Leonard Weinrib (April 29, 1935 – June 28, 2006) was an American actor, comedian and writer. He is best known for playing the title role in the children's television show ''

H.R. Pufnstuf ''H.R. Pufnstuf'' is a children's television series produced by Sid and Marty Krofft in the United States. It was the first Krofft live-action, life-sized-puppet program (not including their previous work with the Hanna-Barbera program ''The Ba ...

'', Grimace in McDonaldland commercials, the title role in '' Inch High, Private Eye'', the original voice of Scrappy-Doo on '' Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo'', Hunk and

Prince Lotor Prince Lotor, known as in the original Japanese language ''Beast King GoLion'' and in the sixth season of '' Voltron: Legendary Defender'', is a fictional character in the media franchise ''Voltron'', and is an antagonist of the Voltron Force w ...

on '' Voltron'', and Bigmouth on '' The Smurfs''. He also was the voice for Timer in the " Time for Timer" ABC public service announcements in the early 1970s.

Life and career

A native of the Bronx, Weinrib got his start in show business working with Spike Jones, then later in '' The Billy Barnes Revue''. He made guest appearances on '' The Dick Van Dyke Show'', '' The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis'', '' Burke's Law'', '' The Munsters'', '' Happy Days'' and ''

Adam-12 ''Adam-12'' is an American television police procedural crime drama television series created by Robert A. Cinader and Jack Webb. The series follows Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers Pete Malloy and Jim Reed as they patrol the stre ...

''. He charted nationally (Music Vendor, #132) with the comedy single "Prez Conference" in 1962. He also guest starred in an '' Emergency!'' episode called "Firehouse Four" as Fred Gibson, an overweight, accident-prone man. Woody Allen's character in his 1995 film '' Mighty Aphrodite'' was named "Lenny Weinrib".

Voice actor

He was most notable for his voice acting work. Starting with '' The Jetsons'', Weinrib provided numerous voices for such animated series as '' Inch High, Private Eye'', '' The New Adventures of Batman'', '' Tarzan and the Super 7'', and '' Hong Kong Phooey''. He was the voice for both Roland and Ratfink in that series of cartoon shorts. He also provided the voice of Timer in the 1970s " Time for Timer" series of educational spots shown on the ABC network. In '' Voltron: Defender of the Universe'', he voiced both Hunk and the villain Prince Lotor in the "Lion Voltron series", as well as Captain Newley and Cliff in the "Vehicle Voltron" series. He also voiced a secretary bird and king Leonidas the lion in the animated sequence of the film '' Bedknobs and Broomsticks''. Another Disney role Weinrib voiced was an evil sorcerer named Zorlok for an episode of '' Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears''. He also voices the school bully Lenny Warthog on the NBC series '' Kissyfur''. He also lent his voice to

Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...

in 1970 for a '' Sesame Street'' sketch of a lecture about words beginning with "S" which happened to be the character's favorite letter of the alphabet. Weinrib again voiced the Man of Steel, and his alter-ego Clark Kent, for a 1972 episode of ''

The Brady Kids ''The Brady Kids'' is an American animated television series and a spin-off based on the ABC live-action sitcom '' The Brady Bunch'', produced by Filmation in association with Paramount Television. It aired on ABC from September 9, 1972, to Octobe ...

'', "Cindy's Super Friend". Weinrib voiced Davey Jones' Uncle Sedgwick, Hotel Desk Clerk and Shaggy's Great-Uncle Nathaniel on ''

The New Scooby-Doo Movies ''The New Scooby-Doo Movies'' is an American animated mystery comedy television series produced by Hanna-Barbera for CBS. It is the second animated television series in the studio's ''Scooby-Doo'' franchise, and follows the first incarnation, ''Sc ...

