Kent Byron Rogers was an American voice actor and impressionist.
Career[]
Kent did voice work for the 1940 Merrie Melodies cartoon "Hollywood Steps Out" where he voiced every male celebrity excluding Jerry Colonna who was voiced by Mel Blanc. His notable voice role was Beaky Buzzard who debuted in the 1942 Bugs Bunny cartoon, "Bugs Bunny Gets the Boid". He also did voice work for several of Tex Avery's cartoons at MGM including "Who Killed Who" and "What's Buzzin' Buzzard".[1] Rogers was also the voice of Walter Lantz's Woody Woodpecker succeeding both Mel Blanc and Danny Webb and he also was the voice of Homer Pigeon who starred in two cartoons.
Death[]
Rogers was an Ensign in the United States Navy during World War II and was tragically killed in an aircraft crash while towing a target during a training flight.[2] At the time of his death, he had just completed voice work for Bob Clampett's "The Bashful Buzzard," which was released a year after he was slain in war. Following his death, the characters that he voiced, Beaky Buzzard, Henery Hawk, and Junyer Bear were recast with Mel Blanc voicing the former two and Stan Freberg voicing the latter.
Filmography[]
- Goofy Groceries (1941) - Henry Gorilla (ending lines), Ned Sparks Crab
- Farm Frolics (1941) - Henry Ant
- Hollywood Steps Out (1941) - Mickey Rooney, James Cagney, James Stewart, J. Edgar Hoover, Henry Fonda, Cary Grant, Edward G. Robinson, Clark Gable, Bing Crosby, Lewis Stone, Ned Sparks, Peter Lorre, Groucho Marx, Kay Kyser
- The Heckling Hare (1941) - Willoughby
- Porky's Pastry Pirates (1942) - James Cagney Bee
- Horton Hatches the Egg (1942) - Horton the Elephant, Peter Lorre Fish, Giraffe, Rosebud
- Hobby Horse-Laffs (1942) - Strongfort, Giggleswick, Potts
- Wacky Blackout (1942) - Woodpecker, Baby Bird
- Bugs Bunny Gets the Boid (1942) - Beaky Buzzard
- The Squawkin' Hawk (1942) - Henery Hawk
- The Hep Cat (1942) - Rosebud
- Tortoise Wins by a Hare (1943) - Dumb Rabbit with Telescope
- Super-Rabbit (1943) - Professor Canafrazz
- Bugs Bunny and the Three Bears (1944) - Junyer Bear
- The Bashful Buzzard (1945) - Beaky Buzzard, Farmer
Roles[]
(Looney Tunes franchise)
(Looney Tunes franchise)
(Looney Tunes franchise)