Russi Taylor (May 4, 1944 – July 26, 2019) was an American voice actress. She is best remembered as the official voice of

Minnie Mouse Minnie Mouse is a cartoon character created by The Walt Disney Company. As the longtime sweetheart of Mickey Mouse, she is an anthropomorphic mouse with white gloves, a bow, polka-dotted dress, white bloomers, and low-heeled shoes occasional ...

from 1986 to 2019, and was notably married to voice actor Wayne Allwine, the voice of Mickey Mouse, until his death on May 18, 2009. She is the longest tenured actress to voice the character, having held the role for 33 years. She also provided the voices of several characters in ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, ...

''.

Early life

Russi Taylor was born in

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

, on May 4, 1944.

Career

Taylor began her voice-over career in the mid-1970s. Her first voice-over role was the voice of Ted and Georgette's baby on ''

The Mary Tyler Moore Show ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (also known simply as ''Mary Tyler Moore'') is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns and starring actress Mary Tyler Moore. The show originally aired on CBS from 1970 to 1977. Moo ...

''. Taylor became the voice of Minnie Mouse in 1986, and continued to voice the character for 33 years until her death in 2019. She also voiced

Huey, Dewey, and Louie Huey, Dewey, and Louie are triplet cartoon characters created by storyboard artist (screenwriter) Carl Barks for The Walt Disney Company from an idea proposed by cartoonist Al Taliaferro and are the nephews of Donald Duck and the grand-neph ...

and Webby Vanderquack in the television series '' DuckTales'' and in other appearances. Taylor provided the voices of numerous characters in the animated series ''

'', including fourth-grade nerd

Martin Prince The American animated television series ''The Simpsons'' contains a wide range of minor and supporting characters like co-workers, teachers, students, family friends, extended relatives, townspeople, local celebrities, and even animals. The writ ...

, purple-haired twins

Sherri and Terri The American animated television series ''The Simpsons'' contains a wide range of minor and supporting characters like co-workers, teachers, students, family friends, extended relatives, townspeople, local celebrities, and even animals. The writ ...

, and German exchange student Üter. After her death, ''The Simpsons'' producers hired Grey DeLisle to succeed her. She voiced Pebbles Flintstone in '' The Flintstone Comedy Show'' for Hanna-Barbera in 1980. Taylor was also the original voice of Strawberry Shortcake and the voice of Baby Gonzo in '' Muppet Babies'', Nova in '' Twinkle, the Dream Being'', Pac-Baby in the television series '' Pac-Man'', the high-pitched Nurses that were mice in '' The Rescuers Down Under'', Melissa in the Pound Puppies episode ''Garbage Night: The Musical'', Queen Rosedust in ''

My Little Pony ''My Little Pony'' (''MLP'') is a toy line and media franchise developed by American toy company Hasbro. The first toys were developed by Bonnie Zacherle, Charles Muenchinger, and Steve D'Aguanno, and were produced in 1981. The ponies feature ...

'', and her last non-Disney role was

Birdie the Early Bird McDonaldland is a McDonald's media franchise and the fictional fantasy world inhabited by Ronald McDonald and his friends. Starting with the creation of Ronald McDonald in 1963 it is primarily developed and published by McDonald's, initial atte ...

in McDonaldland commercials. She was also the voice of Drizella and the Fairy Godmother in the Cinderella sequels, '' Cinderella II: Dreams Come True'' and '' Cinderella III: A Twist in Time''.

Personal life

She was married to Wayne Allwine, the third voice of Mickey Mouse, from 1991 until his death in 2009. They were both named

Disney Legends The Disney Legends Awards is a Hall of Fame program that recognizes individuals who have made an extraordinary and integral contribution to The Walt Disney Company. Established in 1987, the honor was traditionally awarded annually during a spec ...

in 2008.

Death

Taylor died from

colon cancer Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowe ...

on July 26, 2019, at her home in Glendale, California, at the age of 75. She is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park right next to Allwine’s grave.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Theme park attractions

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Russi 1944 births 2019 deaths Actresses from Cambridge, Massachusetts American radio actresses American video game actresses Audiobook narrators Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) Deaths from cancer in California Deaths from colorectal cancer Disney people 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses