Thelma Boardman (born Thelma Joyce Hubbard, October 31, 1909 – April 21, 1978) was an American voice actress and writer best known for her work with the
Walt Disney Studios, particularly as the voice actress for
Minnie Mouse
Minnie Mouse is a cartoon character created by The Walt Disney Company. As the longtime sweetheart of Mickey Mouse, she is an anthropomorphic mouse with white gloves, a bow, polka-dotted dress, white bloomers, and low-heeled shoes occasionally ...
from 1937–1938 and 1941–1942.
Biography
Thelma Joyce Hubbard was born in the
Panama Canal Zone
The Panama Canal Zone ( es, Zona del Canal de Panamá), also simply known as the Canal Zone, was an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the Isthmus of Panama, that existed from 1903 to 1979. It was located within the terr ...
on October 31, 1909, to Edward Lucius and Rebecca Cecelia (née Delevante) Hubbard. She married Russell Erwin Diehl on July 7, 1929, before marrying
True Boardman
William True Boardman (April 21, 1882 – September 28, 1918) was an American film actor of the silent era. He appeared in more than 130 films between 1911 and 1919 before falling victim to the 1918 flu pandemic.
Biography
True Boardman wa ...
, with whom she had two children. She began voicing Minnie Mouse as part of the radio show
The Mickey Mouse Theater of the Air
''The Mickey Mouse Theater of the Air'' was a 1938 musical-variety radio series for children, sponsored by Pepsodent and heard on NBC on Sunday afternoons, featuring Mickey Mouse and other characters from Walt Disney cartoons. There were a total o ...
in 1937 and made her film debut in 1938 as Donald's Angel in ''
Donald's Better Self''. She died on April 21, 1978, in
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wo ...
.
In 1932, she was campaign manager for her father when he sought nomination to be a Democratic candidate for Congress from California.
Selected filmography
As an actress
*''
Donald's Better Self'' (1938)
*''
Mother Goose Goes Hollywood
''Mother Goose Goes Hollywood'' is a 1938 animated short film produced by Walt Disney Productions and distri