Dallas McKennon | Character actor, 89

Dallas McKennon, 89, an exuberant character actor and voice actor who helped enliven Gumby, Archie Andrews, Buzz Buzzard, and many other animated characters, died Tuesday in Raymond, Wash.

Mr. McKennon played the tavern keeper Cincinnatus on the 1960s TV series Daniel Boone and dozens of other codgers on film and TV. A tall, gangly actor with an unruly beard, he was easily identifiable on screen, but could bend his voice in endless variations to bring personality to a host of sound roles.

Stop-motion pioneer Art Clokey used Mr. McKennon for the high-pitched tones of the animated clay figure Gumby, and Woody Woodpecker cartoon creator Walter Lantz chose him for Woody's nemesis Buzz Buzzard.

Mr. McKennon also provided the typical teenager voice for Archie Andrews and recorded characters for Walt Disney in the films Lady and the Tramp, Mary Poppins, and 101 Dalmatians, among others.

At Disney theme parks, his distinctive voice warns riders on the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad to hang on to their hats and glasses. And at Disney's Epcot, when the animatronic Ben Franklin in the American Adventure exhibit Epcot speaks, it's Mr. McKennon doing the talking. - Los Angeles Times