Christine Cavanaugh

Christine Josephine Cavanaugh (''née'' Sandberg; August 16, 1963 – December 22, 2014) was an American actress, who had a distinctive speaking style and provided the voice for a large range of cartoon characters. She was the original voices of Chuckie Finster in Nickelodeon's ''Rugrats'' and the titular protagonist of Cartoon Network's ''Dexter's Laboratory'', respectively, as well as the voices of Gosalyn Mallard in Disney's ''Darkwing Duck'', Bunnie Rabbot from DIC Entertainment's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' television series, and Oblina in ''Aaahh!!! Real Monsters''. She also voiced the title character of the 1995 live-action film ''Babe''.

Cavanaugh retired from voice acting and public life in general in 2001, although some media with her contributions continued to be released until 2003. She died at age 51 on December 22, 2014, at her home in Cedar City, Utah.

Early life

Christine Josephine Sandberg was born in Layton, Utah, on August 16, 1963, to Waldo Eugene Sandberg and Reta Mason. At the age of 15, she was adopted by Kirt and Linda Johnson, who she considered as her parents for the rest of her life, after her "mamma", Margaret Sandberg, died. Cavanaugh was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She graduated from Layton High School in 1981.

Career

In 1991, Cavanaugh began voicing Gosalyn Mallard, the titular character's adoptive daughter on Disney's ''Darkwing Duck'' as well as Chuckie Finster on Nickelodeon's ''Rugrats'' and later in 1994, Oblina on ''Aaahh!!! Real Monsters''.

Cavanaugh could also be heard on ''The Critic'' as the voice of Marty, Jay Sherman's son. Her voice credits also include the animated series ''Sonic the Hedgehog'', '' 101 Dalmatians: The Series'', '' Hercules: The Animated Series'', ''The Powerpuff Girls'', ''The Wild Thornberrys'', and Disney's '' Recess'', as well as the voice of Birdie in ''The Wacky Adventures of Ronald McDonald''.

In 1995, Cavanaugh lent her voice to the live-action film ''Babe'' in the starring role of the titular character. She was offered to reprise her role for the sequel, '' Babe: Pig in the City'', but decided against it when contract negotiations fell through, so the role was instead played by her ''Rugrats'' co-star Elizabeth Daily. Also in 1995, Cavanaugh began voicing the eponymous character of ''Dexter's Laboratory'', which began as a short under Cartoon Network's ''What a Cartoon!'' show, and later became the first short to be adapted into its own series for Cartoon Network. She later won an Annie Award in 2000 for her voice performance in the hour-long TV special '' Dexter's Laboratory: Ego Trip''.

Cavanaugh also guest starred on several TV shows including '' Salute Your Shorts'', ''Cheers'', ''Empty Nest'', '' Wings'', ''The X-Files'', ''Everybody Loves Raymond'', and '' ER'', and had supporting roles in the feature films ''Soulmates'' and ''Jerry Maguire''. Cavanaugh retired from voice acting in 2001 to spend more time with family, although some TV episodes and films with her recordings continued to be released until 2003. After her retirement, she was replaced by Candi Milo on ''Dexter's Laboratory'' and by Nancy Cartwright, her co-star in ''The Critic'', as the voice of Chuckie in the ''Rugrats'' franchise.

Death

On December 22, 2014, Cavanaugh died at her home in Cedar City, Utah, at the age of 51. She was cremated, and her ashes were scattered into the Great Salt Lake.

Legacy

Cavanaugh's legacy was acknowledged by Genndy Tartakovsky, the creator of ''Dexter's Laboratory'', as he cited her death as one of the factors in his refusal to create a revival of the show.

Filmography

Voice roles

Live-action

References

External links

*

Christine Cavanaugh Obituary
– ''Los Angeles Times''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cavanaugh, Christine
1963 births
2014 deaths
20th-century American actresses
21st-century American actresses
Actresses from Utah
American film actresses
American television actresses
American video game actresses
American voice actresses
Annie Award winners
Latter Day Saints from Utah
Nickelodeon people
People from Layton, Utah
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa alumni
Utah State University alumni