Clarence Nash: Difference between revisions

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Keith Scott's Cartoon Voices book mentions that Clarence Nash also voiced Mickey Mouse in Plutopia and Pluto's Christmas Tree.
 
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{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2021}}
{{short description|American voice actor (1904–1985)}}
{{short description|American voice actor (1904–1985)}}
{{Use American English|date=June 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2025}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| name          = Clarence Nash
| name          = Clarence Nash
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| occupation    = {{hlist|Voice actor|impressionist}}
| occupation    = {{hlist|Voice actor|impressionist}}
| other_names  = Ducky Nash
| other_names  = Ducky Nash
| awards        = [[Inkpot Award]] (1978)<ref>[https://www.comic-con.org/awards/inkpot Inkpot Award]</ref>
| years_active  = 1928–1985
| years_active  = 1928–1985
| spouse        = {{marriage|Margaret Seamans|1930<!--Per instructions on [[Template:Marriage]] when marriage ends with death of article's subject-->}}
| spouse        = {{marriage|Margaret Seamans|1930<!--Per instructions on [[Template:Marriage]] when marriage ends with death of article's subject-->}}
| children      = 2
| children      = 2
| awards        = [[Inkpot Award]] (1978)<ref>[https://www.comic-con.org/awards/inkpot Inkpot Award]</ref>
}}
}}
'''Clarence Charles''' "'''Ducky'''" '''Nash''' (December 7, 1904 – February 20, 1985) was an American voice actor and impressionist. He is best remembered as the original voice of the [[The Walt Disney Company|Disney]] cartoon character [[Donald Duck]]. He was born in the rural community of [[Watonga, Oklahoma]], and [[Oklahoma State Highway 8|a street in that town]] is named in his honor.<ref name="Watonga">{{cite web|url=https://www.tulsaworld.com/entertainment/jimmie-tramel-from-donald-duck-to-tom-and-jerry-this/article_f056f54e-3edc-56d3-9fb2-293b99a77eb3.html|title=From Donald Duck to Tom and Jerry, this duck tale started in Oklahoma|publisher=Jimmie Tramel, Tulsa World, February 2, 2020|access-date=February 2, 2020}}</ref> In 1993, he was posthumously made a [[Disney Legend]] for his contributions to Walt Disney films.<ref>[https://d23.com/walt-disney-legends/clarence-nash "Walt Disney Legends: Clarence Nash"] Walt Disney Official Fan Club website (Note: Source is behind a paywall.)</ref>
'''Clarence Charles''' "'''Ducky'''" '''Nash''' (December 7, 1904 – February 20, 1985) was an American voice actor and impressionist. He is best remembered as the original voice of the [[The Walt Disney Company|Disney]] cartoon character [[Donald Duck]]. He was born in the rural community of [[Watonga, Oklahoma]], and [[Oklahoma State Highway 8|a street in that town]] is named in his honor.<ref name="Watonga">{{cite web|url=https://www.tulsaworld.com/entertainment/jimmie-tramel-from-donald-duck-to-tom-and-jerry-this/article_f056f54e-3edc-56d3-9fb2-293b99a77eb3.html|title=From Donald Duck to Tom and Jerry, this duck tale started in Oklahoma|publisher=Jimmie Tramel, Tulsa World, February 2, 2020|access-date=February 2, 2020}}</ref> In 1993, he was posthumously made a [[Disney Legend]] for his contributions to Walt Disney films.<ref>[https://d23.com/walt-disney-legends/clarence-nash "Walt Disney Legends: Clarence Nash"] Walt Disney Official Fan Club website (Note: Source is behind a paywall.)</ref>
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==Career==
==Career==
===Radio career===
===Radio career===
Nash made a name for himself in the late 1920s as an impressionist for [[KHJ (AM)|KHJ]], a [[Los Angeles]] [[radio station]], on their show, ''The Merrymakers''.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/02/22/arts/clarence-nash-is-dead-at-80-donald-duck-s-voice-in-films.html| title=Verdugo Views: Donald Duck and his brood nested in Glendale| newspaper=The Los Angeles Times|date=December 3, 2014}}</ref> He later was employed by the Adohr Milk Company for publicity purposes. Dubbed "Whistling Clarence, the Adohr Bird Man", Nash rode the streets with a team of [[miniature horse]]s and gave treats to the children.<ref name=":0"/> In 1932, Nash happened by the Disney Studio with his team of horses, and decided to leave a copy of his Adohr publicity sheet with the receptionist.<ref name=":0"/> As it turns out, his name was recognized from a reprise appearance on ''The Merrymakers'' a few days previous, and [[Walt Disney]] had been impressed by Nash's vocal skills. He was asked to make an informal audition.<ref name=":0"/>
Nash made a name for himself in the late 1920s as an impressionist for [[KHJ (AM)|KHJ]], a [[Los Angeles]] [[radio station]], on their show, ''The Merrymakers''.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/02/22/arts/clarence-nash-is-dead-at-80-donald-duck-s-voice-in-films.html|title=Verdugo Views: Donald Duck and his brood nested in Glendale|newspaper=The Los Angeles Times|date=December 3, 2014}}</ref> He later was employed by the Adohr Milk Company for publicity purposes. Dubbed "Whistling Clarence, the Adohr Bird Man", Nash rode the streets with a team of [[miniature horse]]s and gave treats to the children.<ref name=":0"/> In 1932, Nash happened by the Disney Studio with his team of horses, and decided to leave a copy of his Adohr publicity sheet with the receptionist.<ref name=":0"/> As it turns out, his name was recognized from a reprise appearance on ''The Merrymakers'' a few days previous, and [[Walt Disney]] had been impressed by Nash's vocal skills. He was asked to make an informal audition.<ref name=":0"/>


[[File:ClarenceNashfootprints.JPG|thumb|left|Nash left Donald's "footprints" at the [[Grauman's Chinese Theatre|Chinese Theatre]] in Hollywood.]]
[[File:ClarenceNashfootprints.JPG|thumb|left|Nash left Donald's "footprints" at the [[Grauman's Chinese Theatre|Chinese Theatre]] in Hollywood.]]
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One source indicates Nash auditioned before a casting director for Walt Disney Studios and did a voice impression of a billy goat that Nash had started doing as a child in Watonga. The director then reached for the intercom and told [[Walt Disney]], "I think we have found our duck."<ref name="Watonga" /> Another version indicates Nash went through several of his voices, and Walt Disney happened by when Nash gave his impersonation of a family of [[duck]]s. Disney declared Nash perfect for the role of a talking duck in their upcoming animated short, ''[[The Wise Little Hen]]''. The duck was Donald Duck, who Nash went on to voice for 51 years, in over 120 shorts and films. The last film to feature Nash's famous voice was 1983's ''[[Mickey's Christmas Carol]]'', although he continued to provide Donald's voice for commercials, promos, and other miscellaneous material until his death.
One source indicates Nash auditioned before a casting director for Walt Disney Studios and did a voice impression of a billy goat that Nash had started doing as a child in Watonga. The director then reached for the intercom and told [[Walt Disney]], "I think we have found our duck."<ref name="Watonga" /> Another version indicates Nash went through several of his voices, and Walt Disney happened by when Nash gave his impersonation of a family of [[duck]]s. Disney declared Nash perfect for the role of a talking duck in their upcoming animated short, ''[[The Wise Little Hen]]''. The duck was Donald Duck, who Nash went on to voice for 51 years, in over 120 shorts and films. The last film to feature Nash's famous voice was 1983's ''[[Mickey's Christmas Carol]]'', although he continued to provide Donald's voice for commercials, promos, and other miscellaneous material until his death.


