Gracie Lantz (born Grace Boyle on November 7, 1903 – March 17, 1992), also known by her stage name Grace Stafford, was an American actress and the wife of animation producer Walter Lantz. Stafford is best known for providing the voice of Woody Woodpecker from 1950 until 1992.
Career[]
Grace appeared in feature live action films from 1935, Dr. Socrates, to 1975, Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze. Some of her more notable roles were in the films Anthony Adverse and Blossoms In the Dust.
Stafford was the voice of Woody Woodpecker from 1950 until 1992 but she asked not to be credited in that role until the cartoon Misguided Missile in 1958. She believed that audiences would be "disillusioned" if they knew Woody was voiced by a woman.[1] Walter Lantz always insisted that his wife had submitted her audition tape for the role anonymously, and was cast before he knew it was her voice.
Notes[]
- Grace Stafford, the voice of Woody Woodpecker, appeared on the November 10, 1963 broadcast of What's My Line?. The panel tried to guess that she's the voice of Woody Woodpecker. She closes out her appearance on the show by doing the icon Woody Woodpecker laugh.
Death[]
Gracie Lantz died in 1992 from spinal cancer, aged 88.
Walter Lantz[]
- Woody Woodpecker (1950-1992)
- Miss Meany (1963-1972)
- Chilly Willy (I'm Cold, Woody Woodpecker's Family Album, Pesky Pelican)
- Miranda Panda (Scrappy Birthday)
- Maggie Smith
- Bessie Beary
- Hickory
- Squaw
- Itchy the Trained Flea
- Goldfish
- Other characters in cartoons