Alan Young (born Angus Young; November 19, 1919 – May 19, 2016) was a British, Canadian and American actor, comedian, radio host and television host, whom ''
TV Guide
TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program TV listings, listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news.
The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine, TV Guide Mag ...
'' called "the
Charlie Chaplin of television". His notable roles include Wilbur Post in the television comedy ''
Mister Ed
''Mister Ed'' is an American television sitcom produced by Filmways that aired in syndication from January 5 to July 2, 1961, and then on CBS from October 1, 1961, to February 6, 1966. The show's title character is a talking horse which origi ...
'' (1961–1966) and voicing Disney's
Scrooge McDuck
Scrooge McDuck is a cartoon character created in 1947 by Carl Barks for The Walt Disney Company. Appearing in Disney comics, Scrooge is a Scottish-American anthropomorphic Pekin duck. Like his nephew Donald Duck, he has a yellow-orange bil ...
for over 40 years, first in the
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment in ...
-nominated short film ''
Mickey's Christmas Carol'' (1983) and in various other films, TV series and video games until his death. During the 1940s and 1950s, Young starred in his own variety-comedy sketch shows ''
The Alan Young Show'' on radio and television, the latter gaining him two
Emmy Awards
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
in 1951. He also appeared in a number of feature films, starting from 1946, including the 1960 film ''
The Time Machine
''The Time Machine'' is a science fiction novella by H. G. Wells, published in 1895. The work is generally credited with the popularization of the concept of time travel by using a vehicle or device to travel purposely and selectively fo ...
'' and from the 1980s gaining a new generation of viewers appearing in numerous
Walt Disney Productions
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October 1 ...
films as both an actor and voice actor.
Early life
Young was born as Angus Young on November 19, 1919, in
North Shields
North Shields () is a town in the Borough of North Tyneside in Tyne and Wear, England. It is north-east of Newcastle upon Tyne and borders nearby Wallsend and Tynemouth.
Since 1974, it has been in the North Tyneside borough of Tyne and Wea ...
,
Northumberland
Northumberland () is a ceremonial counties of England, county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Ab ...
, England, to Scottish parents. In his later years he claimed he had been born in 1924. His father was a mine worker and a tap dancer, and his mother was a singer. The family moved to
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
, Scotland, when Young was a toddler and to
West Vancouver
West Vancouver is a district municipality in the province of British Columbia, Canada. A member municipality of the Metro Vancouver Regional District, West Vancouver is to the northwest of the city of Vancouver on the northern side of English Ba ...
,
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include ...
, Canada, when he was six years old. Young came to love radio when bedridden as a child because of severe
asthma
Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, c ...
.
By the time he was in high school, Young had his own comedy radio series on the
CBC network, but he left it during the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
to serve in the
Royal Canadian Navy
The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack subma ...
.
He later resigned his Navy commission after learning he would be spending his time writing for a Navy show, and he attempted to join the
Canadian Army
The Canadian Army (french: Armée canadienne) is the command (military formation), command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases acr ...
. According to some sources, the Army rejected him due to his childhood asthma.
Career
After leaving the service, Young moved to
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...
and resumed his Canadian radio career, where he was discovered by an American agent who brought him to
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...
in 1944 to appear on American radio.
Young's first American radio appearances were on the ''Philco Radio Hall of Fame''. This led to his own show, ''
The Alan Young Show'',
NBC's summer replacement for the series ''
The Eddie Cantor Show''.
He switched to
ABC two years later, then returned to NBC.
Young's film debut was in ''
Margie
Margie is a feminine given name, usually a short form (hypocorism) of Margaret, Marjorie or Margarita.
Margie may refer to:
People
* Margie Ackles (born 1939), American retired figure skater
* Marjorie Margie Alexander (1948–2013), American ...
'' (1946), and he was featured in ''
Chicken Every Sunday'' (1949). In 1950, the television version of ''The Alan Young Show'' began. By 1951, the series received not only praise, but also several
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...
s, including Best Actor and Most Outstanding Personality for Young. After its cancellation, Young continued to act in films, among which ''
Androcles and the Lion
Androcles ( el, Ἀνδροκλῆς, alternatively spelled Androclus in Latin), is the main character of a common folktale about a man befriending a lion.