As early as 1938, promoters from [[Lecture circuit|lecture circuits]] were approaching him on his unique voice of Donald. Disney reportedly did not like the engagements at first, feeling that a human doing the voice would be spoiling the illusion, but then long after he had second thoughts. In early 1941, Nash was traveling on personal appearance tours sponsored by Disney. During World War II, Nash, with his ventriloquist puppet of Donald, which was built by Disney's character modeling department, became a regular performer at [[USO]] bond rallies and other events to support the war effort. In the mid-1940s, Roy and Walt approved the Donald puppet and they decided to harness it for the 1944 re-release  of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. [[RKO Pictures|RKO]] and Disney were unsure how the film would do the second time around at the box office after its initial blockbuster run, so they did a promotional campaign with Disney characters including Nash performing with the Donald puppet. During the promotional period of ''[[Fun and Fancy Free]]'', he did multiple radio appearances from May to September 1947, with one of those appearances starring Disney himself. He voiced Donald for 1950s TV commercials.<ref name="bio">{{cite web|last=Kaufman|first=J.B.|title=Promoting 'Fun and Fancy Free'|url=https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/promoting-fun-and-fancy-free/|website=[[Jerry Beck|Cartoon Research]]|access-date=September 1, 2020|date=August 31, 2020}}</ref>
As early as 1938, promoters from [[Lecture circuit|lecture circuits]] were approaching him on his unique voice of Donald. Disney reportedly did not like the engagements at first, feeling that a human doing the voice would be spoiling the illusion, but then long after he had second thoughts. In early 1941, Nash was traveling on personal appearance tours sponsored by Disney. During World War II, Nash, with his ventriloquist puppet of Donald, which was built by Disney's character modeling department, became a regular performer at [[USO]] bond rallies and other events to support the war effort. In the mid-1940s, Roy and Walt approved the Donald puppet and they decided to harness it for the 1944 re-release  of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. [[RKO Pictures|RKO]] and Disney were unsure how the film would do the second time around at the box office after its initial blockbuster run, so they did a promotional campaign with Disney characters including Nash performing with the Donald puppet. During the promotional period of ''[[Fun and Fancy Free]]'', he did multiple radio appearances from May to September 1947, with one of those appearances starring Disney himself. He voiced Donald for 1950s TV commercials.<ref name="bio">{{cite web|last=Kaufman|first=J.B.|title=Promoting 'Fun and Fancy Free'|url=https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/promoting-fun-and-fancy-free/|date=August 31, 2020|website=Cartoon Research|access-date=September 1, 2020}}</ref>


Nash's Donald Duck voice was achieved by what is called [[buccal speech]]: an [[Alaryngeal speech|alaryngeal]] form of [[Speech production|vocalization]] which uses the inner cheek to produce sound rather than the [[larynx]].<ref name="buccal">{{cite journal | last1=Weinberg | first1=Bernd | last2=Westerhouse | first2=Jan | title=A Study of Buccal Speech | journal=Journal of Speech and Hearing Research | publisher=American Speech Language Hearing Association | volume=14 | issue=3 | year=1971 | issn=0022-4685 | doi=10.1044/jshr.1403.652 | pages=652–658| pmid=5163900 }} also published as {{cite journal | last1=Weinberg | first1=B. | last2=Westerhouse | first2=J. | title=A Study of Buccal Speech | journal=The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America | publisher=Acoustical Society of America (ASA) | volume=51 | issue=1A | year=1972 | issn=0001-4966 | doi=10.1121/1.1981697 | pages=652–8| pmid=5163900 | bibcode=1972ASAJ...51Q..91W | doi-access=free }}</ref> He first discovered it while trying to mimic his pet goat Mary. In his days before Disney, Nash performed in [[vaudeville]] shows where he often spoke in a "nervous baby goat" voice.<ref>{{cite book|last=Blitz |first=Marcia |title=Donald Duck |year=1979 |publisher=[[Harmony Books]]|isbn=978-0-517-52961-4 |page=19}}</ref>
Nash's Donald Duck voice was achieved by what is called [[buccal speech]]: an [[Alaryngeal speech|alaryngeal]] form of [[Speech production|vocalization]] which uses the inner cheek to produce sound rather than the [[larynx]].<ref name="buccal">{{cite journal|last1=Weinberg|first1=Bernd|last2=Westerhouse|first2=Jan|title=A Study of Buccal Speech|journal=Journal of Speech and Hearing Research|publisher=American Speech Language Hearing Association|volume=14|issue=3|year=1971|issn=0022-4685|doi=10.1044/jshr.1403.652|pages=652–658|pmid=5163900}} also published as {{cite journal|last1=Weinberg|first1=B.|last2=Westerhouse|first2=J.|title=A Study of Buccal Speech|journal=The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America|publisher=Acoustical Society of America (ASA)|volume=51|issue=1A|year=1972|issn=0001-4966|doi=10.1121/1.1981697|pages=652–8|pmid=5163900|bibcode=1972ASAJ...51Q..91W|doi-access=free}}</ref> He first discovered it while trying to mimic his pet goat Mary. In his days before Disney, Nash performed in [[vaudeville]] shows where he often spoke in a "nervous baby goat" voice.<ref>{{cite book|last=Blitz|first=Marcia|title=Donald Duck|year=1979|publisher=[[Harmony Books]]|isbn=978-0-517-52961-4|page=19}}</ref>


Donald Duck became one of the world's most famous cartoon characters, in great part due to Nash's voice.{{cn|date=November 2022}} The voice is distinctive both for its ducklike quality and the fact that it is often very difficult for anybody to understand, especially when Donald flew into a rage (which happened fairly often). To keep Donald's voice consistent throughout the world, Nash voiced the character in all foreign languages the Disney shorts were translated to (with the aid of the [[Phonetic transcription|phonetic alphabet]]), meaning Donald retained his same level of incoherency all across the globe.{{clear left}}
Donald Duck became one of the world's most famous cartoon characters, in great part due to Nash's voice.<ref name="In Own">{{cite web|last=Korkis|first=Jim|title=In His Own Words: Donald Duck|url=https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/in-his-own-words-donald-duck/|date=January 16, 2016|website=Cartoon Research|access-date=September 8, 2025}}</ref><ref name="OrigVoice2">{{cite web|last=Korkis|first=Jim|title=The Original Voice of Donald Duck: Clarence Nash, Part 2|url=https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/the-original-voice-of-donald-duck-clarence-nash-part-2/|date=April 1, 2022|website=Cartoon Research|access-date=June 29, 2022}}</ref> The voice is distinctive both for its ducklike quality and the fact that it is often very difficult for anybody to understand, especially when Donald flew into a rage (which happened fairly often). To keep Donald's voice consistent throughout the world, Nash voiced the character in all foreign languages the Disney shorts were translated to (with the aid of the [[Phonetic transcription|phonetic alphabet]]), meaning Donald retained his same level of incoherency all across the globe.{{clear left}}