''. He voiced Cap'n Noah Smitty in '' Yogi's Ark Lark''. He also was the original voice of Scrappy-Doo on the '' Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo'' TV series before

Don Messick Donald Earle Messick (September 7, 1926 – October 24, 1997) was an American voice actor. He was best known for his performances in Hanna-Barbera cartoons. His best-remembered vocal creations include Scooby-Doo, Bamm-Bamm Rubble and Hoppy in ...

took over the role. He voiced the title role in ''

'' throughout the show's entire run from 1969 through 1971, and also wrote every episode of the series. He also appeared as H.R. Pufnstuf as a guest on '' The Dating Game'' in Christmas 1972 and on one episode of the TV show '' CHiPs'' in 1977. On '' The Krofft Supershow'', he played the title character in '' Magic Mongo''. He did the voices for Moonrock and Sergeant Boulder on '' The Flintstone Comedy Show''. In 1986, he was the original voice of Freddy Flintstone on '' The Flintstone Kids'', before Scott Menville replaced him the following season. In 1991, he voiced Max the Mole on the all-star

Hanna-Barbera Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ) was an American animation studio and production company which was active from 1957 to 2001. It was founded on July 7, 1957, by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera following the decision of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to c ...

animated series ''

Yo Yogi! ''Yo Yogi!'' is an American animated television series and the seventh entry in the ''Yogi Bear'' franchise produced by Hanna-Barbera that aired from September 14 to December 7, 1991 on NBC for 13 episodes. This would be one of the last Yogi Bear ...

''.

Live action

Weinrib appeared on '' The Dick Van Dyke Show'' three times, each time playing a similar character, a loud, over-the-top, insult-type comedian. This character was named "Jackie Brewster" ("Buddy Can You Spare a Job", 1961), "Danny Brewster" ("The Sam Pomerantz Scandals", 1963), and "Phil Franklin" ("The Impractical Joke", 1965). He also appeared on single episodes of '' The Man From U.N.C.L.E.'' ("Winky Blintz" in "The Off-Broadway Affair", 1966) '' Happy Days'' ("Duke" in "Ritchie's Cup Runneth Over", 1974), and on two episodes of ''

'' in 1973 and 1974 as Tony the police garage mechanic. He also guest starred in the 1974 '' Emergency!'' episode called "Firehouse Four" as Fred Gibson.

Directing

Weinrib's directing career consists of three feature films, all in the beach party genre: '' Beach Ball'' for Paramount in 1965, and '' Wild Wild Winter'' and '' Out of Sight'', both for Universal in 1966. Weinrib also co-wrote the 1963 joke book ''The Elephant Book''.

Retirement and death

Weinrib retired from acting in the 1990s and moved to

Santiago, Chile Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital (political), capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated Regions of Chile, region, t ...

. For the ''

Family Guy ''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom originally conceived and created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The show centers around the Griffin family, Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter Griff ...

'' episode " Petarded",

Seth MacFarlane Seth Woodbury MacFarlane (; born October 26, 1973) is an American actor, animator, filmmaker, comedian, and singer. He is the creator and star of the television series ''Family Guy'' (since 1999) and ''The Orville'' (since 2017), and co-creator ...

explained on the Season 4 DVD commentary he wanted to use Weinrib to voice Timer for a cutaway gag, but Weinrib was suffering from failing health when "Petarded" was being produced, and as MacFarlane explained, he "didn't remember doing it" after the recorded audio was played back for him later. In the end, Timer was voiced by Seth himself. Weinrib died in a hospital near his home on June 28, 2006, after suffering a

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

Family

Weinrib's elder daughter Linda Weinrib and grandchildren Lauren Bendik and Steven Bendik are voice actors. His younger daughter Heidi Weinrib has performed as part of the ensemble cast of ''Rojo de Chile'', a Chilean talent competition broadcast by Television Nacional de Chile. His youngest daughter Grace Weinrib is an artist and also lives in Santiago, Chile as does their mother Sonia.

