Frank Kenneth Sansom (April 2, 1927 – October 8, 2012) was an American actor. Among his best known roles, Sansom voiced Rabbit in animated

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...

, television specials, and films for

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 ...

's ''

Winnie the Pooh Winnie-the-Pooh, also called Pooh Bear and Pooh, is a fictional Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic teddy bear created by English author A. A. Milne and English illustrator E. H. Shepard. The first collection of stories about the character w ...

'' franchise from 1988 to 2010.

Early life

Sansom was born on April 2, 1927, in

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

, Utah. He enlisted in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

soon after graduating from East High School in Salt Lake City in 1944. Sansom enrolled at the

University of Utah The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University of De ...

following

World War II 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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, but did not complete his studies at that university. He transferred to

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-d ...

, where he received a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

radio broadcasting Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radio ...

in 1949. He was recalled by the U.S. Navy for service during the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

. He served as a member of the

United Service Organizations The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...

, providing entertainment to American troops while in Korea.

Career

Sansom started his career in 1957 with a radio show in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

called ''Sansom and Then Some''. He began acting in early 1968 when he moved to

. His first role was in an episode of ''

Mayberry R.F.D. ''Mayberry R.F.D.'' (abbreviation for Rural Free Delivery) is an American television series produced as a spin-off continuation of ''The Andy Griffith Show''. When star Andy Griffith decided to leave his series, most of the supporting character ...

'', a continuation of ''

The Andy Griffith Show ''The Andy Griffith Show '' is an American situation comedy television series that aired on CBS from October 3, 1960, to April 1, 1968, with a total of 249 half-hour episodes spanning eight seasons—159 in black and white and 90 in color. The ...

''. He was best known for his role as Rabbit in the television series ''

The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh ''The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh'' is an American animated television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. Based on the '' Winnie-the-Pooh'' books by authors A. A. Milne and E. H. Shepard, ''The New Adventures'' was the ...

''. He also voiced Stan, the Woozle in the series. He also voiced Rabbit in a number of TV specials and movies of Winnie the Pooh, replacing Rabbit’s original voice actor

Junius Matthews Junius Conyers Matthews (June 12, 1890 – January 18, 1978) was an American actor in films, theater, radio and television. He was the voice of Archimedes the Owl in Disney's ''The Sword in the Stone (1963 film), The Sword in the Stone'' in 196 ...

following his death in 1978. In an interview with ABC 4, when asked about voicing Rabbit in the upcoming ''

'' film, he stated, "I'm not sure."

Tom Kenny Thomas James Kenny (born July 13, 1962) is an American actor and comedian. He is known for voicing the titular character in ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' and associated media. Kenny has voiced many other characters, including Heffer Wolfe in '' ...

voiced Rabbit in

the movie "The Movie" is the 54th episode of the sitcom '' Seinfeld''. It is the 14th episode of the fourth season, and first aired on January 6, 1993 on NBC. The episode revolves entirely around the characters' struggles to go to see a movie together. P ...

, although Sansom claimed he was still under contract. Ken was a member of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ch ...

Personal life

Sansom married Carla Sansom in 1961, they remained married until Sansom's death. Together they have three children.

Death

Sansom died on October 8, 2012 in

Holladay, Utah Holladay is a city in central Salt Lake County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Salt Lake City, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area and abuts the Wasatch National Forest. The population was 31,965 at the 2020 census, a significant increas ...

due to complications of a stroke at the age of 85. He resided in

Sandy, Utah Sandy is a city in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, located in Salt Lake County, Utah, United States. The population of Sandy was 87,461 at the 2010 census, making it the sixth-largest city in Utah. The population is currently estimated ...

. His remains are buried in Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park in

Millcreek, Utah Millcreek is a city in Salt Lake County, Utah, United States, and is part of the Salt Lake City Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population as of the 2020 Census was 63,380. Prior to its incorporation on December 28, 2016, Millcreek was a ...

. His widow Carla is buried next to him.Frank Kenneth "Ken" Sansom (1927-2012) - Find a Grave Memorial
/ref>

Filmography

*'' Shinbone Alley'' (1970) as Rosie the Cat (voice) *''Tales of Washington Irving'' (1970) as Narrator (voice) *''

'' (1970–1971, TV Series) as Clarence / Ferguson *''

The Brady Bunch ''The Brady Bunch'' is an American sitcom created by Sherwood Schwartz that aired from September 26, 1969, to March 8, 1974, on ABC. The series revolves around a large blended family with six children. The show aired for five seasons and, afte ...

'' (1971, TV Series) as Stan Jacobsen *'' The Long Goodbye'' (1973) as Colony Guard *''

The Sting ''The Sting'' is a 1973 American caper film set in September 1936, involving a complicated plot by two professional grifters (Paul Newman and Robert Redford) to con a mob boss ( Robert Shaw).'' Variety'' film review; December 12, 1973, pag ...