===Other characters===
===Other characters===
In addition to Donald's voice, Clarence Nash also voiced Donald's nephews [[Huey, Dewey and Louie]] and his girlfriend [[Daisy Duck|Daisy]], and [[Mickey Mouse]] in ''Plutopia'', ''[[R'coon Dawg]]'', ''[[Pluto's Party]]'' and ''[[Pluto's Christmas Tree]]''. He provided the meows and yowls of [[Figaro (Disney)|Figaro]] the kitten and some donkey brays in ''[[Pinocchio (1940 film)|Pinocchio]]'' and in a handful of shorts. He also did some bird sounds in ''[[Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film)|Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs]]'', voiced a bullfrog in ''[[Bambi]]'' and Mr. Bluebird in ''[[Song of the South]]'', did some dog sounds in ''[[One Hundred and One Dalmatians]]'' and background bird sounds in ''[[Enchanted Tiki Room]]'', and voiced [[Jiminy Cricket]] for a brief period of time after [[Cliff Edwards]]'s death in 1971.<ref>{{cite web|last=Barnes|first=Brooks|url=https://www.nytimes.com/movies/person/198701/Clarence-Nash/biography|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150519033825/http://www.nytimes.com/movies/person/198701/Clarence-Nash/biography|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 19, 2015|title=Movies|department=Movies & TV Dept.|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=2015|access-date=September 11, 2016}}</ref><ref name="LA Times">{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-02-21-mn-619-story.html|title=50-Year Career: Clarence Nash, Donald Duck's Voice, Dies|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=February 21, 1985|last=Folkart|first=Burt A.|access-date=September 11, 2016}}</ref><ref name="Filmfax">{{cite magazine|last=J. M. Catsos|first=Gregory|url=https://archive.org/details/ClarenceNashFilmfaxNo26/page/n5/mode/2up|title=Clarence "Ducky" Nash|magazine=Filmfax|issue=26|publisher=Filmfax Magazine|date=April 1991|pages=95|access-date=February 17, 2025}}</ref><ref name="CartoonVoices1">{{cite book|last1=Scott|first1=Keith|title=Cartoon Voices of the Golden Age, Vol. 2|date=3 October 2022|publisher=BearManor Media|page=|language=en}}</ref>
In addition to Donald's voice, Clarence Nash also voiced Donald's nephews [[Huey, Dewey and Louie]] and his girlfriend [[Daisy Duck|Daisy]], and [[Mickey Mouse]] in ''Plutopia'', ''[[R'coon Dawg]]'', ''[[Pluto's Party]]'' and ''[[Pluto's Christmas Tree]]''. He provided the meows and yowls of [[Figaro (Disney)|Figaro]] the kitten and some donkey brays in ''[[Pinocchio (1940 film)|Pinocchio]]'' and in a handful of shorts. He also did some bird sounds in ''[[Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film)|Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs]]'', voiced a bullfrog in ''[[Bambi]]'' and Mr. Bluebird in ''[[Song of the South]]'', did some dog sounds in ''[[One Hundred and One Dalmatians]]'' and background bird sounds in ''[[Enchanted Tiki Room]]'', and voiced [[Jiminy Cricket]] for a brief period of time after [[Cliff Edwards]]'s death in 1971.<ref>{{cite web|last=Barnes|first=Brooks|url=https://www.nytimes.com/movies/person/198701/Clarence-Nash/biography|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150519033825/http://www.nytimes.com/movies/person/198701/Clarence-Nash/biography|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 19, 2015|title=Movies|department=Movies & TV Dept.|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=2015|access-date=September 11, 2016}}</ref><ref name="LA Times">{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-02-21-mn-619-story.html|title=50-Year Career: Clarence Nash, Donald Duck's Voice, Dies|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=February 21, 1985|last=Folkart|first=Burt A.|access-date=September 11, 2016}}</ref><ref name="Filmfax">{{cite magazine|last=J. M. Catsos|first=Gregory|url=https://archive.org/details/ClarenceNashFilmfaxNo26/page/n5/mode/2up|title=Clarence "Ducky" Nash|magazine=Filmfax|issue=26|publisher=Filmfax Magazine|date=April 1991|pages=95|access-date=February 17, 2025}}</ref><ref name="CartoonVoices1">{{cite book|last1=Scott|first1=Keith|title=Cartoon Voices of the Golden Age, Vol. 2|date=3 October 2022|publisher=BearManor Media|page=|language=en}}</ref>


Nash's iconic Donald Duck voice would be impersonated elsewhere in animation, most notably in the ''[[Tom and Jerry]]'' cartoons directed by [[William Hanna]] and [[Joseph Barbera]] with the character [[Little Quacker]] (voiced by [[Red Coffey]]) and Hanna-Barbera's [[Yakky Doodle]] (voiced by [[Jimmy Weldon]]),<ref name="Duck Imitations">{{Cite web|url=https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/the-original-voice-of-donald-duck-clarence-nash-part-2/|title=The Original Voice of Donald Duck: Clarence Nash, Part 2|date=2022-04-01|access-date=2022-06-29|website=Cartoon Research|last=Korkis|first=Jim}}</ref> while [[Harry E. Lang]] did Donald Duck-like voices in cartoons at [[MGM Cartoons]] and [[Columbia Pictures]], including [[Tom Cat]] in the early shorts whenever he hisses.<ref name="CartoonVoices2">{{cite book|last1=Scott|first1=Keith|title=Cartoon Voices of the Golden Age, Vol. 1|date=3 October 2022|publisher=BearManor Media|page=136-160|language=en}}</ref> As with most Hanna-Barbera productions, these characters used celebrity impersonations, in these cases an impersonation of Clarence Nash's Donald Duck voice. Because both were much similar to Nash's voice they were often mistakenly attributed to Nash.<ref name="Duck Imitations"/> Likewise, contrary to popular belief, he did not perform the duck voice for [[Rick Dees]]' "[[Disco Duck]]", which was done by one of Dees' acquaintances.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Galindo|first1=Brian|title=Did You Shake Your Tail Feather To "Disco Duck"?|url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/briangalindo/did-you-shake-your-tail-feather-to-disco-duc|website=buzzfeed.com|access-date=23 April 2023}}</ref> Nash would also use his duck voice on ''[[The Burns & Allen Show]]'' during the 1940s, playing Gracie's pet duck Herman.<ref name="Filmfax"/>
Nash's iconic Donald Duck voice would be impersonated elsewhere in animation, most notably in the ''[[Tom and Jerry]]'' cartoons directed by [[William Hanna]] and [[Joseph Barbera]] with the character [[Little Quacker]] (voiced by [[Red Coffey]]) and Hanna-Barbera's [[Yakky Doodle]] (voiced by [[Jimmy Weldon]]),<ref name="OrigVoice2"/> while [[Harry E. Lang]] did Donald Duck-like voices in cartoons at [[MGM Cartoons]] and [[Columbia Pictures]], including [[Tom Cat]] in the early shorts whenever he hisses.<ref name="CartoonVoices2">{{cite book|last1=Scott|first1=Keith|title=Cartoon Voices of the Golden Age, Vol. 1|date=3 October 2022|publisher=BearManor Media|page=136-160|language=en}}</ref> As with most Hanna-Barbera productions, these characters used celebrity impersonations, in these cases an impersonation of Clarence Nash's Donald Duck voice. Because both were much similar to Nash's voice they were often mistakenly attributed to Nash.<ref name="OrigVoice2"/> Likewise, contrary to popular belief, he did not perform the duck voice for [[Rick Dees]]' "[[Disco Duck]]", which was done by one of Dees' acquaintances.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Galindo|first1=Brian|title=Did You Shake Your Tail Feather To "Disco Duck"?|url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/briangalindo/did-you-shake-your-tail-feather-to-disco-duc|website=buzzfeed.com|access-date=23 April 2023}}</ref> Nash would also use his duck voice on ''[[The Burns & Allen Show]]'' during the 1940s, playing Gracie's pet duck Herman.<ref name="Filmfax"/>


Nash appeared as himself in the 1941 film ''[[The Reluctant Dragon (1941 film)|The Reluctant Dragon]]'', which shows how Disney films were produced, and was a contestant on a 1954 episode of ''[[What's My Line]]''<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/7NpqJl7xHxw Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20130724163407/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NpqJl7xHxw Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NpqJl7xHxw |title=What's My Line|publisher=[[YouTube]] |access-date=September 11, 2016}}{{cbignore}}</ref> and a 1964 episode of ''[[To Tell the Truth]]''.<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/bjPCBF_z6WA Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20200220234747/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjPCBF_z6WA&gl=US&hl=en Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjPCBF_z6WA|title=To Tell the Truth|publisher=[[YouTube]] |access-date=October 10, 2016}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Nash also appeared as himself in a 1956 episode of ''[[Walt Disney anthology television series|Disneyland]]'' entitled "[[A Day in the Life of Donald Duck]]", in which he interacts with an animated Donald who blames him for his speech problems: the two end up arguing mainly due to Donald's short temper.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLhW51HMNUY|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140416123559/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLhW51HMNUY|archive-date=2014-04-16|url-status=dead|title=Disneyland - 2.18 - A Day in the Life of Donald Duck - Part 1 of 4|publisher=[[YouTube]]|access-date=September 11, 2016}}</ref> He was also a guest on a 1976 episode of ''[[The Mike Douglas Show]]''. The 1984 special ''[[Donald Duck's 50th Birthday]]'' included several clips from Disney films and ''Disneyland'' episodes.<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/912bPA5iE8Q Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20150706180215/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=912bPA5iE8Q Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=912bPA5iE8Q |title=DONALD DUCK 50th BIRTHDAY SPECIAL-#3-Clarence Nash-Star Wars |publisher=[[YouTube]] |date=December 12, 1954|access-date=September 11, 2016}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
Nash appeared as himself in the 1941 film ''[[The Reluctant Dragon (1941 film)|The Reluctant Dragon]]'', which shows how Disney films were produced, and was a contestant on a 1954 episode of ''[[What's My Line]]''<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/7NpqJl7xHxw Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20130724163407/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NpqJl7xHxw Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}:{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NpqJl7xHxw|title=What's My Line|date=August 6, 2010 |publisher=[[YouTube]]|access-date=September 11, 2016}}{{cbignore}}</ref> and a 1964 episode of ''[[To Tell the Truth]]''.<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/bjPCBF_z6WA Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20200220234747/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjPCBF_z6WA&gl=US&hl=en Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjPCBF_z6WA|title=To Tell the Truth|date=September 2016 |publisher=[[YouTube]]|access-date=October 10, 2016}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Nash also appeared as himself in a 1956 episode of ''[[Walt Disney anthology television series|Disneyland]]'' entitled "[[A Day in the Life of Donald Duck]]", in which he interacts with an animated Donald who blames him for his speech problems: the two end up arguing mainly due to Donald's short temper.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLhW51HMNUY|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140416123559/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLhW51HMNUY|archive-date=2014-04-16|url-status=dead|title=Disneyland - 2.18 - A Day in the Life of Donald Duck - Part 1 of 4|publisher=[[YouTube]]|access-date=September 11, 2016}}</ref> He was also a guest on a 1976 episode of ''[[The Mike Douglas Show]]''. The 1984 special ''[[Donald Duck's 50th Birthday]]'' included several clips from Disney films and ''Disneyland'' episodes.<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/912bPA5iE8Q Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20150706180215/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=912bPA5iE8Q Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=912bPA5iE8Q|title=DONALD DUCK 50th BIRTHDAY SPECIAL-#3-Clarence Nash-Star Wars|publisher=[[YouTube]]|date=December 12, 1954|access-date=September 11, 2016}}{{cbignore}}</ref>


===Later years===
===Later years===
When Disney shut down their shorts department in 1962, Nash continued to voice Donald in various projects over the next two decades. In 1971, he devoted himself to charity work, making personal visits to hospitals and homes and entertaining children with his Donald Duck voice.<ref name="LA Times"/><ref>{{cite web|title=Famous Oklahomans: Clarence Nash|url=https://www.madillrecord.net/news/famous-oklahomans-clarence-nash|date=December 19, 2024|publisher=Madill Record|access-date=February 17, 2025}}</ref> As he passed the age of 70, he found the harsh voice increasingly straining on his throat and so limited public performances to groups of children. During recording sessions, he would take frequent breaks and drink plenty of water to avoid overexerting himself.{{cn|date=June 2020}}
When Disney shut down their shorts department in 1962, Nash continued to voice Donald in various projects over the next two decades. In 1971, he devoted himself to charity work, making personal visits to hospitals and homes and entertaining children with his Donald Duck voice.<ref name="LA Times"/><ref>{{cite web|title=Famous Oklahomans: Clarence Nash|work=Madill Record |url=https://www.madillrecord.net/news/famous-oklahomans-clarence-nash|date=December 19, 2024|access-date=February 17, 2025}}</ref>


One of Nash's final performances was in ''[[Mickey's Christmas Carol]]'' (1983), which made Donald the only character in the film to be voiced by his original actor. His career at Disney was the subject of the premiere episode of ''[[Disney Family Album]]'', a 1984 series of documentaries about behind-the-scenes personalities at the studio.
One of Nash's final performances was in ''[[Mickey's Christmas Carol]]'' (1983), which made Donald the only character in the film to be voiced by his original actor. His career at Disney was the subject of the premiere episode of ''[[Disney Family Album]]'', a 1984 series of documentaries about behind-the-scenes personalities at the studio.
Line 51: Line 52:


==Death==
==Death==
[[File:Clarence Nash Grave.JPG|thumb|Grave of Clarence Nash at the San Fernando Mission Cemetery]]
Nash died on February 20, 1985, of [[leukemia]] in the [[Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center]] in [[Burbank, California]], at the age of 80 and was interred in the [[San Fernando Mission Cemetery]] in [[Mission Hills, Los Angeles, California]].<ref name="LA Times"/> The tombstone of the grave he now shares with his wife Margaret Nash depicts a carving of Donald and Daisy Duck holding hands.
Nash died on February 20, 1985, of [[leukemia]] in the [[Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center]] in [[Burbank, California]], at the age of 80 and was interred in the [[San Fernando Mission Cemetery]] in [[Mission Hills, Los Angeles, California]].<ref name="LA Times"/> The tombstone of the grave he now shares with his wife Margaret Nash depicts a carving of Donald and Daisy Duck holding hands.