Filmography

Voices

* ''

'' - Voices of H.R. Pufnstuf, Orson Vulture, Stupid Bat, Hippie Tree, Bela Lugosi Tree, Dr. Blinky's Talking Book, Alarm Clock, Polka Dotted Horse, Pop Lolly, West Wind * '' Lidsville'' - Voices of Mr. Big, Colonel Poom, Captain Hooknose, Rah Rah, Mr. Chow, Tex, Tonsilini, Pierre LeSewer * '' The Krofft Superstar Hour'' - Voices of H.R. Pufnstuf, Orson Vulture, Stupid Bat * '' The Skatebirds'' - Voice of Knock-Knock the Woodpecker ("Skatebirds" segment) * ''

Barnyard Commandos Barnyard Commandos is an action figure line created by toy designer James Groman for American Greetings Corporation and produced by Playmates Toys in 1989. A thirteen-episode French-American animated series was based on the figures the following ...

'' - Additional Voices * ''

Buford and the Galloping Ghost ''Buford and the Galloping Ghost'' is an American animated television series and a spin-off of ''Yogi's Space Race'' produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions that was broadcast on NBC from September 9 to December 2, 1978. The half-hour series was co ...

'' - Additional Voices * '' CB Bears'' - King, Rattle, Yukayuka * '' Dr. Dolittle'' - Sam Scurvy, various * '' Dynomutt, Dog Wonder'' - Roto Chopper * '' Foofur'' - Additional Voices * '' Fred Flintstone and Friends'' - Additional Voices * '' Galaxy Goof-Ups'' - Additional Voices * '' Garfield and Friends'' - Additional Voices * '' Help!... It's the Hair Bear Bunch!'' - Additional Voices * '' Hong Kong Phooey'' - Additional Voices * '' Inch High, Private Eye'' - Inch High * '' Jabberjaw'' - Additional Voices * ''

Jokebook ''Jokebook'' is an American adult animated comedy series produced by Hanna-Barbera. It aired on NBC for three episodes from April 23 to May 7, 1982. Format The series' theme song was sung by Scatman Crothers. ''Jokebook'' was an anthology of seg ...

'' - Additional Voices * '' Kissyfur'' - Charles, Lennie * '' Mork & Mindy/Laverne & Shirley/Fonz Hour'' - Additional Voices * '' My Little Pony and Friends'' - Additional Voices * ''

Pac-Man originally called ''Puck Man'' in Japan, is a 1980 maze action video game developed and released by Namco for arcades. In North America, the game was released by Midway Manufacturing as part of its licensing agreement with Namco America. Th ...

'' - Additional Voices * '' Rambo: The Force of Freedom'' - Gripper * '' Scooby and Scrappy-Doo'' - Scrappy-Doo, Bill Walker, Neon Phantom * '' Space Cats'' - Additional Voices * '' Space Stars'' - Dipper * '' The Addams Family'' - Gomez Addams * '' Adventures of the Gummi Bears'' - Additional Voices * ''

The Adventures of Don Coyote and Sancho Panda ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' - Additional Voices * ''

'' - Superman/Clark Kent * '' The All-New Popeye Hour'' - Additional Voices * '' The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan'' - Stanley Chan * '' The Most Important Person'' - Various Voices * '' The Flintstone Comedy Hour'' - Announcer, Moonrock * '' The Flintstone Comedy Show'' - Moonrock, Sgt. Boulder * '' The Flintstone Kids'' - Freddy Flintstone (1986-1987), Commissioner * '' The Flintstones Meet Rockula and Frankenstone'' - TV special - Mr. Silika * '' The Further Adventures of SuperTed'' - Additional Voices * '' The Great Grape Ape Show'' - Additional Voices * '' The Hoober-Bloob Highway'' - Additional Voices * '' The Jetsons'' - Additional Voices (1985-1987) * '' The Kwicky Koala Show'' - Additional Voices * '' The Little Rascals'' - Additional Voices * '' The Mumbly Cartoon Show'' - Additional Voices * '' The New Adventures of Batman'' - Joker,

Clayface Clayface is an alias used by several supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Most incarnations of the character possess clay-like bodies and shapeshifting abilities, and all of them have been depicted as List of Bat ...

