons. But just like the music industry, there are plenty of one-hit wonders.
Some voice actors find one character and stick with them through career changes, or voice one character and then decide to pivot. This list is all about celebrating the one-hit wonders, the voice actors who only voiced one character and the wonderful cartoon characters they gave us! Let's take a look at some memorable vocal performances.
George O'Hanlon
Actor and comedian George O'Hanlon only ever voiced one cartoon character, George Jetson. In 1989, after experiencing a headache in the recording booth, he died of a stroke during the production of Jetsons: The Movie. The movie was dedicated to him and costar Mel Blanc, who also passed away mid-production. He played the role of George Jetson for over twenty years.
Penny Singleton
Like her cartoon husband, the voice of Jane Jetson was mostly a radio and live-action actress. Singleton was known for originating the role of Blondie Bumstead from the Blondie comics. She was also a labor activist, serving as president of the American Guild of Variety Artists and leading a monthlong strike for the Radio City Rockettes for better working conditions.
Nicole Jaffe
Jinkies! The voice of Velma Dinkley began her career as a live-action actress, and she even costarred with Elvis in The Trouble with Girls. Future Scooby-Doo castmate, Frank Welker, played a minor role in that movie. She originated the voice of Velma in 1969 and continued to play her until 2012! While Jaffe provided additional voices for Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels, she did not commit to another cartoon character besides Velma. She retired from acting in 1973 to become a talent agent, but she made exceptions for Velma.
Heather North
The original voice actress for Daphne left Scooby-Doo! Where Are You? after season one; Nicole Jaffe recommended her roommate Heather North to audition for Daphne. Before she got the role, North had appeared in several TV shows including Paradise Bay and Days of Our Lives. Aside from a brief stint as Loni on Captain Caveman, North only ever voice acted for Daphne.
Barbara Minkus
Barbara Minkus acted in over thirty productions, but only two cartoons: Pac-Man and Christmas Comes to PacLan. She played Ms. Pepper Pac-Man.
Danny Dark
Danny Dark played Superman on Super Friends. Aside from providing additional voices on Super Friends spinoff, Plastic Man, he never starred in another cartoon. Dark forged himself a new path as a commercial voiceover artist, recording commercials for Budweiser, Keebler, and many other brands.
Olan Soule
Soule's voice has been described as "chameleon-like". He appeared in over 7000 radio, film, television, and commercial productions, beginning as a child actor on the radio show Bachelor's Children. He is known as the voice of Batman in Super Friends, but he also played the cartoon caper in The New Scooby-Doo Movies and Sesame Street. Aside from providing the English dubbing for Master Taj in Fantastic Planet, the only cartoon character he ever voiced was Batman.
William Roberts
Michigan J. Frog is one of the few Looney Tunes characters who wasn't voiced by Mel Blanc. In addition to being an actor, Williams was a singer and band leader which was the kind of energy Chuck Jones needed for One Froggy Evening. Not much is known of Williams' life except that Michigan J. Frog was his last credited acting role.
Arthur Q. Bryan
Bryan was known for his voice acting work in radio, but the only cartoon character he ever played was Elmer Fudd, a character he voiced for nineteen years. After Bryan's death in 1959, the Looney Tunes animators temporarily retired Elmer Fudd.
Paul Julian
Unlike the other voice actors on this list, Julian was not an actor at all! He was an animator and background artist at Termite Terrace, who was known for saying "Beep beep!" at people who were in his way. This inside joke later became the catch phrase of the only character Julian would ever voice, the Road Runner.
