Jan Rabson (June 14, 1954 – October 13, 2022) was an American actor.

Life and career

Rabson was born in

East Meadow East Meadow is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York. The population was 38,132 at the 2010 census. Many residents commute to Manhattan, which is away. History In ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, on June 14, 1954. Jan's voice has been heard on thousands of commercials, films, TV shows, and animated films and series. For many years, Jan was a member of

Johnny Carson John William Carson (October 23, 1925 – January 23, 2005) was an American television host, comedian, writer and producer. He is best known as the host of ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' (1962–1992). Carson received six Pr ...

's "Mighty Carson Art Players", performing in on-camera sketches as well as providing the voices for answering machines,

cash register A cash register, sometimes called a till or automated money handling system, is a mechanical or electronic device for registering and calculating transactions at a point of sale. It is usually attached to a drawer for storing cash and other v ...

s and other inanimate objects for Johnny's sketches. One of his more famous roles included providing the voice for

Larry Laffer Lawrence Laffer is a player character and the protagonist in the ''Leisure Suit Larry'' series of adventure video games, created by Al Lowe and Mark Crowe for ''Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards'' in 1987 and later voiced by ...

in '' Leisure Suit Larry 6: Shape Up or Slip Out!,'' '' Leisure Suit Larry: Love for Sail!'', ''Leisure Suit Larry's Casino'', '' Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude'', '' Leisure Suit Larry: Reloaded'' and '' Leisure Suit Larry: Wet Dreams Don't Dry''. Most recently, Jan's voice can be heard in all of the

Pixar Pixar Animation Studios (commonly known as Pixar () and stylized as P I X A R) is an American computer animation studio known for its critically and commercially successful computer animated feature films. It is based in Emeryville, Californi ...

Cars Toons ''Cars Toons'' is a television series of American computer-animated short films produced by Pixar. It features the main characters Lightning McQueen and Mater from Pixar's ''Cars'' franchise non-canonically in the original plot. Larry the Ca ...

'' shorts as well as ''

Toy Story 3 ''Toy Story 3'' is a 2010 American computer-animated comedy-drama film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. It is the third installment in the ''Toy Story'' series and the sequel to ''Toy Story 2'' (1999). It was d ...

'', '' Up'', ''

WALL-E ''WALL-E'' (stylized with an interpunct as ''WALL·E'') is a 2008 American computer-animated science fiction film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It was directed and co-written by Andrew Stanton, pro ...

'' and many more. In some of his

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

dubbing and on-camera work, he used the name Stanley Gurd, Jr., and is best known for voicing

Tetsuo Shima Tetsuo may refer to: *Tetsuo (given name) Tetsuo (written: , , or ) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese manga artist *, Japanese middle-distance runner *, Japanese table tennis player *, Japanese ...

from '' Akira'' (the

Streamline Streamline may refer to: Business * Streamline Air, American regional airline * Adobe Streamline, a discontinued line tracing program made by Adobe Systems * Streamline Cars, the company responsible for making the Burney car Engineering ...

dub for

Orion Pictures Orion Pictures (legal name Orion Releasing, LLC) is an American film production and distribution company owned by Amazon through its Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) subsidiary. In its original operating period, the company produced and released films ...

) under that name. He is also the voice of Horse from the preschool series '' Slim Pig''. In 1988, Rabson was the first contestant and champion on '' Blackout''. In 2013, he reprised his role of Tetsuo Shima for AficionadosChris' review of '' Akira''.

Personal life and death

Rabson resided in

Salt Spring Island, British Columbia Salt Spring Island or Saltspring Island is one of the Gulf Islands in the Strait of Georgia between mainland British Columbia, Canada, and Vancouver Island. The island was initially inhabited by various Salishan peoples before being settled b ...

, Canada and divided work between

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

and

Los Angeles 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 world' ...

productions. He died of a heart attack on October 13, 2022, at the age of 68.

Partial filmography

* ''Unico'' (1981) – Gods (English version, voice, uncredited) * ''

Mobile Suit Gundam , also known as ''First Gundam'', ''Gundam 0079'' or simply ''Gundam '79'', is an anime television series, produced and animated by Nippon Sunrise. Created and directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino, it premiered in Japan on Nagoya Broadcasting ...

