Russi Taylor (May 4, 1944 – July 26, 2019) was an American voice actress. She is best remembered as the official voice of

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 w ...

from 1986 to 2019, and was notably married to voice actor

Wayne Allwine Wayne Anthony Allwine (February 7, 1947 – May 18, 2009) was an American voice actor, sound effects editor and foley artist for The Walt Disney Company. He is best remembered as the 3rd official voice of Mickey Mouse. He is the longest-tenured ...

, the voice of

Mickey Mouse Mickey Mouse is an animated cartoon Character (arts), character co-created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. The longtime mascot of The Walt Disney Company, Mickey is an Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic mouse who typically wears red sho ...

, until his death on May 18, 2009. She is the longest tenured actress to voice the character, having held the role for 33 years. She also provided the voices of several characters in ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...

''.

Early life

Russi Taylor was born in

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

, on May 4, 1944.

Career

Taylor began her voice-over career in the mid-1970s. Her first voice-over role was the voice of Ted and Georgette's baby on ''

The Mary Tyler Moore Show ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (also known simply as ''Mary Tyler Moore'') is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns and starring actress Mary Tyler Moore. The show originally aired on CBS from 1970 to 1977. Moor ...

''. Taylor became the voice of Minnie Mouse in 1986, and continued to voice the character for 33 years until her death in 2019. She also voiced

Huey, Dewey, and Louie Huey, Dewey, and Louie are triplet cartoon characters created by storyboard artist ( screenwriter) Carl Barks for The Walt Disney Company from an idea proposed by cartoonist Al Taliaferro and are the nephews of Donald Duck and the grand-ne ...

and

Webby Vanderquack This article includes a list of characters from the Disney ''DuckTales'' animated franchise, including the original 1987 series and the 2017 reboot series, as well as one theatrical movie and a variety of additional spin-off media merchandise, ...

in the television 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 seas ...

'' and in other appearances. Taylor provided the voices of numerous characters in the animated series ''

'', including fourth-grade nerd

Martin Prince The American animated television series ''The Simpsons'' contains a wide range of minor and supporting characters like co-workers, teachers, students, family friends, extended relatives, townspeople, local celebrities, and even animals. The write ...

, purple-haired twins

Sherri and Terri The American animated television series ''The Simpsons'' contains a wide range of minor and supporting characters like co-workers, teachers, students, family friends, extended relatives, townspeople, local celebrities, and even animals. The write ...

, and German exchange student Üter. After her death, ''The Simpsons'' producers hired

Grey DeLisle Grey DeLisle (; born Erin Grey Van Oosbree; August 24, 1973), sometimes credited as Grey Griffin, is an American voice actress, comedian and singer-songwriter. DeLisle is known for various roles in animated productions and video games. On Sept ...

to succeed her. She voiced

Pebbles Flintstone Pebbles Flintstone (also known as Pebbles Flintstone-Rubble as an adult) is a fictional character in the ''Flintstones'' franchise. The red-haired daughter of Fred and Wilma Flintstone, Pebbles is born near the end of the third season. She is mo ...

in ''

The Flintstone Comedy Show ''The Flintstone Comedy Show'' is an American animated television series revival and spin-off of ''The Flintstones'' produced by Hanna-Barbera that aired on NBC from November 22, 1980 to October 24, 1981. Outside North America, the show was rele ...

'' for

Hanna-Barbera Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ) was an American animation studio and production company which was active from 1957 to 2001. It was founded on July 7, 1957, by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera following the decision of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to c ...

in 1980. Taylor was also the original voice of

Strawberry Shortcake Strawberry shortcake may refer to: * Strawberry shortcake (dessert), a shortcake served with strawberries * "Strawberry Shortcake, Huckleberry Pie," a song published in 1956; a version by The Brother Sisters was released by Mercury Records in 196 ...

and the voice of Baby Gonzo in '' Muppet Babies'', Nova in ''

Twinkle, the Dream Being ''Twinkle, the Dream Being'' is an American animated television series that aired in 1992 in syndication in the U.S. and MBC TV in South Korea for Daejeon Expo 1993. The show was produced by Zodiac Entertainment, Sei Young Anitel and Calico En ...

'', Pac-Baby in the television series ''

Pac-Man originally called ''Puck Man'' in Japan, is a 1980 maze action video game developed and released by Namco for arcades. In North America, the game was released by Midway Manufacturing as part of its licensing agreement with Namco America. Th ...

'', the high-pitched Nurses that were mice in ''

The Rescuers Down Under ''The Rescuers Down Under'' is a 1990 American animated adventure film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 29th Disney animated feature film and the second movie to be produced during the Disney Ren ...

'', Melissa in the

Pound Puppies Pound Puppies is a toy line that was created by Tonka in the 1980s. It later inspired an animated TV special, two animated TV series, and a feature film. Shipments of the toys over five years generated sales of $300 million in 35 countries. Toy ...

episode ''Garbage Night: The Musical'', Queen Rosedust in ''

My Little Pony ''My Little Pony'' (''MLP'') is a toy line and media franchise developed by American toy company Hasbro. The first toys were developed by Bonnie Zacherle, Charles Muenchinger, and Steve D'Aguanno, and were produced in 1981. The ponies feature c ...

'', and her last non-Disney role was

Birdie the Early Bird McDonaldland is a McDonald's media franchise and the fictional fantasy world inhabited by Ronald McDonald and his friends. Starting with the creation of Ronald McDonald in 1963 it is primarily developed and published by McDonald's, initial att ...

McDonaldland McDonaldland is a McDonald's media franchise and the fictional fantasy world inhabited by Ronald McDonald and his friends. Starting with the creation of Ronald McDonald in 1963 it is primarily developed and published by McDonald's, initial att ...

commercials. She was also the voice of Drizella and

the Fairy Godmother This is a list of books by Mercedes Lackey, arranged by collection. Valdemar universe Some of the trilogies follow on chronologically from each other, while others are set a considerable number of years apart from the others -- overall the books ...

in the

Cinderella "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...

sequels, '' Cinderella II: Dreams Come True'' and '' Cinderella III: A Twist in Time''.

Personal life

She was married to

, the third voice of

, from 1991 until his death in 2009. They were both named Disney Legends in 2008.

Death

Taylor died from

colon cancer Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowel mo ...

on July 26, 2019, at her home in Glendale, California, at the age of 75. She is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park right next to Allwine’s grave.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Theme park attractions

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Russi 1944 births 2019 deaths Actresses from Cambridge, Massachusetts American radio actresses American video game actresses Audiobook narrators Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) Deaths from cancer in California Deaths from colorectal cancer Disney people 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses