John Lee Erwin (December 5, 1936 – December 20, 2024) was an American

voice actor Voice acting is the art of Acting, performing a character or providing information to an audience with one's voice. Performers are often called voice actors/actresses in addition to other names. Examples of voice work include animation, animated, ...

best known for voicing

He-Man He-Man is a superhero and the protagonist of the sword and planet ''Masters of the Universe'' franchise, which includes a toy line, several animated television series, comic books, and a feature film. He-Man is characterized by his superhuman s ...

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'' ...

, and Morris the Cat.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 founded by Lou Scheimer, Hal Sutherland and Norm Prescott in 1962, before closing by Group W Productions on February 3, 1989. Located in Reseda, California, Filmation produced animated ...

productions ''

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

'' and '' She-Ra: Princess of Power'' that ran from 1983 to 1986. Due to the extreme cost-cutting by

, the cast of voice actors was small, and producer Lou Scheimer actually performed the bulk of the character voices. Erwin was also the voice of the henchman character Beast Man, and would on occasion do the voices of other supporting characters, too, such as Webstor and Ram Man. Although generally recognized for his work on ''He-Man'', Erwin has many years of voice acting to his credit (including the voice of

in Filmation's '' Archie'' cartoons), and has provided voices for many productions ranging from television advertisements to live-action movies since the 1960s. He was the voice of Morris the Cat from 9Lives cat food in several television commercials. From 1959 to 1965, he starred as Teddy in the television Western ''

Rawhide Rawhide may refer to: *Rawhide (material), a hide or animal skin that has not been tanned * Whip made from rawhide Entertainment * ''Rawhide'' (1926 film), a Western directed by Richard Thorpe * ''Rawhide'' (1938 film), a Western starring baseball ...

''. 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; both wrote the story. It is a sequel to the 1985 film ''Back to the Future'' and the second installment in the Back ...

'' and as a football announcer in the 2000

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

movie ''

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

''. He also did small spot roles in various

Hanna-Barbera Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ; formerly known as H-B Enterprises, Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. and H-B Production Co.), simply and commonly known as Hanna-Barbera, was an American animation studio and production company, which was acti ...

episodes for different shows (such as Hanna-Barbera's animated series '' The Thing'') and others, going uncredited.

Personal life and death

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 has had an active career doing voice work since the 1970s. Early life Oppenheimer was born in New York ...

stated he had recently visited Erwin in his retirement community in

Thousand Oaks, California Thousand Oaks is the second-largest city in Ventura County, California, located in the northwestern part of Greater Los Angeles. Approximately from the city of Los Angeles and from Downtown Los Angeles, it is named after the many oak trees pr ...

. Erwin died at his home in

Camarillo, California Camarillo ( ) is a city in Ventura County, California, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 70,741, an increase of 5,540 from the 65,201 counted in the 2010 Census. Camarillo is named for brothers Juan and ...

, on or around December 20, 2024, at the age of 88. His death was not announced publicly until January 31, 2025.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Erwin, John 1936 births 2024 deaths American male television actors American male voice actors Filmation people 20th-century American male actors Male actors from Cambridge, Massachusetts