'' (1973) as Western Union Executive *''

Herbie Rides Again ''Herbie Rides Again'' is a 1974 American comedy film and the second installment of ''The Love Bug'' film series made by Walt Disney Productions starring an anthropomorphic (and quite autonomous) 1963 Volkswagen racing Beetle named Herbie. The ...

'' (1974) as Lawyer - First Team *'' Where Have All the People Gone?'' (1974) as Jack McFadden *''

Airport 1975 ''Airport 1975'' (also known as ''Airport '75'') is a 1974 American air disaster film and the first sequel to the successful 1970 film ''Airport''. It was directed by Jack Smight, produced by William Frye, executive produced by Jennings Lang, a ...

'' (1974) as Gary *''

Funny Lady ''Funny Lady'' is a 1975 American biographical musical comedy-drama film and the sequel to the 1968 film '' Funny Girl''. The film stars Barbra Streisand, James Caan, Omar Sharif, Roddy McDowall and Ben Vereen. Herbert Ross, who helmed the musi ...

'' (1975) as Frederick Martin (Daddy) *'' Charlie's Angels'' (1976, TV Series) as Clerk *'' Days of Our Lives'' (1976, TV Series) as Frederick Powell *''

The Small One ''The Small One'' (also known as ''A Christmas Miracle'' in the UK) is a 1978 American animated featurette produced by Walt Disney Productions and released theatrically by Buena Vista Distribution on December 16, 1978 with a re-issue of ''Pinocch ...

'' (1978) as The Baker (voice) (uncredited) *''

Nutcracker Fantasy is a Japanese-American stop motion animated film produced by Sanrio, very loosely based on Tchaikovsky's 1892 ballet ''The Nutcracker'' and E.T.A. Hoffmann's 1816 story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King". It is directed by Takeo Nakamura and writ ...

'' (1979) as Chamberlain / The Poet Wiseman (voice) *''

Banjo the Woodpile Cat ''Banjo the Woodpile Cat'' is a 1979 animated short film directed by Don Bluth. It follows the story of Banjo, an overly curious and rebellious kitten who, after getting into trouble for falling from a house to see if he could land on his feet, run ...

'' (1979) as Banjo's Father / The Farmer (voice) *'' The Invisible Woman'' (1983, TV Movie) as Lionel Gilbert *''

The Littles ''The Littles'' is a series of children's novels by American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and n ...

'' (1983-1985, TV Series) as Dr. Hunter and Peterson *'' Gallavants'' (1984) as Thunk - Narrator (voice) *'' The Transformers'' (1984–1985, TV Series) as Hound *'' Starchaser: The Legend of Orin'' (1985) as Magreb / Tactical Robot (voice) *''

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 series ...

'' (1985–1986, TV Series) as Bert / Man *''

The Chipmunk Adventure ''The Chipmunk Adventure'' is a 1987 American animated musical-comedy film based on the Saturday-morning cartoon series ''Alvin and the Chipmunks''. Directed by Janice Karman and written by Karman and Ross Bagdasarian Jr., it stars the voices of ...

'' (1987) as Inspector Jamal / Additional Voices (voice) *'' The Bible: The Amazing Book'' (1988) as Doc Dickory (voice) *'' The Bible: The Amazing Children'' (1989) as Doc Dickory (voice) *'' The Wizard of Oz'' (1990, TV series) (voice) *''

'' (1988–1991, TV Series) as Rabbit / Stan Woozle / Piglet Look-Alike / Store Clerk (voice) *''

TaleSpin ''TaleSpin'' is an American animated television series first aired in 1990 as a preview on Disney Channel and later that year as part of '' The Disney Afternoon''. It features characters adapted from Disney's 1967 animated feature ''The Jungle Bo ...

'' (1 episode, 1990) as Ralph Throgmorton (voice) *'' The Bible: The Amazing Miracles'' (1991) as Doc Dickory (voice) *''

Boo to You Too! Winnie the Pooh ''Boo to You Too! Winnie the Pooh'' is a Halloween television special produced by Walt Disney Television Animation with the animation production done at Toon City Animation, Inc. in Manila, Philippines, along with the additional production at T ...

'' (1996) as Rabbit (voice) *'' Pooh's Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin'' (1997) as Rabbit (voice) *''The Magical World of Walt Disney'' (1998-2010) as Rabbit (voice) *''My Interactive Pooh'' (1998, Video Game) as Rabbit (voice) *''

A Winnie the Pooh Thanksgiving ''A Winnie the Pooh Thanksgiving'' is a 1998 made-for-TV special featuring the voice talents of Jim Cummings, Paul Winchell, and John Fiedler. The special shows Pooh and his friends learning the true meaning of Thanksgiving. It was nominated for ...

'' (1998, TV special) as Rabbit (voice) *'' Winnie the Pooh: A Valentine for You'' (1999, TV special) as Rabbit (voice) *'' Disney Learning: Winnie the Pooh'' (1999, Video Game) as Rabbit (voice) *''

The Tigger Movie ''The Tigger Movie'' is a 2000 animated musical comedy-drama film produced by Walt Disney Television Animation with animation production by Walt Disney Animation (Japan), Inc., written and directed by Jun Falkenstein from a story by Eddie Guzeli ...

'' (2000) as Rabbit (voice) *''

Tigger's Honey Hunt ''Tigger's Honey Hunt'' is a video game that was released in 2000 for the Nintendo 64, PlayStation and Microsoft Windows. The game was developed by DokiDenki Studio a third-party developer, for Disney Interactive which published the Windows vers ...

'' (2000, Video Game) as Rabbit (voice) *''

The Book of Pooh ''The Book of Pooh'' is an American children's television series that aired on the Playhouse Disney block on Disney Channel. It is the third television series to feature the characters from the Disney franchise based on A. A. Milne's works; th ...

'' (2001-2003, TV Series) as Rabbit (voice) *'' Party Time with Winnie the Pooh'' (2001, Video Game) as Rabbit (voice) *''The Book of Pooh: A Story Without A Tail'' (2002, Video Game) as Rabbit (voice) *'' Winnie the Pooh: A Very Merry Pooh Year'' (2002) as Rabbit (voice) *''

Piglet's Big Movie ''Piglet's Big Movie'' is a 2003 American animated musical comedy-drama film released by Walt Disney Pictures on March 21, 2003. The film features the characters from the ''Winnie-the-Pooh'' books written by A. A. Milne and E. H. Shepard, and i ...

'' (2003) as Rabbit (voice) *''

Piglet's Big Game ''Disney's Piglet's Big Game'' is a 2003 action-adventure video game developed by French developer Doki Denki Studio and Hulabee Entertainment, and published by Gotham Games, Disney Interactive Studios, and THQ. The game centers around Piglet an ...

'' (2003, Video Game) as Rabbit (voice) *''

Springtime with Roo ''Springtime with Roo'' (also known as ''Winnie the Pooh: Springtime with Roo'') is a 2004 American direct-to-video animated musical comedy-drama film produced by Walt Disney Pictures and DisneyToon Studios, and animated by Toon City Animatio ...

'' (2004) as Rabbit (voice) *''Winnie the Pooh: ABC's'' (2004) as Rabbit (voice) *''Winnie the Pooh: 123s'' (2004) as Rabbit (voice) *''Who Saves The Village?'' (2005, Video short) as Ol Blue *''

Winnie the Pooh's Rumbly Tumbly Adventure ''Winnie the Pooh's Rumbly Tumbly Adventure'' is a 2005 action-adventure game developed by French company Phoenix Studio and co-published by Ubisoft and Disney Interactive. Intended towards younger audiences, the game is based on the Disney versi ...

'' (2005, Video Game) as Rabbit (voice) *''

Pooh's Heffalump Movie ''Pooh's Heffalump Movie'' (also known as ''The Heffalump Movie'' in the working title) is a 2005 American animated musical adventure comedy-drama film produced by the Japanese office of Disneytoon Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. ...

'' (2005) as Rabbit (voice) *''

Pooh's Heffalump Halloween Movie ''Pooh's Heffalump Halloween Movie'' (also known as ''Pooh's Heffalump Halloween: The Movie'') is a 2005 American direct-to-video animated comedy film produced by Walt Disney Pictures and DisneyToon Studios, featuring the characters from Winnie t ...

'' (2005) as Rabbit (voice) *'' Kingdom Hearts II'' (2005, Video Game) as Rabbit (voice) *''Winnie the Pooh: Wonderful Word Adventure'' (2006) as Rabbit (voice) *''Winnie the Pooh: Shapes and Sizes'' (2006) as Rabbit (voice) *''

My Friends Tigger & Pooh ''My Friends Tigger & Pooh'' is an American computer-animated children's television series on Disney Channel as part of the Playhouse Disney block. It was inspired by A. A. Milne's ''Winnie-the-Pooh''. The series was developed by Walt Disney T ...

'' (2007–2010, TV Series) as Rabbit (voice), (Final voice role)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sansom, Ken 1927 births 2012 deaths American Latter Day Saints American male radio actors American male television actors American male video game actors American male voice actors Brigham Young University alumni Male actors from Salt Lake City People from Salt Lake County, Utah United States Navy personnel of World War II United States Navy personnel of the Korean War 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors