Cree Summer Francks (born July 7, 1969) is an American-Canadian actress and singer. She is best known for her extensive work in animation, voicing characters such as Elmyra Duff in ''

Tiny Toon Adventures ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' is an American animated television series created by Tom Ruegger and produced by Warner Bros. Animation. It originally aired from September 14, 1990 to December 6, 1992, airing in syndication before eventually settling a ...

'' and related media, Susie Carmichael in '' Rugrats'' and Lizard in '' Spirit Rangers,'' for which she won a

NAACP Image Awards The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. The over 40 ...

and received two nominations at the

Children's and Family Emmy Awards The Children's and Family Emmy Awards, or Children's and Family Emmys, are a part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the National Academy of Television Arts a ...

. She is also known for her roles in '' Inspector Gadget'', '' Batman Beyond'', '' Horrible Histories'', ''

Clifford the Big Red Dog ''Clifford the Big Red Dog'' is an American children's book series which focuses on the adventures of an 8-year old blonde haired girl named Emily Elizabeth and her titular pet: a gigantic, red-furred dog named Clifford. It was first published ...

'', '' Codename: Kids Next Door'', '' Atlantis: The Lost Empire'', '' Danny Phantom'', '' My Life as a Teenage Robot'', '' Transformers: Animated'', '' Drawn Together'', '' Gargoyles'', '' W.I.T.C.H.'', and ''

Puppy Dog Pals ''Puppy Dog Pals'' is an American animated television series created by Harland Williams. The series debuted on Disney Junior in the United States on April 14, 2017. The series is about Bingo and Rolly, two pug puppy brothers who have fun t ...

''. In live-action, she is known for her role as Winifred "Freddie" Brooks in the NBC sitcom '' A Different World'' (1987–1993) and librarian Rosalyn Inez in the ABC sitcom '' Abbott Elementary'' since 2024.

Early life

Summer was born in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

on July 7, 1969, and grew up in

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...

and

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada.Drawn Together "Hot Tub" DVD commentary Her parents are Canadian actors Don Francks and Lili "Red Eagle" Francks (née Clark). She and her family traveled and lived around

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

during her childhood, and she started public school at the age of nine in Toronto. Her brother, Rainbow Sun Francks, is an actor and a former MuchMusic VJ.

Career

Acting

Summer's acting career began in 1983 when she was cast as Penny in the first season of the original version of '' Inspector Gadget''. She appeared frequently in animated programs. She appeared in '' The Care Bears Movie'' (1985) and '' Ewoks'' (1985, part of the ''

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...

'' franchise). In 1988, Summer was cast as the free-spirited Winifred "Freddie" Brooks in '' The Cosby Show'' spin-off '' A Different World''. She remained a regular cast member of the show from 1988 through its end in 1993. During the run of ''A Different World'', Summer continued working in voice acting. She was cast in the short-lived television series ''

Sweet Justice ''Sweet Justice'' is an American legal drama television series created by John Romano and starring Cicely Tyson and Melissa Gilbert. The hour-long series ran from September 15, 1994, to August 12, 1995, on NBC. The series was produced by Trot ...

'' in 1994 until its cancellation in 1995. In the fall of that same year, Summer and her '' A Different World'' co-star Jenifer Lewis starred in the prime time drama ''

Courthouse A courthouse or court house is a structure which houses judicial functions for a governmental entity such as a state, region, province, county, prefecture, regency, or similar governmental unit. A courthouse is home to one or more courtrooms, ...

'', which was cancelled two months after it premiered. Apart from guest appearances on other live-action television shows such as ''

Living Single ''Living Single'' is an American television sitcom created by Yvette Denise Lee that aired for five seasons on the Fox network, from August 22, 1993, to January 1, 1998. The show centers on the lives of six New York City friends who share perso ...

'', '' Better Things'', and '' The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'', Summer's professional work since has mostly been limited to voice acting. At the start of the third season of ''A Different World'' in 1988, the cartoon series '' The Real Ghostbusters'' episodes were expanded from their original half-hour format to an hour. The show was changed to be more youthful. Episodes had a lighter tone designed to be less serious and frightening. In these lighter episodes, she voiced Chilly Cooper, the neighborhood ice-cream woman and innocent love interest of Slimer. Summer voiced over 101 animated characters between 1983 and 2006. These have spanned video games, cartoon television series, animated films and commercials. Among her most famous roles was in '' Inspector Gadget'' (Season 1) as

Penny A penny is a coin (: pennies) or a unit of currency (: pence) in various countries. Borrowed from the Carolingian denarius (hence its former abbreviation d.), it is usually the smallest denomination within a currency system. At present, it is ...

(a role she reprised in the '' Robot Chicken'' episode "Adoption's an Option"), WB's ''

'' (1990) as Elmyra Duff (which she reprised for '' Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain'') and Mary Melody, Aka Pella in WB's '' Histeria!'', Susie Carmichael in

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (nicknamed Nick) is an American pay television channel and the flagship property of the Nickelodeon Group, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on April 1, 1979, as the first ca ...

