Polly Lou Livingston (May 6, 1929 – January 24, 2021) was an American voice actress and icon known for her role as

Tree Trunks Trunks are the stems of woody plants and the main structural element of trees. The woody part of the trunk consists of dead but structurally significant heartwood and living sapwood, which is used for nutrient storage and transport. Separatin ...

in the animated series, ''

Adventure Time ''Adventure Time'' is an American fantasy animated television series created by Pendleton Ward and co-produced by Frederator Studios for Cartoon Network. The series follows the adventures of a boy named Finn the Human, Finn (Jeremy Shada) and ...

''.

Early life and education

Polly Lou was born to M.O. and Pauline Simon in

Victoria, Texas Victoria is a city and the county seat of Victoria County, Texas, United States. The population was 65,534 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The three counties of the Victoria, Texas metropolitan area, Victoria Metropolitan Statis ...

. She grew up in a tight-knit Jewish community. The family business, M.O. Simon Company, was a department store where she developed her personal style. She often traveled with her father to New York on business trips. Livingston's paternal grandfather came to the U.S. from Russia during the Jewish persecution under the Czar. They immigrated through Ellis island, where their surname was changed from "Spitalny" to "Simon." Livingston attended

Stephens College Stephens College is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Columbia, Missouri, United States. It is Timeline of women's colleges in the United States#First and oldest, the second-oldest women's educa ...

Columbia, Missouri Columbia is a city in Missouri, United States. It was founded in 1821 as the county seat of Boone County, Missouri, Boone County and had a population of 126,254 as recorded in the 2020 United States census, making it the List of cities in Misso ...

Career

Livingston was known for her sense of fashion and dress. Her love of fashion developed early, and she was involved in the family's department store. She was a buyer for the store, and met many famous designers on her trips to New York. She also worked in San Antonio as a personal shopper for Frost Brothers. Her wedding dress was designed by

Claire McCardell Claire McCardell (May 24, 1905 – March 22, 1958) was an American fashion designer of ready-to-wear clothing in the twentieth century. She has been credited with the creation of American sportswear. Early life McCardell was the eldest of four ...

and is part of the permanent fashion collection at the

University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 students as of fall 2 ...

, where Livingston donated her clothing. Livingston was well known for Polly Lou's Party's; "A visual whirlwind of theatrical whimsy with every detail perfectly executed." In 2008,

Pendleton Ward Pendleton Ward is an American animator, screenwriter, producer, director, and voice actor who has worked for Cartoon Network Studios, Frederator Studios, and Netflix Animation. He created the series ''Adventure Time'', the Internet series ''Brave ...

, a fellow San Antonio native and a close family friend, cast Livingston to play Tree Trunks on the

Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (CN) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the Cartoon Network, Inc., a sub-division of the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery. It launched on ...

animated series ''

'', which premiered on April 5, 2010. In 2014, the San Antonio Current awarded her "Best Dressed Woman" and lauded her unique sense of style. Livingston sat on the Dean’s Council of Fine Arts at the University of Texas as well as the Gala Committee for UT’s Center for the Performing Arts.

Marriage and children

She married Robert "Bobby" Livingston in the 1950's, and had two children, Carol and Ben.

Death

Livingston died of natural causes on January 24, 2021, at her home, surrounded by loved ones. She rests in the Evergreen Jewish Cemetery in Victoria, Texas.

References

External links

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Obituary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Livingston, Polly Lou 1929 births 2021 deaths American voice actresses People from Victoria, Texas Jewish American actresses 21st-century American Jews American people of Russian-Jewish descent