, Mr. Freeze, Chameleon, Moonman, Professor Bubbles, Sweet Tooth, Zarbor,

Penguin Penguins (order (biology), order List of Sphenisciformes by population, Sphenisciformes , family (biology), family Spheniscidae ) are a group of Water bird, aquatic flightless birds. They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere: on ...

, Electro,

Commissioner Gordon James W. "Jim" Gordon, Sr. is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, most commonly in association with the superhero Batman. Created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane as an ally of Batman, the character deb ...

. * '' The New Scooby and Scrappy-Doo Show'' - Griff, Mickey Hack, Gremlin, Additional Voices * ''

'' - Sedgwick Jones, Hotel Desk Clerk, Great-Uncle Nathaniel, Additional Voices * '' The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show'' - Bronto, Moonrock * ''The Pink Panther Laugh and a Half Hour and a Half Show'' - Additional Voices * '' The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show'' - Additional Voices * '' The Scooby-Doo Show'' - Squire Marley, Grey Fox, Additional Voices * ''

The Scooby & Scrappy-Doo/Puppy Hour ''The Scooby & Scrappy-Doo/Puppy Hour'' is a 60-minute Saturday morning animated package show co-produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and Ruby-Spears Enterprises and broadcast on ABC from September 25, 1982 to December 18, 1982. The show contain ...

'' - Additional Voices * '' The Smurfs'' - Bigmouth, Additional Voices * ''

The Smurfic Games ''The Smurfs'' is an animated television series that originally aired on NBC from September 12, 1981 to December 2, 1989. Created by Pierre "Peyo" Culliford and based on his comic series of the same name, it was composed by 256 episodes with 4 ...

'' - TV special - Bigmouth * '' The Super Globetrotters'' - Additional Voices * '' The Tom and Jerry Show'' - Dinky, Additional Voices * '' The Tom and Jerry Comedy Show'' - Additional Voices * '' These Are the Days'' - Additional Voices * '' Trollkins'' - Additional Voices * '' Uncle Croc's Block'' - Elephunt Cave Cat, Billy the Kit, Captain Eddie Kittenbakker, Captain Kitt, Jasper Catdaver, Kitty Wizard, Sir Walter Cat, Hep Cat ("Fraidy Cat" segments) * '' Voltron'' - Hunk Garrett,

(Lion Force series); Cliff, Captain Newley (Vehicle Force series) * '' Wait Till Your Father Gets Home'' - Chet Boyle * '' Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color'' - Additional Voices * '' Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch'' - Hi-Riser * ''

'' - Max the Mole * '' Yogi's Gang'' - Smokestack Smog * '' Yogi's Space Race'' - Additional Voices * '' Yogi's Treasure Hunt'' - Additional Voices

Live-action

* '' The Dick Van Dyke Show'' - 3 episodes (1961, 1963, 1965) * ''

Don't Call Me Charlie! ''Don't Call Me Charlie!'' is an American sitcom that aired on NBC during the 1962-1963 television season on Friday nights from 9:30 pm to 10:00 pm Eastern Time. Created by Don McGuire, the 18-episode series starred Josh Peine, Linda Lawson ...

'' - 1 episode ("Who Stole My Boots?") as a shoemaker (1962) * '' My Favorite Martian'' - 1 episode as Dentist Dr. Herbie Little (1964) * '' The Man From U.N.C.L.E.'' - 1 episode as Winky Blintz (1966) "The Off-Broadway Affair" * '' Happy Days'' - "Duke", 1 episode (1974) * '' The Krofft Supershow'' - as the title character in the "Magic Mongo" segment (1977–78) * '' Laredo'' - episode - The Sweet Gang - Bud Sweet * ''

'' - 2 episodes as a Police garage mechanic * '' Emergency!'' - episode - Firehouse Four - Fred Gibson * '' The Munsters'' - episode - "The Midnight Ride of Herman Munster" - Freddie (1964) * '' The Twilight Zone'' - 1 episode - "Miniature" - Buddy Russell (1963) * ''

Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, aired on CBS and NBC between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers and mysteries. Between 1962 and 1965 it was ren ...

