John Lee Erwin (born December 5, 1936) is an American

voice actor Voice acting is the art of performing voice-overs to present a character or provide information to an audience. Performers are called voice actors/actresses, voice artists, dubbing artists, voice talent, voice-over artists, or voice-over talent ...

best known for voicing He-Man and

Morris the Cat Morris the Cat is the advertising mascot for 9Lives brand cat food, appearing on its packaging and in many of its television commercials since the 1970s. Description A large orange tabby tomcat, the character of Morris the Cat is "the world' ...

.The New York Times Filmography
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Career

Erwin was the voice of He-Man in the

Filmation Filmation Associates was an American production company that produced animation and live-action programming for television from 1963 until 1989. Located in Reseda, California, the animation studio was founded in 1962. Filmation's founders and ...

productions ''

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe ''He-Man and the Masters of the Universe'' is an American animated television series produced by Filmation based on Mattel's toy line ''Masters of the Universe''. The show, often referred to as simply ''He-Man'', was one of the most popular anim ...

'' and '' She-Ra: Princess of Power'' that ran from 1983 to 1986. Due to the extreme cost-cutting by Filmation, the cast of voice actors was small, and producer

Lou Scheimer Louis Scheimer (October 19, 1928 – October 17, 2013) was an American producer and voice actor who was one of the original founders of Filmation. He was also credited as an executive producer of many of its cartoons. Early life and education ...

actually performed the bulk of the character voices. Erwin was also the voice of the henchman character

Beast Man Beast Man is a supervillain in the toy line and cartoon series Masters of the Universe; the savage right-hand man of Skeletor, he can control many wild creatures and has brute strength. Character history The 1980s The original design sketch of B ...

, and would on occasion do the voices of other supporting characters, too, such as

Webstor The ''He-Man and the Masters of the Universe'' franchise debuted in 1982 with the creation of United States, American company Mattel and the toyline of the same name. This is a list of characters that appear in the toyline, television series ''He-M ...

and

Ram Man Krass/Ram-Man is a fictional character from the popular Masters of the Universe toy line by Mattel. He is a member of the Heroic Warriors, characterized by his bulky, spring-legged, stumpy appearance and flat-topped metal helmet. Originally tag ...

. Although generally recognized for his work on ''He-Man'', Erwin has many years of voice acting to his credit (including the voice of

Reggie Mantle Reginald "Reggie" Mantle is a fictional teenager in stories published by Archie Comics; he is introduced by writer-artist Bob Montana and John L. Goldwater in ''Jackpot Comics'' #5 (cover-dated Spring 1942). He also appears in CW's '' Riverdale' ...

in Filmation's '' Archie'' cartoon), and has provided voices for many productions ranging from television advertisements to live-action movies since the 1960s. He was the voice of

in several television commercials. From 1959 to 1965, he starred as Teddy in the television Western '' Rawhide''. In 1989, his voice was heard as a radio newscaster in ''

Back to the Future Part II ''Back to the Future Part II'' is a 1989 American science fiction film directed by Robert Zemeckis from a screenplay by Bob Gale and a story by both. It is the sequel to the 1985 film '' Back to the Future'' and the second installment in the ...

'' and as a football announcer in the 2000

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

movie ''

Remember the Titans ''Remember the Titans'' is a 2000 American biographical sports film produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Boaz Yakin. The screenplay, written by Gregory Allen Howard, is based on the true story of coach Herman Boone, portrayed by Denze ...

''. He also did small spot roles in various Hanna-Barbera episodes for different shows (such as Hanna-Barbera's animated series '' The Thing'') and others, going uncredited.

Personal life

Erwin had moved away from California by 2010, although in 2019

Alan Oppenheimer Alan Oppenheimer (born April 23, 1930) is an American actor. He has performed numerous roles on live action television since the 1960s, and he has had an active career doing voice work since the 1970s. Early life Oppenheimer was born in New Yor ...

stated he had recently visited Erwin in his retirement community in

Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks is the second-largest city in Ventura County, California, United States. It is in the northwestern part of Greater Los Angeles, approximately from the city of Los Angeles and from Downtown. It is named after the many oak tree ...

, California."He-Man Voice Actor John Erwin Discussed w/Alan Oppenheimer AKA Skeletor"
- YouTube, May 17, 2019

Filmography

*''

13 Fighting Men ''13 Fighting Men'' is a 1960 American drama film directed by Harry W. Gerstad and written by Robert Hamner and Jack W. Thomas. The film stars Grant Williams, Brad Dexter, Carole Mathews, Robert Dix, Richard Garland and Richard Crane. The fi ...

'' (1960) ... Cpl. McLean *''Aesop's Fables'' (1971) ... Donkey/

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

(voice) *''

Looker ''Looker'' is a 1981 American science fiction film written and directed by Michael Crichton and starring Albert Finney, Susan Dey, and James Coburn. The film is a suspense/science-fiction piece that comments upon and satirizes media, advertisin ...

'' (1981) ... Commercial Announcer (voice) *''

'' (1989) ... Radio Sportscaster (voice) *''

Babe Babe or babes may refer to: * Babe, a term of endearment * A newborn baby * An attractive (especially female) person People Nickname * Babe Adams (1882–1968), American Major League Baseball pitcher * Babe Barna (1917–1972), American Maj ...

'' (1995) ... TV Commentator (voice)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Erwin, John 1936 births American male television actors American male voice actors Filmation people Hanna-Barbera people Living people Place of birth missing (living people)