Acting
Jun 21, 1920
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Paul Frees
Acting
Biography
Solomon Hersh Frees (June 22, 1920 – November 2, 1986), known professionally as Paul Frees, was an American actor, voice actor, impressionist and screenwriter. He is best known for his voice work in cartoons during the Golden Age of Animation. Like Mel Blanc, he was sometimes referred to as "The Man of a Thousand Voices". Born in Chicago, Illinois, Frees started his entertainment career as a vaudeville impressionist and in 1942 began working on Hollywood radio series. After being drafted into the U.S. Army in World War II, he was wounded in action and eventually resumed his work in radio upon his return to the states. Frees appeared in over 250 films, cartoons and TV episodes, although he had few on-screen appearances and often went uncredited. He was also frequently enlisted to re-dub actors' performances, such as Tony Curtis' dialogue as Josephine in the 1959 film Some Like it Hot. That same year, Frees co-wrote and directed the film The Beatniks, his only feature film. Frees had a long career with Walt Disney Studios, providing the voice for Ludwig Von Drake and other characters, narrating short films, and supplying many voices for Disney theme park attractions, most notably the Ghost Host in The Haunted Mansion, various voices in Pirates of the Caribbean, and the narrator for both Adventure Thru Innerspace and Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln. On TV, Frees worked with Jay Ward Productions, providing the voice of Boris Badenov and other characters in various series, and also supplied many voices for Rankin/Bass cartoon specials. He also appeared in TV commercials and was the original voice of the Pillsbury Doughboy and the second voice of Froot Loops mascot Toucan Sam (after Mel Blanc). Frees was married five times and had two children via his third wife, voice actress Joyce Schultz. In his later years, Frees suffered from multiple health issues. He died in Tiburon, California, on November 2, 1986, at age 66, from an overdose of pain medication. He was cremated and his remains were scattered over the Pacific Ocean.
Feature Films (232)
Two Hobbits struggle to destroy the Ring in Mount Doom while their friends desperately fight evil Lord Sauron's forces in a final battle.
The Return of the King
The story follows the adventures of Bilbo Baggins, a diminutive creative who resides in a place called Middle-Earth before he is compelled to go on a quest to find a treasure buried deep in the heart of the Lonely Mountain.
The Hobbit
A unicorn learns from a riddle-speaking butterfly that she is supposedly the last of her kind, all the others having been herded away by the monstrous Red Bull. The unicorn sets out to discover the truth behind the butterfly's words. She is eventually joined on her quest by Schmendrick, a second-rate magician, and Molly Grue, a middle-aged woman who dreamed all her life of seeing a unicorn. Their journey leads them far from home, all the way to the castle of King Haggard.
The Last Unicorn
An aircraft crashes in the Florida Everglades, killing 103 passengers. After the wreckage is removed, salvageable parts from the plane are used to repair other aircraft. Soon passengers and crew on those aircraft report seeing what they believe to be the ghost of the wrecked airplane's flight engineer.
The Ghost of Flight 401
"Patton" tells the tale of General George S. Patton, famous tank commander of World War II. The film begins with Patton's career in North Africa and progresses through the invasion of Germany and the fall of the Third Reich. Side plots also speak of Patton's numerous faults such his temper and habit towards insubordination.
Patton
Television & Series (51)
Michael Long, an undercover police officer, is shot while investigating a case and left for dead by his assailants. He is rescued by Wilton Knight, a wealthy, dying millionaire and inventor who arranges life-saving surgery, including a new face and a new identity--that of Michael Knight. Michael is then given a special computerized and indestructible car called the Knight Industries Two Thousand (nicknamed KITT), and a mission: apprehend criminals who are beyond the reach of the law. The series depicts Michael's exploits as he and KITT battle the forces of evil on behalf of the Foundation for Law and Government.
Knight Rider
The misadventures of two modern-day Stone Age families, the Flintstones and the Rubbles.
The Flintstones
Boy genius Buzz Conroy’s powerful robot, Frankenstein Jr. cranks into action along with a group of crime fighting superheroes disguised as a beatnik rock group, The Impossibles, making hot-rockin’ musical justice!
Frankenstein, Jr. and The Impossibles
Calvin and the Colonel is an animated cartoon television series in 1961 about Colonel Montgomery J. Klaxon, a shrewd fox and Calvin T. Burnside, a dumb bear. Their lawyer was Oliver Wendell Clutch, who was a weasel. The colonel lived with his wife Maggie Belle and her sister Sue, who did not trust the colonel at all. Colonel Klaxon was in the real estate business, but always tried get-rich-quick schemes with Calvin's unwitting help. The series was an animated remake of Amos 'n' Andy [or, more or less, "Andy and The Kingfish"] and featured the voices of Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll from the radio series. Using animals avoided the touchy racial issues which had led to the downfall of Amos 'n' Andy. Because of low ratings, the show was cancelled after two months, but returned two months later to complete the first season contract. For a year afterward reruns were seen on Saturday mornings, and eventually syndicated through the 1960s. It was also adapted as a comic book by Dell Comics, and as such the first of two issues was the final installment in the company's extremely prolific Four Color anthology series.
