July 8, 1913 – Voice Actor Bill Thompson is Born
“I’m late! I’m late! For a very important date! No time to say hello, good-bye! I’m late! I’m late! I’m late!”
On July 8, 1913, voice actor and radio star William H. Thompson was born in Terre Haute, Indiana to vaudevillian parents. His career began on the Chicago airwaves, where he worked on the variety series The Breakfast Club and on The Sinclair Weiner Minstrels. Thompson could voice a great range of characters, as seen in his work with Disney. His first notable role with the studio was in the 1951 feature animated film Alice in Wonderland, where he voiced the White Rabbit and the Dodo; this was followed with roles in Peter Pan (Smee and various pirates), and Sleeping Beauty (King Hubert). In Lady and the Tramp, Thompson was given five different parts to voice, including that of Jock, the Scottish Terrier. Thompson found even more fame at Disney voicing Ranger J. Audubon Woodlore in several short films and episodes of the Disney anthology series, and was the first actor to give a voice to comic character Scrooge McDuck in the feature Scrooge McDuck and Money. His last role was Uncle Waldo in The Aristocats; Thompson passed away suddenly at the age of 58. For his voice work, Thompson has been awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
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