Yahoo Lifestyle John Erwin Dies: Voice Actor Behind ‘He-Man’ And Morris The Cat Was 88
John Erwin, the voice behind such iconic animated and animal TV characters as He-Man, Morris The Cat, the snobby Reggie of the Archie cartoons and many other Saturday morning favorites of the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s, died last month of natural causes at his home in Camarillo, California. He was 88.
His death was announced today by his PR firm Celebworx.
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Melendy Britt, who voiced the character She-Ra, superheroine sister of superhero He-Man in Filmation’s Masters of the Universe world, said in a statement, “For 40 years, John Erwin was not only my brother on screen, he was my friend.”
“To have ‘my brother’ pass on is a tremdeous sorrow even though I know life is not infinite,” Britt wrote on Facebook. “The tears I have are because John was such a special quiet man and we shared a very special relationship in those roles as twin brother and sister…He Man said “I have the Power. You did and still do.”
Alan Oppenheimer, who voiced the villainous Skeletor in the He-Man and She-Ra world, said, “Working with John Erwin was a ballad of irreverence, professionalism, and surprise… Surprise of how many life stories he had: he was a series actor, writer, performer of commercials, musician, painter, and an all around lovely gentleman, an indelible addition to my life.”
An intensely private man, Erwin provided no photographs of himself even to his PR firm. He is said to have died “around December 20.”
His voice, however, could be widely recognized by countless children of the classic Saturday morning cartoon era. As the voice of the wealthy Reggie Mantle on The Archie Show (1968) and numerous cartoon spin-offs of the ’60s and ’70s (The Archie Comedy Show, Archie’s Funhouse, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Archie’s Bang-Shang Lalapalooza Show, among others), Erwin perfected the tone of comic youthful arrogance and snobbery.
Although he’d voice other characters of the era including various Flintstones and Groovie Ghoulies cartoons, he’d become ubiquitous in the 1980s for the stentorian, echo-laden voice of He-Man, a Master of the Universe superhero with a massive sword, golden Dutch Boy-style haircut, and bulging muscles. He also voiced the character’s Clark Kent-esque alter-ego, Prince Adam.
Born on Dec. 5, 1936, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Erwin achieved iconic status in the advertising world for his voicing of the sardonic tabby “spokescat” for 9Lives catfood. Beginning in 1968, the Erwin-voiced feline, created by the Leo Burnett advertising agency, could be seen in countless commercials as an extremely finicky critter who ultimately gave in to the apparent deliciousness of the chicken- or seafood-flavored treat.
Earlier in his career in 1959, Erwin recurred in the lighthearted (and live action) cowboy series Rawhide as cattle driver Teddy. In 1995, he voiced various animal characters in the hit pig comedy Babe. His final credit was a 2005 episode of Family Guy. He played He-Man.
According to Celebworx, he is survived “by his loving family of children and grandchildren.” No names were provided in keeping with his wishes.
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