The tale is included in the Aarne–Thompson classification system as type 156. The ...
'' (1952) and ''
Gentlemen Marry Brunettes'' (1955), and two
George Pal
George Pal (born György Pál Marczincsak; ; February 1, 1908 – May 2, 1980) was a Hungarian-American animator, film director and producer, principally associated with the fantasy and science-fiction genres. He became an American citizen afte ...
films, ''
Tom Thumb
Tom Thumb is a character of English folklore. ''The History of Tom Thumb'' was published in 1621 and was the first fairy tale printed in English. Tom is no bigger than his father's thumb, and his adventures include being swallowed by a cow, ta ...
'' (1958) and ''
The Time Machine
''The Time Machine'' is a science fiction novella by H. G. Wells, published in 1895. The work is generally credited with the popularization of the concept of time travel by using a vehicle or device to travel purposely and selectively fo ...
'' (1960). He appeared in the NBC espionage drama ''
Five Fingers'' ("Thin Ice", 1959), starring
David Hedison.
Young was best known, however, for ''
Mister Ed
''Mister Ed'' is an American television sitcom produced by Filmways that aired in syndication from January 5 to July 2, 1961, and then on CBS from October 1, 1961, to February 6, 1966. The show's title character is a talking horse which origi ...
'' (1961–66), a
CBS television show, in which he starred as Wilbur Post, the owner of Mr. Ed, a talking horse who would not talk to anyone but him, thus causing comic situations for Wilbur Post, with his wife, neighbors, and acquaintances. In 1962 while not filming ''
Mister Ed
''Mister Ed'' is an American television sitcom produced by Filmways that aired in syndication from January 5 to July 2, 1961, and then on CBS from October 1, 1961, to February 6, 1966. The show's title character is a talking horse which origi ...
'' Young appeared as John Stetson (inventor of the famous western Stetson hat) on ''
Death Valley Days
''Death Valley Days'' is an American old-time radio and television anthology series featuring true accounts of the American Old West, particularly the Death Valley country of southeastern California. Created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman, the progra ...
'' in the episode "The Hat that Won the West." He also starred as Stanley Beamish in the unaired 1966 pilot episode of ''
Mr. Terrific'', but apparently declined to appear in the broadcast series in 1967 that followed. In the late 1960s, he retired from acting for several years. During that time, he founded a broadcast division for the
Christian Science
Christian Science is a set of beliefs and practices associated with members of the Church of Christ, Scientist. Adherents are commonly known as Christian Scientists or students of Christian Science, and the church is sometimes informally know ...
Church.
During the 1970s, Young became active in voice acting. After 1974, he voiced
Scrooge McDuck
Scrooge McDuck is a cartoon character created in 1947 by Carl Barks for The Walt Disney Company. Appearing in Disney comics, Scrooge is a Scottish-American anthropomorphic Pekin duck. Like his nephew Donald Duck, he has a yellow-orange bil ...
in numerous
Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
films and in the popular series ''
DuckTales
''DuckTales'' is an American animated television series produced by Disney Television Animation. The original cartoon series premiered on syndication and on Disney Channel on September 18, 1987 and ran for a total of 100 episodes over four ...
'' (1987-1990). In ''
Mickey's Christmas Carol'', he portrayed the character's miserly
namesake
A namesake is a person, geographic location, or other entity bearing the name of another.
History
The word is first attested around 1635, and probably comes from the phrase "for one's name's sake",
which originates in English Bible translations ...
. He also played Scrooge in video games such as the ''
Kingdom Hearts
is a series of action role-playing games developed and published by Square Enix (originally by Square). It is a collaboration between Square Enix and The Walt Disney Company and is under the leadership of Tetsuya Nomura, a longtime Square E ...
'' series, ''
DuckTales: Remastered'' in 2013, and the ''
Mickey Mouse'' cartoon "Goofy's First Love" released in 2015. Apart from Scrooge McDuck, his other prominent roles were
Farmer Smurf
This is a list of ''The Smurfs
''The Smurfs'' (french: Les Schtroumpfs; nl, De Smurfen) is a Belgian comic franchise centered on a fictional colony of small, blue, humanoid creatures who live in mushroom-shaped houses in the forest. ''T ...
on ''
The Smurfs'', Haggis McHaggis on ''
The Ren & Stimpy Show
''The Ren & Stimpy Show'' (also known as ''Ren & Stimpy'') is an American animated television series created by Canadian animator John Kricfalusi. Originally produced by Spümcø for Nickelodeon, the series aired from August 11, 1991, to Dec ...
'', 7-Zark-7 & Keyop in ''
Battle of the Planets'', and Hiram Flaversham in ''
The Great Mouse Detective''. He also guest starred on ''
The Love Boat'', ''
The Incredible Hulk
The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of '' The Incredible Hulk'' (May 1962). In his comic book ...
'', ''
The New Scooby and Scrappy-Doo Show'', and ''
Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends''.
Young later starred in the sitcom ''
Coming of Age'' for two seasons from 1988 to 1989. In 1991, Alan Young returned to the stage, starring as Cap'n Andy Hawkes in the
California Musical Theatre's adaptation of ''
Show Boat
''Show Boat'' is a musical theatre, musical with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It is based on Edna Ferber's best-selling 1926 Show Boat (novel), novel of the same name. The musical follows the lives of the pe ...
''. He had been called for the role after
Van Johnson
Charles Van Dell Johnson (August 25, 1916 – December 12, 2008) was an American film, television, theatre and radio actor. He was a major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer during and after World War II.
Johnson was described as the embodiment o ...
, who was initially cast in the part, was hospitalised. He had also appeared in the plays ''
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
''A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart.
Inspired by the farces of the ancient Roman playwright Plautus (254–184 BC), specifi ...
'' and ''The Girl With the Freudian Slip''. In 1993, he recreated his role as Filby for the mini-sequel to
George Pal
George Pal (born György Pál Marczincsak; ; February 1, 1908 – May 2, 1980) was a Hungarian-American animator, film director and producer, principally associated with the fantasy and science-fiction genres. He became an American citizen afte ...
's ''The Time Machine'', reuniting him with
Rod Taylor
Rodney Sturt Taylor (11 January 1930 – 7 January 2015) was an Australian actor. He appeared in more than 50 feature films, including ''The Time Machine'' (1960), ''One Hundred and One Dalmatians'' (1961), '' The Birds'' (1963), and '' I ...
, who had played George, the Time Traveller. It was called ''
Time Machine: The Journey Back'', directed by Clyde Lucas. In 1994, Young co-starred in the
Eddie Murphy
Edward Regan Murphy (born April 3, 1961) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and singer. He rose to fame on the sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'', for which he was a regular cast member from 1980 to 1984. Murphy has als ...
film ''
Beverly Hills Cop III
''Beverly Hills Cop III'' is a 1994 American action comedy film starring Eddie Murphy and directed by John Landis, who had previously worked with Murphy on ''Trading Places'' and ''Coming to America''. It is the third film in the ''Beverly Hil ...
''. He played the role of Uncle Dave Thornton, the
Walt Disney
Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...
-esque founder of the fictional California theme park Wonderworld, and in that same year, Young played the role of Charlie in the television film, ''Hart to Hart: Home Is Where the Hart Is''.
After 1994, he played at least eight characters, including antique dealer Jack Allen on the radio drama ''
Adventures in Odyssey
''Adventures in Odyssey'' (AIO), or simply ''Odyssey'', is an Evangelical Christian radio drama and Radio comedy, comedy series created and produced by Focus on the Family. Aimed at families with children age 12 and younger, the series first air ...
''. In 1997, he did the voice of
Haggis McMutton
''The Curse of Monkey Island'' is an adventure game developed and published by LucasArts in 1997. A sequel to 1991's '' Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge,'' it is the third game in the ''Monkey Island'' series.
It follows protagonist Guybrush ...
in the PC game ''
The Curse of Monkey Island''. His later guest roles in animated series included ''
Megas XLR
''Megas XLR'' is an American animated television series created by Jody Schaeffer and George Krstic for Cartoon Network. The series revolves around two teenage slackers: mechanic Coop and his best friend Jamie, who find a mecha robot from the f ...
