Sparky Marcus (born Marcus Issoglio; December 6, 1967) is an American former actor.

Early life

Marcus was born in

Hollywood, California Hollywood, sometimes informally called Tinseltown, is a List of districts and neighborhoods in Los Angeles, neighborhood and district in the Central Los Angeles, central region of Los Angeles County, California, within the city of Los Angeles. ...

Career

Marcus was well known for playing the role of the precocious child but also worked extensively as a voice actor for Hanna-Barbera throughout the 1980s. He started acting at five playing Shelby on '' Sigmund and the Sea Monsters'' (1973–1975). He also appeared on '' The Nancy Walker Show'' (1976), '' Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman'' (1976–77) (Marcus played child evangelist Jimmy Joe Jeeter, who died of electrocution in the bathtub), '' Grandpa Goes to Washington'' (1978), ''

The Bad News Bears ''The Bad News Bears'' is a 1976 American sports comedy film directed by Michael Ritchie and written by Bill Lancaster. It stars Walter Matthau as an alcoholic ex-baseball pitcher who becomes a coach for a youth baseball team known as the Bear ...

'' and '' Goodtime Girls'' (1980).

Voice acting

As a voice actor for cartoons, he is probably best known for his role as Richie Rich from the

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 ...

series '' Richie Rich'' (1980–1982). He later had regular roles as a voice actor on '' Shirt Tales'' (1982–1984), ''

Space Stars ''Space Stars'' is a 60-minute Saturday morning animated program block produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and broadcast on NBC from September 12, 1981, to January 8, 1982. ''Space Stars'' was narrated by Keene Curtis and featured five c ...

'' (1981), '' Saturday Supercade'' as the voice of Dexter on '' Space Ace'' (1984), '' Challenge of the GoBots'' (1984), '' The Puppy's Further Adventures'' (1983), '' The Reluctant Dragon'' (1981), '' Cabbage Patch Kids: First Christmas'' (1984), ''

Banjo the Woodpile Cat ''Banjo the Woodpile Cat'' is a 1979 American animated short film directed by Don Bluth. It follows the story of Banjo, an overly curious and rebellious kitten. After getting in trouble, Banjo runs away from his woodpile home in his owners' farm ...

'' (1979), '' CBS Library'' (1980–1982) and '' The Get Along Gang'' (1984–86).

Television guest appearances

Marcus has also made several TV guest appearances, including '' Trapper John, M.D.'', ''

Happy Days ''Happy Days'' is an American television sitcom that aired first-run on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC network from January 15, 1974, to July 19, 1984, with a total of 255 half-hour episodes spanning 11 seasons. Created by Garry Marsha ...

'', ''

WKRP in Cincinnati ''WKRP in Cincinnati'' is an American sitcom television series about the misadventures of the staff of a struggling fictional AM radio station in Cincinnati, Ohio. The show was created by Hugh Wilson. It was based upon his experiences obs ...

'', '' What's Happening!!'', '' Maude'', ''

Emergency! ''Emergency!'' is an American Action fiction, action-adventure medical drama television series jointly produced by Mark VII Limited and Universal Television. Debuting on NBC as a midseason replacement on January 15, 1972, replacing two situatio ...

'', '' The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries'', ''

The Bob Newhart Show ''The Bob Newhart Show'' is an American television sitcom produced by MTM Enterprises that aired on CBS from September 16, 1972, to April 1, 1978, with a total of 142 half-hour episodes over six seasons. Comedian Bob Newhart portrays a psychol ...

'', ''

Eight Is Enough ''Eight Is Enough'' is an American comedy-drama/sitcom television series that aired on ABC from March 15, 1977, to May 23, 1981. The show was modeled on the life of syndicated newspaper columnist Tom Braden, a real-life parent with eight childre ...

'' and ''

Starsky and Hutch ''Starsky & Hutch'' is an American action television series, which consisted of a 72-minute pilot movie (originally aired as a '' Movie of the Week'' entry) and 92 episodes of 50 minutes each. The show was created by William Blinn (inspired ...

.''

Film roles

Marcus also appeared in the feature films '' Freaky Friday'' (1976) and '' The Pinballs'' (1977), as well as in many TV movies, including '' The Stableboy's Christmas'' (1978) and '' Goldie and the Boxer'' (1979). His last movie role was a brief cameo as a bellboy in the 1983

Steve Martin Stephen Glenn Martin (born August 14, 1945) is an American comedian, actor, writer, producer, and musician. Known for Steve Martin filmography, his work in comedy films, television, and #Discography, recording, he has received List of awards a ...

comedy '' The Man with Two Brains.''

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Marcus, Sparky American male voice actors American male child actors American male film actors American male television actors 1967 births Living people Male actors from Hollywood, Los Angeles