May 4

May 4, 1944 – Disney Legend and Current Voice of Minnie Mouse, Russi Taylor, is Born.

“When I was a little girl, I was with my mom and my brother and it was late at night at Disneyland. We had just come off the Mark Twain Riverboat and were getting some popcorn. I looked over and saw Walt sitting on a bench, so we introduced ourselves and shared our popcorn with him. At one point during our chat, he asked me what I wanted to do when I grew up, and I said, ‘I want to work for you!’ So he said, ‘Okay!’ – and now I do!” – Russi Taylor

Russi Taylor was born on May 4, 1944, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and grew up wanting to work as a movie actress. However, she found the work tedious, and decided to try voice acting, as she had had a good ear for languages and accents ever since she was a child. She auditioned for the role of Minnie Mouse in 1986, and has held the role ever since – longer than any voice actress in the role.

When Taylor was asked in an interview by Leonard Maltin how she got the role of Minnie, Taylor explained that Minnie hadn’t spoken in a long time, and when she was in Mickey’s Christmas Carol, the writers didn’t know that Minnie could speak, which was why she didn’t say anything. In 1986, they decided to give Minnie a comeback, and Taylor auditioned against almost 160 others for the role. She had prepared for the role by listening to Minnie from the cartoons in the ’30s and ’40s, and when asked to improvise as Minnie, Taylor performed the balcony scene from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.

Taylor (L) with husband, Wayne Allwine, the voice of Mickey Mouse

A prime example of life imitating art, Taylor married Wayne Allwine, the voice for Mickey Mouse, in 1991. They were working on a project for Radio Disney, and one night had dinner together, and soon became inseparable. “It was just a total friendship,” Taylor explained. “The next thing you knew, we were just sort of always together.” She remained married to Allwine until his death in 2009.

Taylor has a broad resume as a voice actress; for Disney, she voiced Huey, Dewey, Louie, and Webby in Ducktales, as well as Drizella and the Fairy Godmother in the Cinderella sequels. Taylor is also the voice of Martin Prince, twins Sherri and Terri, and Üter in The Simpsons, and was the voice of Baby Gonzo in the Muppet Babies series. Taylor was named as a Disney Legend, along with Allwine, in 2008, and continues to voice Minnie in many Disney projects.