'' - 3 episodes as Amos, Harry, Stanley (1960-1962) * '' The Red Skelton Show'' - 1 episode as Ronnie (1959) * '' The Waltons'' - episode - The Marathon S3E10 - as Spanky (1974)

Films

* ''

Tales of Terror ''Tales of Terror'' is a 1962 American International Pictures horror film in colour and Panavision, produced by Samuel Z. Arkoff, James H. Nicholson, and Roger Corman, who also directed. The screenplay was written by Richard Matheson, and th ...

'' (1962) - Policeman (segment "The Black Cat") * '' The Thrill of It All'' (1963) - Truck Driver * ''

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World ''It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World'' is a 1963 American comedy film produced and directed by Stanley Kramer with a story and screenplay by William Rose and Tania Rose. The film, starring Spencer Tracy with an all-star cast of comedians, is a ...

'' (1963) - F-14 / Ladder Fireman (voice, uncredited) * ''

Not with My Wife, You Don't! ''Not with My Wife, You Don't!'' (stylized as ''Not with MY Wife, You Don't!'') is a 1966 American comedy film starred by Tony Curtis, Virna Lisi and George C. Scott. The film was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture – Musical ...

'' (1966) - Green Eyed Monster of Jealousy (voice, uncredited) * '' Out of Sight'' (1966, Director) * ''

Good Times ''Good Times'' is an American television sitcom that aired for six seasons on CBS, from February 8, 1974, to August 1, 1979. Created by Eric Monte and Mike Evans and developed by executive producer Norman Lear, it was television's first African ...

'' (1967) - Leslie Garth * ''Gas! -Or- It Became Necessary to Destroy the World in Order to Save It.'' (1970) - (voice, uncredited) * '' The Point!'' (1971) - Count (voice) * '' Bedknobs and Broomsticks'' (1971) - Secretary Bird / King Leonidas (voice) * '' Yogi's Ark Lark'' (1972) - Cap'n Noah Smitty * '' The Adventures of Robin Hoodnik'' (1972) - Robin Hoodnik / Alan Airedale / Whirlin' Merlin / Lord Scurvy / Friar Pork / Little John (voice) * ''

Tabitha and Adam and the Clown Family ''Bewitched'' is an American fantasy sitcom television series that originally aired for eight seasons on ABC from September 17, 1964, to March 25, 1972. It is about a witch who marries an ordinary mortal man and vows to lead the life of a typic ...

'' (1972) - Big Louie / Count Krumley / Mr. McGuffin (voice) * ''The Magical Mystery Trip Through Little Red's Head'' (1974) - Timer / All Other Voices (voice) * '' Rikki-Tikki-Tavi'' (1975, TV Short) - Darzee the Tailorbird * '' The Strongest Man in the World'' (1975) - State Coach * '' Shogun Assassin'' (1980) - (voice) * '' Bugs Bunny's 3rd Movie: 1001 Rabbit Tales'' (1982) - Prince Abadaba (voice) * ''The Adventures of Ronald McDonald: McTreasure Island'' (1990, Short) - Grimace / The Captain / Pirates (voice)

Commercials

* McDonald's McDonaldland Commercials - Grimace (1971-1986) / Uncle O'Grimacey (voice) * Time for Timer - Timer *

Cookie Crisp Cookie Crisp is a breakfast cereal that is manufactured to look like chocolate chip cookies. It is produced by General Mills in the United States and Cereal Partners in other countries. Introduced in 1977, it was originally produced by Ralsto ...

- Cookie Jarvis * Super Friends - network promo "Meet... Super-Friends!" narrator for series premiere on ABC-TV September 1973

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Weinrib, Lennie 1935 births 2006 deaths American expatriates in Chile American male television actors American male voice actors Hanna-Barbera people Jewish American comedians Jewish American male actors Jewish American male comedians Male actors from New York City People from the Bronx 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American Jews 21st-century American Jews