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

Rabbit Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit sp ...

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 and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, th ...

, 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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, 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 si ...

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 {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top:{ ...

. 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 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 ...

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 characters ...

'', a continuation of ''

The Andy Griffith Show ''The Andy Griffith Show '' is an American sitcom, 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 colo ...

''. He was best known for his role as

in the television series '' The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh''. 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 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, 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 Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

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 A stroke is a disease, medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemorr ...

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 estimat ...

. 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 ''Shinbone Alley'' (sometimes performed as ''archy & mehitabel'') is a musical with a book by Joe Darion and Mel Brooks, lyrics by Darion, and music by George Kleinsinger. Based on the album ''Archy and Mehitabel: A Back-Alley Opera'', which in ...

'' (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'' (1975) as Frederick Martin (Daddy) *''

Charlie's Angels ''Charlie's Angels'' is an American crime drama television series that aired on ABC from September 22, 1976, to June 24, 1981, producing five seasons and 115 episodes. The series was created by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts and was produced by ...

'' (1976, TV Series) as Clerk *''

Days of Our Lives ''Days of Our Lives'' (also stylized as ''Days of our Lives''; simply referred to as ''Days'' or ''DOOL'') is an American television soap opera that streams on the streaming service Peacock. The soap, which aired on the American television net ...

'' (1976, TV Series) as Frederick Powell *'' The Small One'' (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'' (1979) as Banjo's Father / The Farmer (voice) *''

The Invisible Woman The Invisible Woman (Susan "Sue" Storm-Richards) is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is a founding member of the Fantastic Four and was the first female superhero created by Marvel durin ...

'' (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 ''Gallavants'' is an American 1984 animated musical film produced by Marvel Productions, and released on home video. Plot Gallavants are ants living in their own fairy-tale land, Ganteville. The little ones have to go to school in preparation ...

'' (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'' (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) *'' The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh'' (1988–1991, TV Series) as Rabbit / Stan Woozle / Piglet Look-Alike / Store Clerk (voice) *'' TaleSpin'' (1 episode, 1990) as Ralph Throgmorton (voice) *'' The Bible: The Amazing Miracles'' (1991) as Doc Dickory (voice) *'' Boo to You Too! Winnie the Pooh'' (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'' (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'' (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'' (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 and ...

'' (2003, Video Game) as Rabbit (voice) *'' Springtime with Roo'' (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'' (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'' (2005) as Rabbit (voice) *''

Kingdom Hearts II is a 2005 action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix in collaboration with Disney Interactive Studios, Buena Vista Games for the PlayStation 2 video game console. The game is a sequel to ''Kingdom Hearts (video game), King ...

'' (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 Te ...

'' (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