'' (1981) – (English version, voice, as Stanley Gurd Jr.) * '' Chasing Dreams'' (1982) – Scout * ''

Knight Rider ''Knight Rider'' is an American entertainment franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The core of ''Knight Rider'' is its three television series: the original ''Knight Rider'' (1982–1986) and sequel series ''Team Knight Rider'' (1997–1998) ...

'' (1982) – Charlie, 1 episode * '' The Facts of Life'' (1982) – Waiter, 1 episode * '' One Day at a Time'' (1982) – Charlie, 1 episode * ''Kurasshâ Jô'' (1983) – Talos / Valentine / Cpt. Kowalsky / Nelo / Joe's Father / Smuggler 1 / Smuggler 3 / Smuggler 4 / Smuggler 6 (Enoki Films dub) (voice) * ''Uniko: Mahô no shima e'' (1983) – Lord Kuruku / Melvin's Lackey 1 (English version, voice, uncredited) * ''

Cheers ''Cheers'' is an American sitcom television series that ran on NBC from September 30, 1982, to May 20, 1993, with a total of 275 half-hour episodes across 11 seasons. The show was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions in association w ...

'' (1983) – Director, 1 episode * ''Katy Caterpillar'' (1984) – City Rat (English version, voice) * ''

Hunter Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...

'' (1985) – Reporter, 1 episode * ''

Vamp The VaMP driverless car was one of the first truly autonomous cars Dynamic Vision for Perc ...

'' (1986) – (voice) * ''

What's Happening Now!! ''What's Happening Now!!'' is an American sitcom sequel to the original ABC 1976–79 sitcom '' What's Happening!!'' focusing on its main characters as adults. It aired in first-run broadcast syndication from September 7, 1985 until March 26, 19 ...

'' (1986) – Murray, 1 episode * ''

The Adventures of Scamper the Penguin ''The Adventures of Lolo the Penguin'' is an animated film from 1986, originally released as a three-part serial film. Its original title and literal translation is ''The Adventures of Small Penguin Lolo''. The film was a co-production between J ...

'' (1987) – Mr. Feather / Scientist / Captain / Jack / Various Sailors / Various Male Penguins (voice, uncredited) * ''

The Wings of Honneamise ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' (1987) – Dormuhot (English version, voice) * '' Jaws: The Revenge'' (1987) – (voice) * ''

Fatal Attraction ''Fatal Attraction'' is a 1987 American psychological thriller film directed by Adrian Lyne from a screenplay by James Dearden, based on his 1980 short film '' Diversion''. Starring Michael Douglas, Glenn Close, and Anne Archer, the film centers ...

'' (1987) – Party guest #13 * '' G-Force: Guardians of Space'' (1987, TV Series) – Hoot Owl (Hooty) / Dr. Brighthead / Computer * ''

Night Court ''Night Court'' is an American television sitcom that aired on NBC from January 4, 1984 to May 31, 1992. The setting was the night shift of a Manhattan municipal court presided over by a young, unorthodox judge, Harold "Harry" T. Stone (portray ...

'' (1987-1990) – Laughton / Mr. Borelli, 2 episodes * '' Akira'' (1988, Streamline Pictures English dub) – Tetsuo Shima / Eiichi Watanabe / clowns / cops / others (voice) * ''

Designing Women ''Designing Women'' is an American television sitcom created by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason that aired on CBS from September 29, 1986, to May 24, 1993, producing seven seasons and 163 episodes. It was a joint production of Bloodworth/Thomason M ...

'' (1989) – Man #2, 1 episode * ''

Just the Ten of Us ''Just the Ten of Us'' is an American sitcom starring stand-up comedian Bill Kirchenbauer as Coach Graham Lubbock, a teacher and the head of a large Catholic family with eight children living in Eureka, California. The series is a spin-off of ' ...

'' (1989) – Rod Serling lookalike, 1 episode * ''

Growing Pains ''Growing Pains'' is an American television sitcom created by Neal Marlens that aired on ABC from September 24, 1985, to April 25, 1992. The show ran for seven seasons, consisting of 166 episodes. The series followed the misadventures of the Se ...

'' (1990) – Rod Serling, 1 episode * ''

Where's Waldo? ''Where's Wally?'' (called ''Where's Waldo?'' in North America) is a British series of children's puzzle books created by English illustrator Martin Handford. The books consist of a series of detailed double-page spread illustrations depictin ...

'' (1991, TV Series) – (voice) * ''

James Bond Jr. ''James Bond Jr.'' is an American animated television series based on Ian Fleming's ''James Bond'' franchise. It follows the adventures of James Bond's nephew, James Bond Jr. The series debuted in September 1991 and ran for 65 episodes bef ...

'' (1991, TV Series) – Gordon 'Gordo' Leiter / Goldfinger / Jaws / Skullcap / The Worm / Snuffer (voice) * ''

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' is an American media franchise created by the comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It follows Leonardo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Leonardo, Michelangelo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Miche ...

'' (1991-1993, TV Series) – Kerma (voice), 4 episodes * ''

Parker Lewis Can't Lose ''Parker Lewis Can't Lose'' is an American teen sitcom that originally aired on Fox from September 1990 to June 1993. It was produced by Clyde Phillips Productions in association with Columbia Pictures Television. During the last season, the se ...

'' (1991) – Future Jerry, 1 episode * '' Leisure Suit Larry 6: Shape Up or Slip Out!'' (1993) – Larry Laffer * ''

Toy Story ''Toy Story'' is a 1995 American computer-animated comedy film directed by John Lasseter (in his feature directorial debut), produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The first installment in the '' Toy Story ...

'' (1995) – Mr. Mike / Gas Station Attendant (voice) * '' Theodore Rex'' (1995) – Tina Rex (voice) * ''Black Jack: The Movie'' (1996) – Son (English version, voice) * ''

The Hunchback of Notre Dame ''The Hunchback of Notre-Dame'' (french: Notre-Dame de Paris, translation=''Our Lady of Paris'', originally titled ''Notre-Dame de Paris. 1482'') is a French Gothic novel by Victor Hugo, published in 1831. It focuses on the unfortunate story o ...

'' (1996) – Frollo's Soldiers (voice) * ''

Babylon 5 ''Babylon 5'' is an American space opera television series created by writer and producer J. Michael Straczynski, under the Babylonian Productions label, in association with Straczynski's Synthetic Worlds Ltd. and Warner Bros. Domestic Tel ...

'' (1996) – Vendor, 1 episode * ''

Baywatch ''Baywatch'' is an American action drama television series about lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, and Hawaii, starring David Hasselhoff. It was created by Michael Berk, Douglas Schwartz, and Gregory J. Bonann, ...

'' (1996) – Frank, 1 episode * '' Leisure Suit Larry: Love for Sail!'' (1996) – Larry Laffer * ''

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...

'' (1997) – Driver (voice) * ''

Pinky and the Brain ''Pinky and the Brain'' is an American animated television series that was created by Tom Ruegger that premiered on Kids' WB on September 9, 1995. It was the first animated television series to be presented in Dolby Surround and the fourth col ...

'' (1997, TV Series) – Farmer / Referee (voice), 2 episodes * ''

Almost Perfect ''Almost Perfect'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on CBS from September 17, 1995, until December 11, 1996. The series focused on the professional life of the female executive producer of a television cop show, her witty, zany ...

'' (1997) – Man in Line, 1 episode * ''

A Bug's Life ''A Bug's Life'' is a 1998 American computer-animated comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. It was the second feature-length film produced by Pixar. Directed by John Lasseter and co-directed by Andrew Stant ...

'' (1998) – Axel / Grasshopper (voice) * '' Leisure Suit Larry's Casino'' (1998) – Larry Laffer * ''

Toy Story 2 ''Toy Story 2'' is a 1999 American computer-animated film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. The second installment in the Toy Story (franchise), ''Toy Story'' franchise and the sequel to ''Toy Story'' (1995), it wa ...

'' (1999) – Japanese businessman (voice) * ''

Beverly Hills, 90210 ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' (often referred to by its short title, ''90210'') is an American teen drama television series created by Darren Star and produced by Aaron Spelling under his production company Spelling Television. The series ran fo ...

'' (1999) – Sal, 1 episode * ''

Monsters, Inc. ''Monsters, Inc.'' (also known as ''Monsters, Incorporated'') is a 2001 American computer-animated Monster movie, monster comedy film produced by Pixar, Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. Featuring the voices of John Goodman, B ...

'' (2001) – Sushi Chef (voice) * ''

Justice League The Justice League (also known as The Justice League of America) are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). The team was conceived ...

'' (2002, TV Series) – Professor Elrich (voice), 1 episode * ''

Rugrats ''Rugrats'' is an American animated television series created by Arlene Klasky, Gábor Csupó, and Paul Germain for Nickelodeon. The show focuses on a group of toddlers; most prominently— Tommy, Chuckie, Angelica, and twins Phil and Lil, ...

'' (2002, TV Series) – Steve Malone / Weatherman (voice), 1 episode * ''

Finding Nemo ''Finding Nemo'' is a 2003 American computer-animated comedy-drama adventure film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Directed by Andrew Stanton with co-direction by Lee Unkrich, the screenplay was writ ...

'' (2003) – Seagulls (voice) * '' Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude'' (2004) – Larry Laffer * ''

Cars A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarded as t ...

'' (2006) – T.J. Hummer (voice) * '' Ice Age: The Meltdown'' (2006) – Various Mammals (voice) * ''

Happily N'Ever After ''Happily N'Ever After'' is a 2006 computer-animated family comedy film directed by Paul J. Bolger, produced by John H. Williams, and written by Rob Moreland. It is inspired by fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen and is ...

'' (2006) – Additional Voices (voice) * '' Surf's Up'' (2007) – Additional Voices (voice) * '' Bratz: Super Babyz'' (2007) – Tuber (voice) * ''

Horton Hears a Who! ''Horton Hears a Who!'' is a children's book written and illustrated by Theodor Seuss Geisel under the pen name Dr. Seuss. It was published in 1954 by Random House. This book tells the story of Horton the Elephant and his adventures saving Whovil ...

'' (2008) – Town Cryer (voice) * ''

'' (2008) – Axiom Passenger #11 (voice) * ''

Ponyo is a 2008 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, animated by Studio Ghibli for the Nippon Television Network, Dentsu, Hakuhodo DY Media Partners, Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Mitsubishi, and distributed by ...

'' (2008) – Additional Voices (English version, voice) * '' Up'' (2009) – Construction Worker / TV Announcer (voice) * ''

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs ''Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs'' is a children's book written by Judi Barrett and illustrated by Ron Barrett. It was first published in 1978 by Atheneum Books, followed by a 1982 trade paperback edition from sister company Aladdin Paperb ...

'' (2009) – Additional Voices (voice) * ''

'' (2010) – Sparks (voice) * ''

Quest for Zhu ''Quest for Zhu'' is a 2011 American/Canadian direct-to-DVD animated action/adventure family film. It is the first full-length feature film based on the Zhu Zhu Pets franchise. It stars Canadian voice actors Mariah Wilkerson, Shannon Chan-Kent, Ia ...

'' (2011) – Zhu Fu / Mangawanga (voice) * '' Superbook'' (2011–2022) – Professor Quantum / various roles (voice), 25 episodes * '' My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic'' (2012-2015, TV Series) – Mulia Mild / Wind Rider (voice), 2 episodes * ''

Monsters University ''Monsters University'' is a 2013 American computer-animated monster comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It was directed by Dan Scanlon (in his feature directorial debut) and produced by Kori ...

'' (2013) – Astronomy Club President (voice) * ''

Despicable Me 2 ''Despicable Me 2'' is a 2013 American computer-animated comedy film produced by Illumination Entertainment and distributed by Universal Pictures. The sequel to ''Despicable Me'' (2010), it is directed by Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin, and wr ...

'' (2013) – Additional Voices (voice) * '' Leisure Suit Larry: Reloaded'' (2013) – Larry Laffer / Short Man (voice) * '' Minions'' (2015) – Additional Voices (voice) * ''

Despicable Me 3 ''Despicable Me 3'' is a 2017 American computer-animated comedy film produced by Illumination and distributed by Universal Pictures. It is the sequel to ''Despicable Me 2'' (2013), the third main installment, and the fourth installment overal ...

'' (2017) – Additional Voices (voice) * '' Leisure Suit Larry: Wet Dreams Don't Dry'' (2018) – Larry Laffer (voice) * '' Leisure Suit Larry: Wet Dreams Dry Twice'' (2020) – Larry Laffer (voice)

References

External links

Official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rabson, Jan 1954 births 2022 deaths American expatriate male actors in Canada American male video game actors American male voice actors Male actors from New York (state) People from East Meadow, New York 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors