Jeff Bergman
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Jeff Bergman | |
|---|---|
 Bergman at the 2023 San Diego Comic-Con | |
| Born | Jeffrey Bergman July 10, 1960 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Pittsburgh |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1984–present |
| Children | 2 |
| Signature | |
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Jeffrey Bergman (born July 10, 1960)[1][2] is an American voice actor and impressionist who has provided the modern-day voices of various classic cartoon characters, most notably with Looney Tunes and Hanna-Barbera.
Bergman was the first to replace Mel Blanc as the voice of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and several other Warner Bros. cartoon characters following Blanc's death in 1989. Bergman shared the roles of Blanc's characters with Greg Burson and Joe Alaskey before their respective deaths in 2008 and 2016, as well as Bob Bergen, Billy West, Jim Cummings, Maurice LaMarche, Fred Tatasciore, and Eric Bauza for various Warner Bros. Animation productions.
Early life
[edit]Bergman was born on July 10, 1960, to a Jewish family in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[2][3] Throughout his early life, he impersonated several celebrities and cartoon characters, his first impression being comic influence Ed Sullivan at the age of six. He credits Don Rickles, who he would later take over as the voice of Mr. Potato Head in Toy Story 5, as an influence.[4] At the age of 15, Bergman began doing impressions of various Looney Tunes characters.[2]
He studied theatre and communications at the University of Pittsburgh where he first did voice work after becoming involved with a student-run radio station and interning at the KQV and WDVE radio stations.[2][5] While there, he made his first demo reel and was profiled in a story on KDKA-TV's Evening Magazine. The story was picked up on similar TV news magazines shows and helped land him his representation with William Morris Agency following his graduation from Pitt in 1983.
During his time at university, Bergman attended an on-campus lecture by Mel Blanc, who was best known for voicing the Looney Tunes such as Bugs Bunny. Bergman later tracked Blanc down and met him at his Oakland hotel room in 1981, where Bergman imitated Blanc's characters for him, earning himself a 45-minute session. Bergman credits Blanc with helping him graduate two years later.[2][5]
Career
[edit]In 1986, Bergman auditioned to voice the Pillsbury Doughboy, but he eventually got the part of StarKist's mascot Charlie the Tuna instead.[6][7] Bergman's work with Warner Bros. began that year, recording voices for The Bugs Bunny Show. After being rebuffed several times by Warner Bros. directors, he recorded a tape of himself as several of Blanc's characters, including Bugs Bunny. He took the tape to the production company and used a switch to toggle back and forth between his work and the original Mel Blanc recording. Then-Warner Bros. president Edward Bleier was unable to tell the difference between the voices,[8] and Bergman, at the age of 29, became the first performer to provide the voice of Bugs Bunny after Mel Blanc died on July 10, 1989, Bergman's 29th birthday.[2]
Bergman's first performance as Bugs Bunny was during the 62nd Academy Awards as Bugs presented the Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film.[9] He voiced Bugs, as well as Daffy Duck, during the 1990 television specials Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue and The Earth Day Special (also voicing Tweety Bird and Porky Pig in the latter). That same year, he also lent his voice to Bugs, Daffy and Porky in the animated sequences of Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990). Bergman later voiced Bugs and Daffy again as well as Elmer Fudd in the 1991 theatrical short Box-Office Bunny, Bugs's first in over 25 years. He voiced Bugs, Daffy, Elmer and Yosemite Sam in the 1991 short (Blooper) Bunny, as well as several characters (including Sylvester the Cat and Foghorn Leghorn) in animated television specials and newer animated series such as Tiny Toon Adventures and The Plucky Duck Show.
Outside of the Looney Tunes, Bergman also voiced George Jetson and Mr. Spacely in Jetsons: The Movie (1990) when their previous voice actors George O'Hanlon and Mel Blanc both died during production;[8] he had been working at his local radio station in Pennsylvania when he received the call to travel to California and complete the dialogue. He also voiced George Jetson in the theme park attraction The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera. By the mid-1990s, Bergman decided to not continue voicing the Looney Tunes, due to reluctance about relocating to Los Angeles. At the time, he was living in Pittsburgh, and Warner Bros. hired other voice actors such as Joe Alaskey (who was the first person to replace Blanc as the voice of Yosemite Sam in Who Framed Roger Rabbit in 1988), Greg Burson, Bob Bergen, Billy West and Blanc's son Noel Blanc.[5][10] Warner Bros. had been splitting up the various voice-acting roles to prevent any one of them from being a singular successor.[11]
Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Bergman continued voicing various Hanna-Barbera characters, such as Fred Flintstone, in newer specials such as The Flintstones: On the Rocks following Henry Corden's retirement from the role in 2000, only understudying the voices of the Looney Tunes in times when Alaskey and West were not available. In 2003, he provided Bugs' voice for a sketch on the NBC variety series Saturday Night Live, though his audio track ended up not being used due to the show's busy weekly schedule. Eventually, after almost 20 years, and after occasionally appearing as the Looney Tunes characters for nearly two decades, he returned as the voice of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Foghorn Leghorn, Sylvester the Cat, Pepé Le Pew and Tweety in 2011's The Looney Tunes Show.[5] He also returned for the 2015 series New Looney Tunes, voicing Bugs, Foghorn, Sylvester and Elmer Fudd, as well as other minor characters such as Michigan J. Frog. He also voiced some characters in Looney Tunes Cartoons; Eric Bauza voiced Bugs, Daffy, and Tweety for that series, with Bergman handling Foghorn, Sylvester and Elmer Fudd.
Bergman is a recurring cast member on Family Guy, usually voicing Fred Flintstone and Sylvester the Cat, as well as its spin-offs American Dad! and The Cleveland Show.
Bergman had a recurring role as a radio intern Gus Kahana on the AMC comedy-drama Remember WENN, which aired in the late 1990s.[5] He also provided the voice of Zap in Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure, Skylanders: Giants, Skylanders: Swap Force, Skylanders: Trap Team, Skylanders: SuperChargers, and Skylanders: Imaginators.
In 2021, Bergman became the new voice of Eustace Bagge in the Courage the Cowardly Dog/Scooby-Doo crossover, Straight Outta Nowhere, replacing the previous voice actors, Lionel Wilson and Arthur Anderson, both of which died years after Courage ended. In 2026, Bergman voiced Mr. Potato Head in Toy Story 5, replacing the late Don Rickles who died on April 6, 2017.[12]
Characters
[edit]Bergman has voiced a large quantity of characters over his career. His vocal repertoire includes Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Sylvester the Cat, Tweety, Foghorn Leghorn, Elmer Fudd, Porky Pig, Marvin the Martian, Pepé Le Pew, Tasmanian Devil, Yosemite Sam, Speedy Gonzales, Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound, Quick Draw McGraw, Snagglepuss, Boo-Boo Bear, Ranger Smith, Wally Gator, Pixie and Dixie, Baba Looey, Mr. Jinks, Top Cat, Officer Dibble, Peter Potamus, George Jetson, Elroy Jetson, Astro, Mr. Spacely, Garfield, Fred Flintstone, Barney Rubble, Mr. Slate, Dino, Lippy the Lion, Mr. Incredible, Hadji, Dr. Benton C. Quest, Race Bannon, Squiddly Diddly, Fleegle, Droopy, and Eustace Bagge.
Personal life
[edit]Bergman lives in Los Angeles, California, and has two sons.[13]
Filmography
[edit]Film
[edit]Television
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | The New Show | Walter Kronkite's Wonderful World of Bloopers Announcer, Fred Flintstone, Barney Rubble, George Jetson | [19] |
| 1986 | The Bugs Bunny Show | Additional Voices | |
| 1990 | Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue | Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck | TV short, first to voice after Blanc's death |
| The Earth Day Special | Bugs Bunny, Tweety, Porky Pig | ||
| 1990–1991 | Tiny Toon Adventures | Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Foghorn Leghorn, Elmer Fudd, Tasmanian Devil, Yosemite Sam, Sylvester, Tweety, Additional voices | |
| 1991 | Bugs Bunny's Lunar Tunes | Bugs Bunny, Pepé Le Pew | TV short |
| Bugs Bunny's Overtures to Disaster | Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd, Yosemite Sam, Sylvester, Papa Bear, Mr. Meek | ||
| 1992 | Bugs Bunny's Creature Features | Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, Yosemite Sam | |
| The Plucky Duck Show | Foghorn Leghorn, Daffy Duck | Episodes: "A Quack in the Quarks", "A Ditch in Time" and "Slugfest/Duck Dodgers Jr./Duck Trek" | |
| 1996–1999 | Doug | Coach Spitz | |
| 2000–2015 | Boomerang | Commercial Announcer | |
| 2001 | The Flintstones: On the Rocks | Fred Flintstone, Parking Guard, Vendor | TV movie |
| The Jetsons: Father & Son Day | George Jetson, Elroy Jetson, Mr. Cosmo Spacely | ||
| 2002 | Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law | George Jetson, Bakov, Clown | Episode: "Shaggy Busted" |
| The Jetsons: The Best Son | George Jetson, Elroy Jetson, Robot Boy | ||
| 2003 | Cartoon Network's Funniest Bloopers and Other Embarrassing Moments | Porky Pig, Fred Flintstone, Barney Rubble, George Jetson, Foghorn Leghorn, Barnyard Dawg, Henery Hawk | TV short |
| 2004 | Johnny Bravo | Fred Flintstone | Episode: "Wilderness Protection Program/A Page Right Out of History" |
| 2006–present | Family Guy | Fred Flintstone, Sylvester the Cat, Max Weinstein, Victor, Homer Simpson | |
| 2008, 2009 | Seth MacFarlane's Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy | Host, Fred Flintstone | Episodes: "A Dog on the $25,000 Pyramid" "Fred and Barney Try to Get Into a Club" "Fred Flintstone Takes a Shit" |
| 2010 | The Cleveland Show | Alda-nator, Garrison Keillor | Episodes: "Love Rollercoaster" "Buried Pleasure" |
| 2011–2014 | The Looney Tunes Show | Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Sylvester, Tweety, Foghorn Leghorn, Pepé Le Pew, Girardi | |
| 2012 | Cartoon Network 20th Anniversary | Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck | |
| 2013 | Mad | Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, James P. Sullivan, Dan Schneider | Episodes: "First White House Down/McDuck Dynasty" "Iron Bland 3/Monsters Community" "World War ZZZ/SHAZAM! & Cat" |
| 2014 | Rick and Morty | Additional voices | Episode: "Rixty Minutes" |
| Phineas and Ferb | Episode: "The Klimpaloon Ultimatum" | ||
| Mike Tyson Mysteries | Elton John, Elon Musk, Robert Redford, The Phantasm | Voice | |
| 2015–2020 | New Looney Tunes | Bugs Bunny, Sylvester, Foghorn Leghorn, Elmer Fudd, Michigan J. Frog, Boyd (Season 2), Poochini | Voice[20] |
| 2016 | American Dad | Additional voices | Episode: "Next of Pin" |
| 2018 | We Bare Bears | Narrator | Episode: "El Oso" |
| 2018–2020 | Our Cartoon President | Donald Trump, Lou Dobbs, Joe Biden, Bill de Blasio, John F. Kennedy | Voice |
| 2019 | Amphibia | Jonah, Additional voices | Episode: "Cracking Mrs. Croaker" |
| 2020 | Yabba-Dabba Dinosaurs | Fred Flintstone, Mr. Slate | Voice |
| 2020–2023 | Looney Tunes Cartoons | Sylvester, Elmer Fudd, Foghorn Leghorn, Ralph Wolf | |
| 2020 | Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous | Mr. DNA | |
| Animaniacs | Sylvester | Episode: "Suffragette City" | |
| 2021–2025 | Jellystone! | Yogi Bear, Ranger Smith, Wally Gator, Mr. Jinks, Lippy the Lion, Dirty Dawg, Snake, Fred Flintstone, George Jetson, Ookla the Mok, Ork, Blip, Gus Holiday, Tundro | Voice |
| 2022 | Pibby | Fred Flintstone | |
| Ada Twist, Scientist | Tooth Troll | Episode: "Tooth Fairy Bells" | |
| 2022–2025 | Bugs Bunny Builders | Sylvester, Foghorn Leghorn, Elmer Fudd | Voice |
| 2023–2025 | Tiny Toons Looniversity | Bugs Bunny, Sylvester, Foghorn Leghorn | Voice[21] |
| 2023 | What If...? | Odin | Voice (2 episodes) |
Video games
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Taz-Mania | Tasmanian Devil | Sega Genesis version |
| 1994 | Flintstones/Jetsons: Timewarp | Fred Flintstone, Barney Rubble, Dino, Baby Puss, George Jetson, Rosie the Robot Maid, Mr. Spacely, Officer, Satellite Number 4-15 Pilot, Spacely's Sprockets Computer, Muscle Trainer 3000, Interstellar Express Ship, Sleeping Worker, R.U.D.I., Ring Salesman, Food Rack Cycle, Alpha Seltxer 3000, Apollo Anti-Gravity Dish Machine, Garbage Disposatizer 3000, Encyclopedia Titanic, Alphabet Machine, Tree Brontosaurus, Mower-a-Saurus, Elephant, Bear Rug, Birds, Gravaldo, Movie Dinosaur, Caveman, Bathing Dinosaur, Compactosaurus, Dishwasher Pelican, Sawing Bird, Hammering Bird, Office Worker, Caveman, Dinosaur, Groks, Caveman Tourist | [22][23] |
| Taz in Escape from Mars | Tasmanian Devil | ||
| 2011 | Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure | Zap | |
| 2012 | The Expendables 2 Videogame | Barney Ross | |
| Skylanders: Giants | Zap | ||
| 2013 | Skylanders: Swap Force | ||
| 2014 | Scooby-Doo and Looney Tunes: Cartoon Universe | Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Foghorn Leghorn, Sylvester | |
| Skylanders: Trap Team | Zap | ||
| Looney Tunes Dash! | Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, Yosemite Sam, Tweety, Sylvester, Tasmanian Devil, Tasmanian She-Devil, Foghorn Leghorn, Beaky Buzzard | [24] | |
| 2015 | The Flintstones | Fred Flintstone, Barney Rubble | Slot machine[25] |
| Skylanders: SuperChargers | Zap | [26] | |
| 2016 | Ice Age: Arctic Blast | Manny | [27] |
| Skylanders: Imaginators | Zap | ||
| 2018 | Lego The Incredibles | Bob Parr / Mr. Incredible | [28] |
| The Flintstones: Welcome to Bedrock | Fred Flintstone, Barney Rubble | Slot machine[29] | |
| Yogi Bear | Yogi Bear, Ranger Smith | Slot machine[30][31] | |
| 2020 | Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War | Ronald Reagan |
Theme parks
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Wun Wabbit Wun | Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd | [1] |
| 2017 | Daffy Duck Dance Off | Daffy Duck, Bugs Bunny, Sylvester, Tweety | |
| 2018 | The Flintstones Bedrock River Adventure | Fred Flintstone, Barney Rubble | |
| Meet Bugs (And Daffy) | Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Sylvester | ||
| Ani-Mayhem | Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Sylvester, Tweety, Elmer Fudd, Barnyard Dawg |
References
[edit]- 1 2 "Jeff Bergman". Behind the Voice Actors. Archived from the original on July 24, 2022.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Tim Nydell (January 30, 2013). "Episode: 9: Jeff Bergman interview (Bugs Bunny / Daffy Duck in The Looney Tunes Show)". Luminary (Podcast). Archived from the original on July 25, 2021. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
- ↑ "Meet the man behind the voice of Bugs Bunny, Jeffery Bergman". WTAE-TV. July 17, 2021. Archived from the original on July 23, 2021.
- ↑ "Toy Story 5; Jeff Bergman, Mr Potato Head". Polygon.com. Retrieved July 12, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Owen, Rob (May 1, 2011). "Pitt grad voices Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck on Cartoon Network". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on July 24, 2022.
- ↑ "How Well Do You Know the Pillsbury Doughboy?". Pillsbury.com. Archived from the original on May 6, 2019. Retrieved October 16, 2018.
- ↑ ItsErikNagel (August 3, 2024). Jeff Bergman Interview [08-02-2024]. YouTube. Retrieved May 7, 2025.
- 1 2 Graham, Jefferson (June 30, 1990). "Porky and pals get new, familiar voice". The Tennessean. p. 7-D. Archived from the original on August 12, 2021. Retrieved July 23, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (April 10, 2015). Short Film Winners: 1990 Oscars. YouTube. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
- ↑ Ramírez, Sebastián Ortiz [@SebastainGOR3] (July 19, 2021). "Jeff Bergman confirmed that he only did the roles temporarily and decided to not continue voicing them because he wasn't ready to start a career in Los Angeles yet. (Jeff lived or lives in Pittsburgh.)"" (Tweet). Archived from the original on June 3, 2022. Retrieved June 3, 2022 – via Twitter.
- ↑ That's Still Not All Folks! 2009, by Joe Alaskey, page 96 ISBN 978-1593931124
- ↑ "'Toy Story 5' trailer: Woody, Buzz and Jessie reunite to save toys from tech". ABC. February 19, 2026.
- ↑ Leigh Livingstone and Tim Iffland. "Jeff Bergman". Popcorn Podcast (Podcast). Archived from the original on July 24, 2022.
- ↑ The Flintstones & WWE: Stone Age SmackDown! Closing Credits
- ↑ Bergman, Jeff (Summer 2021). "Making A Good Impression". Pitt Magazine (Interview). Interviewed by Susan Wiedel. University of Pittsburgh. Archived from the original on June 29, 2021.
The movie stars LeBron James, Zendaya, Don Cheadle—and Bergman, of course, who voices Bugs Bunny, Sylvester the Cat, Yosemite Sam, Yogi Bear and Fred Flintstone.
- ↑ Anderson, Jenna (October 1, 2020). "Jeff Bergman Talks Our Cartoon President, Space Jam: A New Legacy, and More". Comicbook. Archived from the original on January 22, 2021. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
- ↑ "Space Jam: A New Legacy - Trailer 1". YouTube.com. Warner Bros. April 3, 2021. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
- ↑ "Coyote vs ACME (2026) - Full Cast and Crew".
- ↑ "The New Show". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
- ↑ "Buddha Bugs/Now and Zen". Wabbit. Season 1. Episode 1. September 21, 2015. Cartoon Network.
- ↑ "Meet the All-Star Voice Cast for "Tiny Toons Looniversity"" (Press release). Cartoon Network. June 22, 2023. Retrieved June 22, 2023 – via The Futon Critic.
- ↑ "Flintstones/Jetsons: Timewarp". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
- ↑ "Flintstones vs. Jetsons – Timewarp Back". The world of CD-i. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
- ↑ "Looney Tunes Dash!". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
- ↑ "Flintstones Slot Machine from WMS Gaming". YouTube. October 5, 2014. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
- ↑ Vicarious Visions. Skylanders: SuperChargers. Activision. Scene: Closing credits, 7:13 in, Voice Actors.
- ↑ "Ice Age: Arctic Blast". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
- ↑ "Lego The Incredibles". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
- ↑ "The Flintstones - Welcome to Bedrock". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
- ↑ "Yogi Bear Slot Machine Gameplay". YouTube. December 11, 2019. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
- ↑ "Yogi Bear Slot Machine". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
External links
[edit]- Jeff Bergman at IMDb
- Jeff Bergman at Voice Chasers Archived May 29, 2019, at the Wayback Machine
- Jeff Bergman Archived February 17, 2020, at the Wayback Machine – TV.com
- Jeff Bergman Credits – TV Guide
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists |
- 1960 births
- Living people
- 20th-century American comedians
- 20th-century American male actors
- 21st-century American comedians
- 21st-century American male actors
- American impressionists (entertainers)
- American male comedians
- American male voice actors
- Comedians from Philadelphia
- Hanna-Barbera people
- Jewish American male actors
- Male actors from Pennsylvania
- Jews from Pennsylvania
- University of Pittsburgh alumni
- 20th-century American Jews
- 21st-century American Jews
- Animal impersonators