Line 57: Line 57:
After Nash's death, Donald's voice has been taken up by Disney animator [[Tony Anselmo]], who was trained under Nash personally. Anselmo is also among the many voiceover artists to have voiced Huey, Dewey and Louie over the years. Later characters whose voices owe considerable credit to Nash's duck voice have been voiced by actors such as [[Jimmy Weldon]], [[Frank Welker]], [[Luba Goy]] and [[Red Coffey]]. The most prominent of these is Weldon's [[Yakky Doodle]] for [[Hanna-Barbera]].
After Nash's death, Donald's voice has been taken up by Disney animator [[Tony Anselmo]], who was trained under Nash personally. Anselmo is also among the many voiceover artists to have voiced Huey, Dewey and Louie over the years. Later characters whose voices owe considerable credit to Nash's duck voice have been voiced by actors such as [[Jimmy Weldon]], [[Frank Welker]], [[Luba Goy]] and [[Red Coffey]]. The most prominent of these is Weldon's [[Yakky Doodle]] for [[Hanna-Barbera]].


It was announced in 2020 that Disney historian [[J.B. Kaufman]] was working with Margaret Barnes, Nash's granddaughter, on a biography of Nash.<ref name="bio"/>
It was announced in 2020 that Disney historian [[J.B. Kaufman]] was working on a biography of Nash with Margaret Barnes, Nash's granddaughter.<ref name="bio"/>


==Filmography==
==Filmography==
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|-
|-
| 1983 || ''[[Mickey's Christmas Carol]]'' || Nephew Fred/Donald Duck  
| 1983 || ''[[Mickey's Christmas Carol]]'' || Nephew Fred/Donald Duck  
|-
| 2024 || ''[[D.I.Y Duck]]'' || Donald Duck || (archived recording)
|}
|}


Line 142: Line 144:
|rowspan="1"| 1954 || ''[[What's My Line?]]''
|rowspan="1"| 1954 || ''[[What's My Line?]]''
|Himself (Voice of Donald Duck)
|Himself (Voice of Donald Duck)
|Live appearance<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/pl4VsFFUFu0 Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20161108214426/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pl4VsFFUFu0 Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{Citation|last=What's My Line?|title=What's My Line? - Clarence "Donald Duck" Nash; Bob Hope (Dec 12, 1954) [W/ COMMERCIALS]|date=September 23, 2015|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pl4VsFFUFu0|access-date=February 20, 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
|Live appearance<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/pl4VsFFUFu0 Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20161108214426/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pl4VsFFUFu0 Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{citation|last=What's My Line?|title=What's My Line? - Clarence "Donald Duck" Nash; Bob Hope (Dec 12, 1954) [W/ COMMERCIALS]|date=September 23, 2015|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pl4VsFFUFu0|access-date=February 20, 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
|-
|-
|rowspan="1"| 1963 || ''[[To Tell the Truth]]'' || Himself-Challenger || Live appearance
|rowspan="1"| 1963 || ''[[To Tell the Truth]]'' || Himself-Challenger || Live appearance
Line 150: Line 152:


