Paul Frees mini-bio: Date of Death
2 November 1986, Tiburon, California, USA. (Heart Failure)
Birth Name
Solomon Hersh Frees
Nickname
Man of a Thousand Voices
Mini Biography
Actor, composer, songwriter, voiceover artist and author. He joined ASCAP in 1956, and his chief musical collaborators included Tony Romano, Ruby Raksin, Walter Gross, and Ed Brandt. His popular-song compositions include "Hollywood Soliloquy", "The Clown", "Drowning My Sorrow", and "Voice in the Wind".
Trivia
According to author Peter Guralnick (in "Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley") Frees was also an undercover narcotics agent for the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs in the 1960s.
Was often called upon in the 50s and 60s to "re-loop" the dialogue of other actors, often to correct for foreign accents, complete lack of English proficiency, or poor line readings by unprofessionals. These dubs extended from a lines to entire roles.
The voice of the "Ghost Host" in the Haunted Mansions at Disneyland and Walt Disney World.
Got his start in radio, doing voice work for dramas and comedies. He was known for doing an incredible impersonation of Orson Welles. Reportedly, he played all of the roles 15 minute show called "The Speaker". His work included animation, for which he provided the voices for innumerable cartoons, but notably for such characters as Fox (Frank Tashlin's "Fox & Crow" series), Ludwig Von Drake (Numerous educational shorts by Walt Disney Productions), Boris Badenov ('Jay Ward' 's "Rocky & Bullwinkle"), Inspector Fenwick (Jay Ward's "Dudley Do-Right"), Morocco Mole (Hanna-Barbera's "Secret Squirrel"), Barney Bear (title character from an MGM series of shorts), and was the original voice of the Pillsbury Doughboy.
He was one of the narrators for CBS Radio's "Escape" (1947-1954). He also starred in many of the show's episodes.
Narrator for National Public Radio's "Bradbury 13" (1984).
Portrayed the title role on CBS Radio's "The Green Lama" (1949). His character's real name was Jethro Dumont, a crimefighter with special powers.
Biography in: "Who's Who in Comedy" by Ronald L. Smith, pg. 170-171. New York: Facts on File, 1992. ISBN 0816023387
Was one of Stan Freberg's cast of performers, most notably as the narrarator on Stan Freberg Presents The United States of America Vol. 1
He provided the voices for numerous animatronic figures at Walt Disney's parks.
In the early 1970s, he was reportedly making $50,000 a year just for doing the voice work for the Pillsbury Doughboy.
His early radio career was cut short when he was drafted into World War II. He was at Normandy on D-Day. He was wounded in action and was returned to the United States for a year of recuperation.
He attended the Chouinard Art Institute under the G.I. Bill. His first wife's failing health forced him to drop out and return to radio work.
It was common for voice artists to do multiple roles when dubbing foreign language films into English. There are a number of examples where he also did multiple roles when replacing the dialog in Hollywood films.
Provides multiple voices in Flight From Ashiya, getting into three- and four-way conversations with himself.
Is heard as at least four different voices in Spartacus (1960), including the guard that Kirk Douglas hamstrung in the opening sequence.