'', ''
Static Shock'', ''
House of Mouse
''Disney's House of Mouse'' (or simply ''House of Mouse'') is an American animated television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation that originally aired for three seasons on ABC and Toon Disney from January 13, 2001, to its final ...
'', ''
The Ren & Stimpy Show
''The Ren & Stimpy Show'' (also known as ''Ren & Stimpy'') is an American animated television series created by Canadian animator John Kricfalusi. Originally produced by Spümcø for Nickelodeon, the series aired from August 11, 1991, to Dec ...
'', ''
Duckman'', ''
Batman: The Animated Series'' and ''
TaleSpin''. In 2002, he had a cameo as the flower store worker in
Simon Wells' remake of ''
The Time Machine
''The Time Machine'' is a science fiction novella by H. G. Wells, published in 1895. The work is generally credited with the popularization of the concept of time travel by using a vehicle or device to travel purposely and selectively fo ...
'', and in 2010, he read
H.G. Wells's
original novel for 7th Voyage Productions, Inc. Young's television guest roles include ''
Gibbsville'', ''
The Love Boat'', ''
Murder, She Wrote
''Murder, She Wrote'' is an American crime drama television series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link, starring Angela Lansbury, and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network. The ser ...
'', ''
St. Elsewhere
''St. Elsewhere'' was an American medical drama television series created by Joshua Brand and John Falsey, that originally ran on NBC from October 26, 1982, to May 25, 1988. The series stars Ed Flanders, Norman Lloyd, and William Daniels as ...
'', ''
Coach
Coach may refer to:
Guidance/instruction
* Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities
* Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process
** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers
Transportation
* Co ...
'', ''
Party of Five'', ''
The Wayans Bros.'', ''
USA High'', ''
Hang Time'', ''
ER'', ''
Maybe It's Me'', and ''
Sabrina, the Teenage Witch
''Sabrina the Teenage Witch'' is a comic book series published by Archie Comics about the adventures of a fictional American teenager named Sabrina Spellman. Sabrina was created by writer George Gladir and artist Dan DeCarlo, and first app ...
'' ("Sweet Charity", 1997) in which he played Zelda's love interest.
Personal life
Young was married three times.
He and Mary Anne Grimes were married from 1941 to 1947 and had two children, Young married his second wife Virginia McCurdy in 1948, and they had two children. They divorced in 1995, with Young marrying Mary Chipman the following year, but Young and Chipman then divorced in 1997.
He dedicated his book ''Mr. Ed and Me'' to her.
Young supported
Ronald Reagan, although he stated in a later interview that he was
apolitical
Apoliticism is apathy or antipathy towards all political affiliations. A person may be described as apolitical if they are uninterested or uninvolved in politics. Being apolitical can also refer to situations in which people take an unbiased p ...
.
Death
Young spent his later years in
Woodland Hills, California
Woodland Hills is a neighborhood bordering the Santa Monica Mountains in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California.
Geography
Woodland Hills is in the southwestern region of the San Fernando Valley, which is located east of C ...
, at the
Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital, a
retirement
Retirement is the withdrawal from one's position or occupation or from one's active working life. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours or workload.
Many people choose to retire when they are elderly or incapable of doing their j ...
community, where he died of
natural causes
In many legal jurisdictions, the manner of death is a determination, typically made by the coroner, medical examiner, police, or similar officials, and recorded as a vital statistic. Within the United States and the United Kingdom, a disti ...
on May 19, 2016, at the age of 96,
and was buried at sea.
Where the Stars Are Buried - Index (T-Z)
/ref>
Filmography
Radio
Film
Television
Video games
References
External links
*
*
*
*
The Alan Young Show at Outlaws Old Time Radio Corner
{{DEFAULTSORT:Young, Alan
1919 births
2016 deaths
American male comedians
American male film actors
American male radio actors
American male video game actors
American male voice actors
Audiobook narrators
Canadian male comedians
Canadian male film actors
Canadian male radio actors
Canadian male video game actors
Canadian male voice actors
Comedians from California
English Christian Scientists
British emigrants to Canada
Canadian emigrants to the United States
Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Primetime Emmy Award winners
People from North Shields
Royal Canadian Navy officers
Royal Canadian Navy personnel of World War II