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Billy Bletcher

William "Billy" Bletcher (September 24, 1894 – January 5, 1979)[3] was an American actor and comedian. He was best known for providing the voice of Pete, for the Disney franchise in the 1930s to the 1950s.

Billy Bletcher
Short and Snappy (1921) - 1.jpg
Billy Bletcher (left) and Bobby Vernon in Short and Snappy (1921)
Born
William Bletcher

(1894-09-24)September 24, 1894
Lancaster, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedJanuary 5, 1979(1979-01-05) (aged 84)
Los Angeles, California U.S.
Resting placeWestwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery
OccupationActor, comedian
Years active1914–1971
Known forOriginal voice of Pete
Spouse(s)Arline Roberts[1]
Children1[2]

Career

Bletcher was born on 24 September 1894 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.[4] At age 19 he was a vaudeville performer.[5] He started his movie career in 1913 at the Vitagraph Studios in Brooklyn, New York.[5] In 1917 he moved to California and became a comedian for Mack Sennett.[5] He later starred in several Hal Roach two reelers.

During his acting career he starred in a number of comedies.[1] Bletcher also acted in Westerns and action movies.[1] He directed two feature movies in the 1920s.[1] Bletcher was the voice of the Lone Ranger in the 1937 movie serial.[6] He was a veteran voice actor from the Disney animated movies The Three Little Pigs (1933) and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937).[6] Later he did voice-overs for television. His last movie appearance was in 1969.[5]

Personal life

Bletcher was married once, to actress Arline Roberts.[1] She was a vaudevillian and a Ziegfeld Girl. When they moved to California she worked as a "bathing beauty".[7] She acted in silent comic two-reelers and feature movies but never gained the prominence her husband did.[7] They had a daughter, Barbara Bletcher.[7]

Filmography

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 George A. Katchmer, A Biographical Dictionary of Silent Film Western Actors and Actresses (Jefferson, NC; London: McFarland, 2009), p. 29
  2. ↑ "Billy Bletcher". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
  3. ↑ "Billy Bletcher". Inyxception Enterprises, Inc. DBA Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  4. ↑ "Billy Bletcher". Voice Chasers/Dekiru Productions. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 "Billy Bletcher Biography". Flixster/Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 6 September 2015.[dead link]
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Clayton Moore; Frank Thompson, I Was That Masked Man (Dallas, TX: Taylor Pub. Co., 1998), p. xxi
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "Arline Bletcher". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 7 September 2015.

Other websites

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