's '' Rugrats'' and its spin-off '' All Grown Up!'', Cleo the Poodle in PBS Kids' ''

'', Mo in the US Dub of '' Horrible Histories'', Miranda from Nickelodeon's '' As Told by Ginger'', Foxxy Love in '' Drawn Together'', Dulcy the Dragon in ''

Sonic the Hedgehog is a video game series and media franchise created by the Japanese developers Yuji Naka, Naoto Ohshima, and Hirokazu Yasuhara for Sega. The franchise follows Sonic the Hedgehog (character), Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battle ...

'', Valerie Gray in Nickelodeon's '' Danny Phantom'', Numbuh 5 and Cree Lincoln in

Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (CN) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the Cartoon Network, Inc., a sub-division of the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery. It launched on ...

's '' Codename: Kids Next Door'', Penelope in '' Barbie as Rapunzel'', octogenarian villain Granny May on '' WordGirl'', Tiff from Nickelodeon's '' My Life as a Teenage Robot'', and Blackarachnia in '' Transformers: Animated''. She also voiced Princess 'Kida' Kidagakash for the franchise of

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

's '' Atlantis: The Lost Empire''. Summer has regarded the character of Kida as one of her favorite roles and even considers the character among the official Disney Princess line. She also played a role in '' Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated'' as Lady Marmalad in the episode "The Haunting". In December 2016, Summer reprised her role as Penny from ''Inspector Gadget'' in an episode of the web-series, '' Nostalgia Critic''. She later joined ''

SpongeBob SquarePants ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' is an American animated television series, animated comedy television series created by marine science educator and animator Stephen Hillenburg for Nickelodeon. It first aired as a sneak peek after the 1999 Kids' C ...

'' spinoff '' The Patrick Star Show'', where she voices Patrick Star's mother and Squidward Tentacles' grandmother. She appeared as herself in " It Was All a Dream", the final episode of ''

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

'', in 2022, following a voice cameo in the first season episode " B.A.N.". Summer has a recurring guest role as librarian Rosalyn Inez on the ABC

sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

'' Abbott Elementary''.

Video game voice acting

She performed voice over for the games '' Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance'', ''

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

'', as well as '' Tony Hawk's American Wasteland''. She voiced Auriel in '' Diablo III'', and reprised the role for ''

Heroes of the Storm ''Heroes of the Storm'' is a multiplayer online battle arena video game developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment. Announced at BlizzCon 2010, it was released on June 2, 2015 for macOS and Windows. The game features various crossover ...

''. She was the voice of Tandi in '' Fallout'' and First Citizen Lynette in ''

Fallout 2 ''Fallout 2'' (also known as ''Fallout 2: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game'') is a 1998 role-playing video game developed by Black Isle Studios and published by Interplay Productions. It is a sequel to ''Fallout (video game), Fallout'' (1997), ...

'', Tatjana in '' Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits'', Lady Belgemine, Young Tidus and additional voice-overs in '' Final Fantasy X'', Lenne/Calli in Final Fantasy X-2,

Storm A storm is any disturbed state of the natural environment or the atmosphere of an astronomical body. It may be marked by significant disruptions to normal conditions such as strong wind, tornadoes, hail, thunder and lightning (a thunderstor ...

in '' Marvel Super Hero Squad'', Cynder in '' The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning'', Magma in '' X-Men Legends'', and the Inca Princess Micay in '' Pitfall: The Lost Expedition''. She voices Medusa in the game '' Kid Icarus: Uprising'' for the Nintendo 3DS. She voiced Catalina Thorn, the leader of the Cell in '' Crackdown 2''. She had a small role in ''

Mass Effect ''Mass Effect'' is a military science fiction media franchise created by Casey Hudson. The franchise depicts a distant future where humanity and several alien civilizations have colonized the galaxy using technology left behind by Elder race, a ...

''. She did miscellaneous voices in '' World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria''. She reprised her voice of She-Hulk in '' Marvel Super Hero Squad: The Infinity Gauntlet''. She voiced Kit Brinny in the introduction video for the MMORPG '' Wildstar''. She provides the voice of vampire Roller Brawl in the '' Skylanders'' series. She has voiced Professor Penelope Young, a minor character original in '' Batman: Arkham Asylum''.