==Discography==
==Discography==
* ''Mickey and the Beanstalk'' (Capitol, 1947)<ref name="Mickey and the Beanstalk">[http://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/walt-disneys-fun-and-fancy-free-on-records-part-2/ "Walt Disney's Fun and Fancy Free on Records, Part 2"]. Retrieved October 7, 2017.</ref> as Donald Duck
* ''Mickey and the Beanstalk'' (Capitol, 1947)<ref name="Mickey and the Beanstalk">{{cite web|last=Ehrbar|first=Greg|title=Walt Disney's Fun and Fancy Free on Records, Part 2|url=https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/walt-disneys-fun-and-fancy-free-on-records-part-2/|date=September 27, 2016|website=Cartoon Research|access-date=October 7, 2017}}</ref> as Donald Duck
* ''Donald Duck's Singing Lesson''/''Pluto, The Pup'' (Golden, 1949)<ref>[http://www.45worlds.com/78rpm/label/golden-records "Golden Records-78 RPM-Label Discography Page 1"]. Retrieved November 25, 2018. "Original Voices..."</ref> as Donald Duck
* ''Donald Duck's Singing Lesson''/''Pluto, The Pup'' (Golden, 1949)<ref>{{cite web|title=Golden Records-78 RPM-Label Discography Page 1|url=https://www.45worlds.com/78rpm/label/golden-records|publisher=45cat|quote=Original Voices...|access-date=November 25, 2018}}</ref> as Donald Duck
* ''Cinderella'' (RCA, 1949)<ref>[http://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/walt-disneys-cinderella-on-records/"Walt Disney's "Cinderella" on Records"]. Retrieved October 7, 2017.</ref> as Lucifer, Bruno, Major, Additional Animal Voices
* ''Cinderella'' (RCA, 1949)<ref>{{cite web|last=Ehrbar|first=Greg|title=Walt Disney's "Cinderella" on Records|url=https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/walt-disneys-cinderella-on-records/|date=July 21, 2015|website=Cartoon Research|access-date=October 7, 2017}}</ref> as Lucifer, Bruno, Major, Additional Animal Voices
* ''Mickey's New Car''/''Donald Duck at the Opera'' (Golden, 1950)<ref name="45World">[http://www.45worlds.com/78rpm/label/golden-records/2 "Golden Records-78 RPM-Label Discography Page 2"]. Retrieved November 25, 2018. "Original Voices..."</ref> as Donald Duck
* ''Mickey's New Car''/''Donald Duck at the Opera'' (Golden, 1950)<ref name="45World">[http://www.45worlds.com/78rpm/label/golden-records/2 "Golden Records-78 RPM-Label Discography Page 2"]. Retrieved November 25, 2018. "Original Voices..."</ref> as Donald Duck
* ''Donald Duck, Babysitter''/''Mickey Mouse and Farmer Rush Rush'' (Golden, 1950)<ref name="45World"/> as Donald Duck
* ''Donald Duck, Babysitter''/''Mickey Mouse and Farmer Rush Rush'' (Golden, 1950)<ref name="45World"/> as Donald Duck
* ''Donald Duck Cowboy'' (Golden, 1950)<ref>''Billboard''. October 14, 1950, P.113. "...are sung by the original D. Duck voice..."</ref> as Donald Duck
* ''Donald Duck Cowboy'' (Golden, 1950)<ref>''Billboard''. October 14, 1950, P.113. "...are sung by the original D. Duck voice..."</ref> as Donald Duck
* ''Trick or Treat'' (RCA Victor, 1952)<ref>[http://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/walt-disneys-trick-or-treat-with-june-foray-on-records/ "Walt Disney's "Trick or Treat" with June Foray on Records"]. Retrieved November 25, 2018.</ref> as Donald Duck
* ''Trick or Treat'' (RCA Victor, 1952)<ref>{{cite web|last=Ehrbar|first=Greg|title=Walt Disney's "Trick or Treat" with June Foray on Records|url=https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/walt-disneys-trick-or-treat-with-june-foray-on-records/|date=October 31, 2017|website=Cartoon Research|access-date=November 25, 2018}}</ref> as Donald Duck
* ''Mr. Television'' (RCA Victor, 1952)<ref name="Billboard">''Billboard''. June 30, 1951, P.20. "Milton Berle and Clarence Nash, the voice of Disney's Donald Duck, waxed two singles for RCA Victor last week titled respectively "Mr. Television" and "Mr. Animated Cartoon.""</ref> as Donald Duck
* ''Mr. Television'' (RCA Victor, 1952)<ref name="Billboard">''Billboard''. June 30, 1951, P.20. "Milton Berle and Clarence Nash, the voice of Disney's Donald Duck, waxed two singles for RCA Victor last week titled respectively "Mr. Television" and "Mr. Animated Cartoon.""</ref> as Donald Duck
* ''Mr. Animated Cartoon'' (RCA Victor, 1952)<ref name="Billboard"/> as Donald Duck
* ''Mr. Animated Cartoon'' (RCA Victor, 1952)<ref name="Billboard"/> as Donald Duck
* ''Donald Duck, Fire Chief'' (Golden, 1953)<ref>Hollis, Tim (2015). ''Toons in Toyland: The Story of Cartoon Character Merchandise''. University Press of Mississippi. {{ISBN |978-1628461992}}. Retrieved November 25, 2018.</ref> as Donald Duck
* ''Donald Duck, Fire Chief'' (Golden, 1953)<ref>Hollis, Tim (2015). ''Toons in Toyland: The Story of Cartoon Character Merchandise''. University Press of Mississippi. {{ISBN|978-1628461992}}. Retrieved November 25, 2018.</ref> as Donald Duck
* ''Mickey Mouse's Birthday Party'' (Capitol, 1954)<ref>[http://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/spin-special-stan-freberg-records/ "A Spin Special: Stan Freberg Records"]. Retrieved October 7, 2017.</ref> as Donald Duck
* ''Mickey Mouse's Birthday Party'' (Capitol, 1954)<ref>{{cite web|last=Ehrbar|first=Greg|title=A Spin Special: Stan Freberg Records|url=https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/spin-special-stan-freberg-records/|date=April 14, 2015|website=Cartoon Research|access-date=October 7, 2017}}</ref> as Donald Duck
* ''School Days'' (Golden, 1954)<ref name="45World4">[http://www.45worlds.com/78rpm/label/golden-records/4 "Golden Records-78 RPM-Label Discography Page 4"]. Retrieved November 25, 2018. "Original Voices..."</ref> as Donald Duck
* ''School Days'' (Golden, 1954)<ref name="45World4">{{cite web|title=Golden Records-78 RPM-Label Discography Page 4|url=https://www.45worlds.com/78rpm/label/golden-records/4|publisher=45cat|quote=Original Voices...|access-date=November 25, 2018}}</ref> as Donald Duck
* ''Mickey Mouse's Christmas Party'' (Golden, 1954)<ref name="45World4"/> as Donald Duck
* ''Mickey Mouse's Christmas Party'' (Golden, 1954)<ref name="45World4"/> as Donald Duck
*''Happy Birthday to Mickey Mouse''/''Donald Duck's Unbirthday'' (Golden, 1955)<ref>[http://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/mickeys-birthday-donalds-unbirthday-on-golden-records/ "Mickey's Birthday & Donald's Unbirthday on Golden Records"]. Retrieved December 29, 2017.</ref> as Donald Duck
*''Happy Birthday to Mickey Mouse''/''Donald Duck's Unbirthday'' (Golden, 1955)<ref>{{cite web|last=Ehrbar|first=Greg|title=Mickey's Birthday & Donald's Unbirthday on Golden Records|url=https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/mickeys-birthday-donalds-unbirthday-on-golden-records/|date=November 14, 2017|website=Cartoon Research|access-date=December 29, 2017}}</ref> as Donald Duck
* ''Walt Disney's Song Parade from Disneyland'' (Golden, 1956)<ref>[http://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/walt-disneys-song-parade-from-disneyland-on-golden-records/ ""Walt Disney's Song Parade from Disneyland" on Golden Records"]. Retrieved October 8, 2017.</ref> as Donald Duck
* ''Walt Disney's Song Parade from Disneyland'' (Golden, 1956)<ref>{{cite web|last=Ehrbar|first=Greg|title="Walt Disney's Song Parade from Disneyland" on Golden Records|url=https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/walt-disneys-song-parade-from-disneyland-on-golden-records/|date=January 3, 2017|website=Cartoon Research|access-date=October 8, 2017}}</ref> as Donald Duck
* ''Goofy's Dance Party'' (Disneyland, 1959)<ref>[http://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/suppose-goofy-gave-a-dance-party-and-he-never-showed-up/ "Suppose Goofy Gave a Dance Party-and He Never Showed Up?"]. Retrieved November 25, 2018.</ref> as Donald Duck
* ''Goofy's Dance Party'' (Disneyland, 1959)<ref>{{cite web|last=Ehrbar|first=Greg|title=Suppose Goofy Gave a Dance Party-and He Never Showed Up?|url=https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/suppose-goofy-gave-a-dance-party-and-he-never-showed-up/|date=
* ''Donald Duck and His Friends'' (Disneyland, 1960)<ref name="Donald Duck's Quacked Records">[http://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/donald-ducks-quacked-records/ "Donald Duck's Quacked Records"]. Retrieved October 7, 2017.</ref> as Donald Duck
March 27, 2018|website=Cartoon Research|access-date=November 25, 2018}}</ref> as Donald Duck
* ''Chipmunk Fun'' (Disneyland, 1963)<ref>[http://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/disneys-chip-n-dale-on-records/"Disney's "Chip 'n' Dale" on Records"]. Retrieved October 7, 2017.</ref> as Donald Duck
* ''Donald Duck and His Friends'' (Disneyland, 1960)<ref name="Donald Duck's Quacked Records">{{cite web|last=Ehrbar|first=Greg|title=Donald Duck's Quacked Records|url=https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/donald-ducks-quacked-records/|date=June 10, 2014|website=Cartoon Research|access-date=October 7, 2017}}</ref> as Donald Duck
* ''Chipmunk Fun'' (Disneyland, 1963)<ref>{{cite web|last=Ehrbar|first=Greg|title="Disney's "Chip 'n' Dale" on Records|url=https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/disneys-chip-n-dale-on-records/|date=May 31, 2016|website=Cartoon Research|access-date=October 7, 2017}}</ref> as Donald Duck
* ''Mickey and the Beanstalk'' (Disneyland, 1963)<ref name="Mickey and the Beanstalk"/> as Donald Duck
* ''Mickey and the Beanstalk'' (Disneyland, 1963)<ref name="Mickey and the Beanstalk"/> as Donald Duck
* ''Dickens' Christmas Carol Presented by the Walt Disney Players'' (Disneyland, 1975)<ref>[http://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/mickeys-christmas-carol/ "Mickey's Christmas Carol"]. Retrieved October 7, 2017.</ref> as Donald Duck
* ''Dickens' Christmas Carol Presented by the Walt Disney Players'' (Disneyland, 1975)<ref>{{cite web|last=Ehrbar|first=Greg|title="Mickey's Christmas Carol"|url=https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/mickeys-christmas-carol/|date=November 12, 2013|website=Cartoon Research|access-date=October 7, 2017}}</ref> as Donald Duck
* ''Yankee Doodle Mickey'' (Disneyland, 1980)<ref>[http://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/mickey-discovers-america-and-molly-ringwald-on-records/ "Mickey Discovers America (and Molly Ringwald) on Records"]. Retrieved October 7, 2017.</ref> as Donald Duck
* ''Yankee Doodle Mickey'' (Disneyland, 1980)<ref>{{cite web|last=Ehrbar|first=Greg|title=Mickey Discovers America (and Molly Ringwald) on Records|url=https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/mickey-discovers-america-and-molly-ringwald-on-records/|date=June 28, 2016|website=Cartoon Research|access-date=October 7, 2017}}</ref> as Donald Duck
* ''Goin' Quackers'' (Disneyland, 1980)<ref name="Donald Duck's Quacked Records"/> as Donald Duck
* ''Goin' Quackers'' (Disneyland, 1980)<ref name="Donald Duck's Quacked Records"/> as Donald Duck
* ''Pardners'' (Disneyland, 1980)<ref name="Mouse Tracks"> Hollis, Tim; Ehrbar, Greg (2006). ''Mouse Tracks: The Story of Walt Disney Records''. University Press of Mississippi. {{ISBN |978-1578068494}}. Retrieved October 7, 2017.</ref> as Donald Duck
* ''Pardners'' (Disneyland, 1980)<ref name="Mouse Tracks"> Hollis, Tim; Ehrbar, Greg (2006). ''Mouse Tracks: The Story of Walt Disney Records''. University Press of Mississippi. {{ISBN|978-1578068494}}. Retrieved October 7, 2017.</ref> as Donald Duck
* ''Merry Christmas Carols'' (Disneyland, 1980)<ref name="Mouse Tracks"/> as Donald Duck
* ''Merry Christmas Carols'' (Disneyland, 1980)<ref name="Mouse Tracks"/> as Donald Duck
* ''[[Mousercise]]'' (Disneyland, 1982)<ref name="Mouse Tracks"/> as Donald Duck
* ''[[Mousercise]]'' (Disneyland, 1982)<ref name="Mouse Tracks"/> as Donald Duck
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[[Category:Burials at San Fernando Mission Cemetery]]
[[Category:Burials at San Fernando Mission Cemetery]]
[[Category:Deaths from leukemia in California]]
[[Category:Deaths from leukemia in California]]
[[Category:Disney Legends]]
[[Category:Inkpot Award winners]]
[[Category:Inkpot Award winners]]
[[Category:Male actors from Oklahoma]]
[[Category:Male actors from Oklahoma]]
[[Category:People from Watonga, Oklahoma]]
[[Category:People from Watonga, Oklahoma]]

Latest revision as of 01:12, 17 November 2025

Template:Short description Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Script error: No such module "infobox".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Template:Main otherScript error: No such module "Check for clobbered parameters".Template:Wikidata image Clarence Charles "Ducky" Nash (December 7, 1904 – February 20, 1985) was an American voice actor and impressionist. He is best remembered as the original voice of the Disney cartoon character Donald Duck. He was born in the rural community of Watonga, Oklahoma, and a street in that town is named in his honor.[1] In 1993, he was posthumously made a Disney Legend for his contributions to Walt Disney films.[2]

Career

Radio career

Nash made a name for himself in the late 1920s as an impressionist for KHJ, a Los Angeles radio station, on their show, The Merrymakers.[3] He later was employed by the Adohr Milk Company for publicity purposes. Dubbed "Whistling Clarence, the Adohr Bird Man", Nash rode the streets with a team of miniature horses and gave treats to the children.[3] In 1932, Nash happened by the Disney Studio with his team of horses, and decided to leave a copy of his Adohr publicity sheet with the receptionist.[3] As it turns out, his name was recognized from a reprise appearance on The Merrymakers a few days previous, and Walt Disney had been impressed by Nash's vocal skills. He was asked to make an informal audition.[3]

File:ClarenceNashfootprints.JPG
Nash left Donald's "footprints" at the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.

Donald Duck

One source indicates Nash auditioned before a casting director for Walt Disney Studios and did a voice impression of a billy goat that Nash had started doing as a child in Watonga. The director then reached for the intercom and told Walt Disney, "I think we have found our duck."[1] Another version indicates Nash went through several of his voices, and Walt Disney happened by when Nash gave his impersonation of a family of ducks. Disney declared Nash perfect for the role of a talking duck in their upcoming animated short, The Wise Little Hen. The duck was Donald Duck, who Nash went on to voice for 51 years, in over 120 shorts and films. The last film to feature Nash's famous voice was 1983's Mickey's Christmas Carol, although he continued to provide Donald's voice for commercials, promos, and other miscellaneous material until his death.

As early as 1938, promoters from lecture circuits were approaching him on his unique voice of Donald. Disney reportedly did not like the engagements at first, feeling that a human doing the voice would be spoiling the illusion, but then long after he had second thoughts. In early 1941, Nash was traveling on personal appearance tours sponsored by Disney. During World War II, Nash, with his ventriloquist puppet of Donald, which was built by Disney's character modeling department, became a regular performer at USO bond rallies and other events to support the war effort. In the mid-1940s, Roy and Walt approved the Donald puppet and they decided to harness it for the 1944 re-release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. RKO and Disney were unsure how the film would do the second time around at the box office after its initial blockbuster run, so they did a promotional campaign with Disney characters including Nash performing with the Donald puppet. During the promotional period of Fun and Fancy Free, he did multiple radio appearances from May to September 1947, with one of those appearances starring Disney himself. He voiced Donald for 1950s TV commercials.[4]

Nash's Donald Duck voice was achieved by what is called buccal speech: an alaryngeal form of vocalization which uses the inner cheek to produce sound rather than the larynx.[5] He first discovered it while trying to mimic his pet goat Mary. In his days before Disney, Nash performed in vaudeville shows where he often spoke in a "nervous baby goat" voice.[6]

Donald Duck became one of the world's most famous cartoon characters, in great part due to Nash's voice.[7][8] The voice is distinctive both for its ducklike quality and the fact that it is often very difficult for anybody to understand, especially when Donald flew into a rage (which happened fairly often). To keep Donald's voice consistent throughout the world, Nash voiced the character in all foreign languages the Disney shorts were translated to (with the aid of the phonetic alphabet), meaning Donald retained his same level of incoherency all across the globe.

