Lorenzo Music

Gerald David "Lorenzo" Music (May 2, 1937 – August 4, 2001) was an American actor, composer, musician, performer, writer and producer. Music began his career in the 1960s with his wife, Henrietta, forming the comedy duo Gerald and His Hen. He then became a writer and a regular performer on the controversial CBS variety show ''The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour''. In the 1970s, Music co-created the sitcom '' The Bob Newhart Show'' with David Davis and composed its theme music with his wife. He also wrote episodes for ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' and '' Rhoda'', and got a major voiceover role for playing the unseen, but often heard, Carlton the Doorman in ''Rhoda''. Music gained fame in the 1980s for voicing Jim Davis' comic strip character Garfield in twelve animated specials, and later an animated series, video games, and commercials. His distinctive drawling voice of Garfield was later emulated by other actors following his death in 2001.

Early life and career

Gerald David Music was born on May 2, 1937, in Brooklyn, New York City to Harry and Sophie (née Nessell) Music. He was six years old when his family moved to Duluth, Minnesota because of his father's job at one of the shipyards. His parents later divorced. He was a student at Central High School and then at the University of Minnesota Duluth. Music met his wife, Henrietta, in college at its Theatre Arts Department. Together, they had four children and formed a comedy duo, Gerald and His Hen, performing together for eight years, even performing at a USO show in Japan.

Career

Writer

Music became a writer and a regular performer on ''The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour'' from 1967 to 1969 and won an Emmy Award for writing. He was a writer and story editor on ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show,'' and he co-created '' The Bob Newhart Show'' with his writing partner, David Davis. The show ran on CBS from 1972 to 1978; he also co-wrote the theme song to the show with his wife.

Music continued writing for ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' spin-off '' Rhoda,'' which he co-developed with Davis. While casting ''Rhoda'', the producers were looking for a voice actor to play the part of Carlton, the comically unseen doorman. Music had no interest in being an actor, but the producers loved his sleepy, husky voice and offered him that role, which made his voice recognizable to a worldwide television audience. The character was popular enough to warrant a one-off single in 1975 called "Who Is It?" ( b/w "The Girl in 510", United Artists UA-XW643-X), which became a regional hit. Music also co-produced and co-wrote a 1980 animated special titled '' Carlton Your Doorman'', which won an Emmy Award. Though it was a pilot episode, CBS did not pick it up as a series.

In 1976, Lorenzo and Henrietta were given the opportunity to host a syndicated television variety show of their own. ''The Lorenzo and Henrietta Music Show'' was produced at a time when there was a glut of television variety shows, but it did not last. In 1983, Music voiced Ralph the All-Purpose Animal in the stop-motion animated film '' Twice Upon a Time''.

''Garfield''

In the 1980s, Jim Davis' ''Garfield'' was the most popular comic strip in America since Charles M. Schulz's ''Peanuts''. Compilation books and merchandising of the strip were topping best-seller lists, and Davis was negotiating to make an animated television special. Producers needed someone to voice the main character in the strip: Garfield, a fat, lazy, sarcastic, demanding, and lasagna-loving cat. The audition attracted several famed vocal talents, including Sterling Holloway, the voice of Winnie the Pooh. After one audition, Music was immediately cast as the voice of Garfield; in Davis' words: "I looked at the room full of oiceactors, and then in the corner I saw Lorenzo, quietly licking himself". Music would serve as the voice of Garfield in all twelve specials, an animated series, video games, and commercials until his death in 2001.

Other work

Music also voiced characters for the animated series '' Pac-Man'', '' Adventures of the Gummi Bears'', '' Fluppy Dogs'', '' The Real Ghostbusters'', '' Pound Puppies'', '' TaleSpin'', and '' Darkwing Duck''. After ''Garfield and Friends'' ended in 1994, Music retired from cartoon voice acting.

Music did voice-overs for many commercials for prime-time TV, such as Larry the Crash Test Dummy in the "You Could Learn a Lot from a Dummy" public safety announcements sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation and for Florida grapefruit juice, a lesser-known series of commercials extolling Florida agriculture as opposed to the more popular "Florida orange juice" commercials.

In keeping with his beliefs in Subud and its emphasis on charity, Music frequently volunteered his time on a suicide hotline. Music recalled that sometimes a caller would change his tone: "I am bankrupt, my wife ran off with another man... Hey, you sound just like that cat on TV!"

Music's voice could be heard on '' Stan Freberg Presents the United States of America Volume Two'' album, released as a CD by Rhino Records. Music appeared on the album as James Madison and Robert E. Lee. He also appeared as an intercom announcer on an episode of ''The Drew Carey Show''. Music served as the voice-over for commercials for Ore-Ida Potatoes and Fruit and Cream Strawberry Twinkies. He later served as the pitchman for Ruggles Ice Cream.

Personal life

Music was married to composer/writer Henrietta Music for forty-two years; together they had four children.

Death and legacy

Music died from complications related to lung and bone cancer on August 4, 2001, at the age of 64. His body was cremated, and his ashes were scattered at sea.

Since Music's death, Frank Welker replaced him as the voice of Garfield in three fully-CGI films, an animated series, and the Nickelodeon crossover fighting video game '' All-Star Brawl''. Garfield's voice was also provided by Bill Murray in two live-action films. Coincidentally, Music voiced Peter Venkman in the first two seasons of ''The Real Ghostbusters'' before being replaced by Dave Coulier. Welker provided the voices of Ray Stantz and Slimer in the same series as well. In 2024, Chris Pratt voiced Garfield in a reimagined CGI animated film, using a voice that departed from Music's interpretation of the character.

Filmography

Film

Television

Animation

Video games

Radio

Production credits

Writer

Producer

Consultant

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Music, Lorenzo
1937 births
2001 deaths
American comedy writers
American male film actors
American male pop singers
American male television actors
American male voice actors
American people of Croatian descent
American Subud members
American television writers
Deaths from bone cancer in California
Deaths from lung cancer in California
Male actors from Duluth, Minnesota
Male actors from Brooklyn
American male television writers
Musicians from Brooklyn
Musicians from Duluth, Minnesota
Primetime Emmy Award winners
Screenwriters from Minnesota
Screenwriters from New York (state)
Television producers from New York City
University of Minnesota Duluth alumni
20th-century American screenwriters
20th-century American male writers
20th-century American male singers
20th-century American singers
Television producers from Minnesota
Comedians from Brooklyn
Comedians from Minnesota