Music

Summer recorded the theme song for OWL/TV in 1985. In 1990, she sang background vocals on two tracks for fellow ''A Different World'' cast member Jasmine Guy, appearing on the album ''Jasmine Guy''. In 1993, she recorded an unreleased album (as lead singer) with her band Subject to Change. In 1999, Summer released a solo album, '' Street Faërie'', produced by and featuring Lenny Kravitz. A number of Summer's portrayed characters (animated or otherwise) are singers. The character of Susie in ''All Grown Up!'' was portrayed as a singer with real talent, allowing Summer to sing in the role. Summer sings the opening theme song for '' All Grown Up!''. The character of Foxxy Love in '' Drawn Together'' was a singer, with songs like "La-La-La-La-Labia" and "Crashy Smashy", Numbuh 5 from '' Codename: Kids Next Door'' sang a lullaby to lull babies to sleep. Elmyra Duff sang many times on ''

''. She co-performed lead vocals in the song "Cool Kitty" with

Tara Strong Tara Lyn Strong (; born February 12, 1973) is a Canadian and American actress. She is known for her voice work in animation, websites, and video games. Strong's voice roles include animated series such as '' The Powerpuff Girls'', '' The Fair ...

, which accompanied a cartoon called '' Class of 3000'', directed and written for

by André 3000. She provided the voice of a recurring

pomegranate The pomegranate (''Punica granatum'') is a fruit-bearing deciduous shrub in the family Lythraceae, subfamily Punica, Punicoideae, that grows between tall. Rich in symbolic and mythological associations in many cultures, it is thought to have o ...

singer in '' The High Fructose Adventures of Annoying Orange'', who usually sang during montage sequences. Her character Priscilla on '' Sheriff Callie's Wild West'' sings many times, as well. In 2008, Summer appeared on '' The Frank Zappa AAAFNRAAA Birthday Bundle'', performing a cover of Zappa's song " Dirty Love" with

Dweezil Zappa Dweezil Zappa (born Ian Donald Calvin Euclid Zappa, September 5, 1969) is an American rock guitarist and occasional actor. He is the son of musical composer and performer Frank Zappa. Exposed to the music industry from an early age, Zappa develo ...

on guitar and backup vocals by

Ahmet Zappa Ahmet Emuukha Rodan Zappa (born May 15, 1974) is an American musician, writer, actor and trustee of the Zappa Family Trust. Early life Ahmet Zappa was born in Los Angeles, California, the third of four children born to musician Frank Zappa and ...

, produced by Linda Perry. Summer's musical influences include

Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American guitarist, composer, and bandleader. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa composed Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, jazz fusion, orchestra ...

, Al Green, and

Dinah Washington Dinah Washington (; born Ruth Lee Jones; August 29, 1924 – December 14, 1963) was an American singer and pianist, one of the most popular black female recording artists of the 1950s. Primarily a jazz vocalist, she performed and recorded in a ...

Personal life

Summer has dual American and Canadian citizenship. She was married to producer Angelo Pullen for nearly ten years; they announced the dissolution of their marriage in May 2022. They have two daughters, who were born in 2011 and 2013. Summer has a younger brother, Rainbow Sun Francks. Rainbow is a Canadian actor and songwriter; he was also an on-air personality at Much Music, a Canadian music video and variety television channel.

Filmography

Animated film roles

Animation roles

Live-action film roles

Live-action television series roles

Video games

Discography

Albums

* Appeared on the

Juno Award The Juno Awards (stylized as JUNOS), or simply known as the Junos, are awards presented by Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to recognize outstanding achievements in Canada's mu ...

-nominated album ''I Lost My Pet Lizard'' (1979) * Appeared as Debbie on the

-nominated Canadian ''

Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational television, educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation, and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Worksh ...

'' album ''Big Bird & Oscar the Grouch: Camping in Canada'' (1981) * ''Womb Amnesia'' – (1993) (with her band Subject to Change) * '' Street Faërie'' – (1999)

Singles

* "Revelation Sunshine"

Awards and nominations

Notes

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Summer, Cree 1969 births Living people 20th-century African-American women singers 20th-century American women singers 20th-century African-American actresses 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American singer-songwriters 20th-century Black Canadian women singers 20th-century Canadian actresses 20th-century Canadian singer-songwriters 21st-century American women singers 21st-century African-American actresses 21st-century American actresses 21st-century American singer-songwriters 21st-century Black Canadian women singers 21st-century Canadian actresses 21st-century Canadian singer-songwriters Actresses from Los Angeles Actresses from Saskatchewan Actresses from Toronto African-American women singer-songwriters American child actresses American expatriate musicians in Canada American soul singers American television actresses American video game actresses American voice actresses American women pop singers Black Canadian actresses Canadian child actresses Canadian emigrants to the United States Canadian soul singers Canadian video game actresses Canadian voice actresses Canadian women pop singers Canadian women singer-songwriters

Cree The Cree, or nehinaw (, ), are a Indigenous peoples of the Americas, North American Indigenous people, numbering more than 350,000 in Canada, where they form one of the country's largest First Nations in Canada, First Nations. They live prim ...

Indigenous rights activists People with multiple citizenship Singers from Saskatchewan Singers from Los Angeles Singers from Toronto Singer-songwriters from California