Grace Lantz ( Boyle, November 7, 1903 – March 17, 1992), also known by her stage name Grace Stafford, was an American actress and the wife of

animation Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most ani ...

producer

Walter Lantz Walter Lantz (April 27, 1899 – March 22, 1994) was an American cartoonist, animator, producer and director best known for founding Walter Lantz Productions and creating Woody Woodpecker. Biography Early years and start in animation Lant ...

. Stafford is best known for providing the voice of

Woody Woodpecker Woody Woodpecker is an animated character that appeared in theatrical short films produced by the Walter Lantz Studio and distributed by Universal Studios between 1940 and 1972. Woody, an anthropomorphic woodpecker, was created in 1940 by ...

, a creation of Lantz's, from 1950 to 1992.

Career

Stafford appeared in feature live-action films from 1935's ''

Dr. Socrates ''Dr. Socrates'' is a 1935 American crime film directed by William Dieterle and starring Paul Muni as a doctor forced to treat a wounded gangster, played by Barton MacLane. Plot The death of his fiancée in a car crash so unnerves top surgeon Dr ...

'' to 1975's '' Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze''. Some of her more notable roles were in the films ''

Anthony Adverse ''Anthony Adverse'' is a 1936 American epic historical drama film directed by Mervyn LeRoy and starring Fredric March and Olivia de Havilland. The screenplay by Sheridan Gibney draws elements of its plot from eight of the nine books in Herve ...

'' and '' Blossoms in the Dust''. Around the time the

short '' Drooler's Delight'' was in production,

Mel Blanc Melvin Jerome Blanc (born Blank ; May 30, 1908July 10, 1989) was an American voice actor and radio personality whose career spanned over 60 years. During the Golden Age of Radio, he provided character voices and vocal sound effects for comedy r ...

, who had originally supplied Woody's voice and laugh, filed a lawsuit against producer Walter Lantz, claiming that Lantz had used his voice in later cartoons without permission. The judge, however, ruled for Lantz, saying that Blanc had failed to copyright his voice or his contributions. Though Lantz won the case, he paid Blanc in an out-of-court settlement when Blanc filed an appeal. Wanting to avoid any future retaliation from voice artists wanting to sue him, Lantz opted to find a new voice actor to replace

Ben Hardaway Joseph Benson Hardaway (May 21, 1895 – February 5, 1957) was an American storyboard artist, animator, voice actor, gagman, writer and director for several American animation studios during The Golden Age of Hollywood animation. He was someti ...

as Woody's talking voice, as well as a definitive version of the laugh for his star woodpecker. In 1950, Lantz held anonymous auditions. Stafford offered to do Woody's voice, but Lantz turned her down because Woody was a male character. Not discouraged in the least, Grace made her own anonymous audition tape and submitted it to

Walter Lantz Productions Walter Lantz Productions was an American animation studio. It was in operation from 1928 to 1972 and was the principal supplier of animation for Universal Studios. The studio was originally formed as Universal Cartoon Studios on the initiative o ...

. Not knowing who was behind the voice he heard, Lantz picked Grace's voice for Woody Woodpecker. Stafford provided Woody's voice from 1950 to 1992. At first, she asked not to be credited in the role, as she believed that audiences both young and old would be "disillusioned" if they knew Woody was voiced by a woman. But she soon came to enjoy being known as Woody's voice and, starting with 1958's ''

Misguided Missile This is a list of animated cartoons that star Woody Woodpecker, who appeared in 203 cartoons (196 Woody shorts and 7 miscellaneous shorts) during and after the Golden age of American animation. All the cartoons were produced by Walter Lantz Produ ...

'', finally allowed her name to be credited on screen. Stafford also appeared on an episode of ''

What's My Line? ''What's My Line?'' is a panel game show that originally ran in the United States on the CBS Television Network from 1950 to 1967, originally in black and white and later in color, with subsequent U.S. revivals. The game uses celebrity panelis ...

'' on November 10, 1963.

Death

Gracie Lantz died of

spinal cancer Spinal tumors are neoplasms located in either the vertebral column or the spinal cord. There are three main types of spinal tumors classified based on their location: extradural and intradural (intradural-intramedullary and intradural-extramedulla ...

on March 17, 1992, at age 88.

Filmography

* ''

'' (1935) as Caroline Suggs * ''

I Married a Doctor ''I Married a Doctor'' is a 1936 American drama film directed by Archie Mayo and written by Casey Robinson. It is an adaptation of Sinclair Lewis’s novel Main Street. The film stars Pat O'Brien, Josephine Hutchinson, Ross Alexander, Guy Kib ...

'' (1936) as Vera Sherwin * ''

'' (1936) as Lucia * '' The Man Who Dared'' (1939) as Mary McCrary * ''

Confessions of a Nazi Spy ''Confessions of a Nazi Spy'' is a 1939 American spy political thriller film directed by Anatole Litvak for Warner Bros. It was the first explicitly anti-Nazi film to be produced by a major Hollywood studio, being released in May 1939, several ...

'' (1939) as Mrs. Schneider * ''The Greener Hills'' (1939, Short) as Harriet Miller * ''

Indianapolis Speedway The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is an automobile racing circuit located in Speedway, Indiana, an enclave suburb of Indianapolis, Indiana. It is the home of the Indianapolis 500 and the Verizon 200, and and formerly the home of the United States ...

'' (1939) as Martha Connors * ''

Hawaiian Nights ''Hawaiian Nights'' is a 1939 American romantic comedy film directed by Albert S. Rogell. Produced by Universal Pictures, the film was written by Charles Grayson and Lee Loeb. It stars Johnny Downs, Constance Moore, and Mary Carlisle. A sneak ...

'' (1939) as Secretary (uncredited) * ''

Blondie Brings Up Baby ''Blondie Brings Up Baby'' is a 1939 American comedy film directed by Frank R. Strayer and starring Penny Singleton, Arthur Lake, Larry Simms. It is the fourth of 28 films based on the comic strip. Plot summary Blondie is convinced by a sale ...

'' (1939) as Miss White * ''

Flight Angels ''Flight Angels'' is a 1940 commercial aviation film from Warner Bros. Pictures, produced by Edmund Grainger and directed by Lewis Seiler, from an original story by Jerry Wald and Richard Macaulay. The film stars Virginia Bruce, Dennis Morgan, W ...

'' (1940) as Buxton * '' I Can't Give You Anything But Love, Baby'' (1940) as Second Operator (uncredited) * ''

La Conga Nights ''La Conga Nights'' is a 1940 American comedy film directed by Lew Landers and written by Jay Dratler, Harry Clork and Paul Gerard Smith. The film stars Hugh Herbert, Dennis O'Keefe, Constance Moore, Ferike Boros, Eddie Quillan and Armida. The ...

'' (1940) as Secretary (uncredited) * '' Margie'' (1940) as Miss Bradley * ''

A Dispatch from Reuter's ''A Dispatch from Reuters'' is a 1940 biographical film about Paul Reuter, the man who built the famous news service that bears his name.''Harrison's Reports'' review; November 2, 1940, page 174. Story behind Reuters Paul Reuter starts a messe ...

'' (1940) as Woman Dancing with Geller (uncredited) * ''

Santa Fe Trail The Santa Fe Trail was a 19th-century route through central North America that connected Franklin, Missouri, with Santa Fe, New Mexico. Pioneered in 1821 by William Becknell, who departed from the Boonslick region along the Missouri River, ...

'' (1940) as Farmer's Wife (uncredited) * '' Model Wife'' (1941) as Miss Manahan (uncredited) * ''

Affectionately Yours ''Affectionately Yours'' is a 1941 American romantic comedy film directed by Lloyd Bacon and starring Merle Oberon, Dennis Morgan, and Rita Hayworth. Plot Foreign correspondent Rickey Mayberry (Dennis Morgan) hurriedly flies back from Portu ...

'' (1941) as Miss Anderson * '' Blossoms In the Dust'' (1941) as Molly (uncredited) * '' Unfinished Business'' (1941) as Woman (uncredited) * '' Dr. Kildare's Victory'' (1942) as Mrs. Betty Richards (uncredited) * '' What's Cookin'?'' (1942) as Bob's Assistant (uncredited) * ''

Larceny, Inc. ''Larceny, Inc.'' is a 1942 American film. Originally released on May 2, 1942, by Warner Bros., the film is a cross between comedy and gangster genres. Directed by Lloyd Bacon, the film stars Edward G. Robinson, Jane Wyman, Broderick Crawford, a ...

'' (1942) as McCarthy's Secretary (uncredited) * '' You're Telling Me'' (1942) as Switchboard Operator (uncredited) * '' Destination Moon'' (1950) as Woody Woodpecker (voice, uncredited) * ''Lotsa Luck'' (1968) as Woody Woodpecker (voice) * ''Let Charlie Do It'' (1972) (voice) * '' Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze'' (1975) as Little Lady (final film role)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Stafford, Grace 1903 births 1992 deaths American film actresses American voice actresses Neurological disease deaths in California Deaths from cancer in California Deaths from spinal cancer Actresses from New York City People from Greater Los Angeles Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) 20th-century American actresses Walter Lantz Productions people