Thurl Ravenscroft

With a voice that listeners the world over could recognize in an instant, Thurl Ravenscroft was a prolific voice actor who remains probably best known for intoning the the signature catchphrase "They're grrrrreat!" as the voice of Frosted Flakes' animated mascot Tony the Tiger. Born in Norfolk, Nebraska in 1914, Ravenscroft was always a self-described ham, so despite enrolling at Otis College of Art and Design with the intention of studying interior design, he followed some friends to an audition at Paramount and and became forever devoted to show business. One of his first breaks came in 1940, when he provided the voice of the whale in Disney's "Pinocchio" (1940). Though he would leave the business with many of his peers during World War II, during which he served as a civilian navigator for the U.S. Air Transport, Ravenscroft would eventually return and continue to work extensively as a voice actor. He began providing the voice for Tony the Tiger in 1954, and though he would always work without an agent and never negotiated for credit, Ravenscroft would also work substantially for Disney over the years, lending his voice to various characters in "Cinderella" (1950), "Alice in Wonderland" (1951), "101 Dalmatians" (1961), and "The Aristocats" (1970). Ravenscroft also sang the hugely famous "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" for the animated feature "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (1966). In later years, Ravenscroft slowed down, but memorably provided the voice of Kirby in "The Brave Little Toaster" (1987). He passed away in 2005 at the age of 91.