Berneice Edna Hansell (July 11, 1897 – April 16, 1981), known as Bernice Hansen, was an American
voice actress
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 ...
. She was best known for providing the voices for both female and young male characters in the mid to late 1930s for various
cartoon
A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently animated, in an unrealistic or semi-realistic style. The specific meaning has evolved over time, but the modern usage usually refers to either: an image or series of images ...
studio
A studio is an artist or worker's workroom. This can be for the purpose of acting, architecture, painting, pottery (ceramics), sculpture, origami, woodworking, scrapbooking, photography, graphic design, filmmaking, animation, industrial design ...
s, most notably
Warner Bros. Cartoons
Warner Bros. Cartoons, Inc. was an American animation studio, serving as the in-house animation division of Warner Bros. during the Golden Age of American animation. One of the most successful animation studios in American media history, it was ...
, where she played Little Kitty in ''
I Haven't Got a Hat
''I Haven't Got a Hat'' is a 1935 animated short film, directed by Isadore Freleng for Leon Schlesinger Productions as part of the ''Merrie Melodies'' series. Released on March 2, 1935, the short is notable for featuring the first appearance of sev ...
'' (1935).
Because of a lack of on-screen voice credits on cartoons throughout the 1930s, identifying many actors has been a challenge to historians, resulting in incorrect guesses, especially with many female voices portraying young animals that sound very similar. She has, for example, been incorrectly identified as providing the voice of
Sniffles.
Early life and career
Hansell was born in
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
on July 11, 1897 to Edward and T. Belle (Carey) Hansell. Her father was an
Englishman who arrived in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
in 1877. Her mother was from Iowa. Edward Hansell worked as a jeweller and then an optician during the 1920s, and as an elevator operator during the
Great Depression
The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
of the 1930s. Hansell found work as a
stenographer and then as a
dressmaker on the Warner Bros. lot. She managed to find work in cartoons at the
Walt Disney Studios and provided squeaks for
Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse is an animated cartoon Character (arts), character co-created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. The longtime mascot of The Walt Disney Company, Mickey is an Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic mouse who typically wears red sho ...
.
[United Press story, Dec. 13, 1934] That same year, she found work in the
Leon Schlesinger Productions and
Walter Lantz Productions.
Her animation career ended in the early 1940s. By this point, the small, "cutesy" style characters that had been popular in the 1930s (in which Hansen had specialized) were falling out of fashion;
Sara Berner, who had a reputation as a more dynamic performer and skilled impersonator, succeeded Hansen as Warner Bros.' primary female vocalist for much of the 1940s.
Death
Hansell died in Los Angeles on April 16, 1981. She was 83 years old.
See also
*
Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies filmography
**
Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies filmography (1929–1939)
This is a listing of all the animated shorts released by Warner Bros. under the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' banners between 1930 and 1939, plus the pilot film from 1929 which was used to sell the ''Looney Tunes'' series to Leon Schle ...
**
Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies filmography (1940–1949)
**
Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies filmography (1950–1959)
**
Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies filmography (1960–1969)
This is a listing of all the animated shorts released by Warner Bros. under the '' Looney Tunes'' and '' Merrie Melodies'' banners between 1960 and 1969.
A total of 147 shorts were released during the 1960s.
1960
1961
1962
1963
...
**
Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies filmography (1970–present)
This is a listing of all theatrical animated shorts released by Warner Bros. under the ''Looney Tunes
''Looney Tunes'' is an American Animated cartoon, animated comedy short film series produced by Warner Bros. starting from 1930 to 1969, concu ...
References
External links
*
1897 births
1981 deaths
American voice actresses
American textile designers
Warner Bros. Cartoons voice actors
20th-century American actresses
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