Other characters

In addition to Donald's voice, Clarence Nash also voiced Donald's nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie and his girlfriend Daisy, and Mickey Mouse in Plutopia, R'coon Dawg, Pluto's Party and Pluto's Christmas Tree. He provided the meows and yowls of Figaro the kitten and some donkey brays in Pinocchio and in a handful of shorts. He also did some bird sounds in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, voiced a bullfrog in Bambi and Mr. Bluebird in Song of the South, did some dog sounds in One Hundred and One Dalmatians and background bird sounds in Enchanted Tiki Room, and voiced Jiminy Cricket for a brief period of time after Cliff Edwards's death in 1971.[9][10][11][12]

Nash's iconic Donald Duck voice would be impersonated elsewhere in animation, most notably in the Tom and Jerry cartoons directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera with the character Little Quacker (voiced by Red Coffey) and Hanna-Barbera's Yakky Doodle (voiced by Jimmy Weldon),[8] while Harry E. Lang did Donald Duck-like voices in cartoons at MGM Cartoons and Columbia Pictures, including Tom Cat in the early shorts whenever he hisses.[13] As with most Hanna-Barbera productions, these characters used celebrity impersonations, in these cases an impersonation of Clarence Nash's Donald Duck voice. Because both were much similar to Nash's voice they were often mistakenly attributed to Nash.[8] Likewise, contrary to popular belief, he did not perform the duck voice for Rick Dees' "Disco Duck", which was done by one of Dees' acquaintances.[14] Nash would also use his duck voice on The Burns & Allen Show during the 1940s, playing Gracie's pet duck Herman.[11]

Nash appeared as himself in the 1941 film The Reluctant Dragon, which shows how Disney films were produced, and was a contestant on a 1954 episode of What's My Line[15] and a 1964 episode of To Tell the Truth.[16] Nash also appeared as himself in a 1956 episode of Disneyland entitled "A Day in the Life of Donald Duck", in which he interacts with an animated Donald who blames him for his speech problems: the two end up arguing mainly due to Donald's short temper.[17] He was also a guest on a 1976 episode of The Mike Douglas Show. The 1984 special Donald Duck's 50th Birthday included several clips from Disney films and Disneyland episodes.[18]

Later years

When Disney shut down their shorts department in 1962, Nash continued to voice Donald in various projects over the next two decades. In 1971, he devoted himself to charity work, making personal visits to hospitals and homes and entertaining children with his Donald Duck voice.[10][19]

One of Nash's final performances was in Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983), which made Donald the only character in the film to be voiced by his original actor. His career at Disney was the subject of the premiere episode of Disney Family Album, a 1984 series of documentaries about behind-the-scenes personalities at the studio.

Personal life

Nash married Margaret Seamans in 1930, and they were married for over 50 years; they had two daughters, Kay and Peggy.[20][10]

Death

Nash died on February 20, 1985, of leukemia in the Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, California, at the age of 80 and was interred in the San Fernando Mission Cemetery in Mission Hills, Los Angeles, California.[10] The tombstone of the grave he now shares with his wife Margaret Nash depicts a carving of Donald and Daisy Duck holding hands.

Successor and upcoming biography

After Nash's death, Donald's voice has been taken up by Disney animator Tony Anselmo, who was trained under Nash personally. Anselmo is also among the many voiceover artists to have voiced Huey, Dewey and Louie over the years. Later characters whose voices owe considerable credit to Nash's duck voice have been voiced by actors such as Jimmy Weldon, Frank Welker, Luba Goy and Red Coffey. The most prominent of these is Weldon's Yakky Doodle for Hanna-Barbera.

It was announced in 2020 that Disney historian J.B. Kaufman was working on a biography of Nash with Margaret Barnes, Nash's granddaughter.[4]

Filmography

Radio

Year Title Role Notes
1938 The Mickey Mouse Theater of the Air Donald Duck
1941–1943 The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show Herman the Duck
1945 Command Performance Donald Duck

Shorts

Year Title Role Notes
1934 The Wise Little Hen Donald Duck (voice)
The Flying Mouse Bat
1935 Pluto's Judgement Day Kitten, Cat Judge, Cat Jury
1936 Elmer Elephant Joey Hippo
1939 Donald's Penguin Tootsie the Penguin
1947 Mickey and the Beanstalk Donald Duck
1983 Mickey's Christmas Carol Nephew Fred/Donald Duck
2024 D.I.Y Duck Donald Duck (archived recording)

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1940 Pinocchio Figaro (voice)
1941 The Reluctant Dragon Himself, Donald Duck
1942 Bambi Bullfrog, Hunter Dogs
Saludos Amigos Donald Duck
1944 The Three Caballeros
1946 Song of the South Mr. Bluebird
1947 Fun and Fancy Free Donald Duck, Cat
1949 The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad Ichabod's Horse, Cat
1950 Cinderella Birds
1951 Alice in Wonderland Dinah
1961 One Hundred and One Dalmatians Dogs
1965 Donald Duck Goes West Donald Duck

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1954–1985 Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color Donald Duck/Himself Voice & live-action
1954 What's My Line? Himself (Voice of Donald Duck) Live appearance[21]
1963 To Tell the Truth Himself-Challenger Live appearance
1984 Donald Duck's 50th Birthday Himself/Donald Duck Live-action & voice
Final role

Discography

  • Mickey and the Beanstalk (Capitol, 1947)[22] as Donald Duck
  • Donald Duck's Singing Lesson/Pluto, The Pup (Golden, 1949)[23] as Donald Duck
  • Cinderella (RCA, 1949)[24] as Lucifer, Bruno, Major, Additional Animal Voices
  • Mickey's New Car/Donald Duck at the Opera (Golden, 1950)[25] as Donald Duck
  • Donald Duck, Babysitter/Mickey Mouse and Farmer Rush Rush (Golden, 1950)[25] as Donald Duck
  • Donald Duck Cowboy (Golden, 1950)[26] as Donald Duck
  • Trick or Treat (RCA Victor, 1952)[27] as Donald Duck
  • Mr. Television (RCA Victor, 1952)[28] as Donald Duck
  • Mr. Animated Cartoon (RCA Victor, 1952)[28] as Donald Duck
  • Donald Duck, Fire Chief (Golden, 1953)[29] as Donald Duck
  • Mickey Mouse's Birthday Party (Capitol, 1954)[30] as Donald Duck
  • School Days (Golden, 1954)[31] as Donald Duck
  • Mickey Mouse's Christmas Party (Golden, 1954)[31] as Donald Duck
  • Happy Birthday to Mickey Mouse/Donald Duck's Unbirthday (Golden, 1955)[32] as Donald Duck
  • Walt Disney's Song Parade from Disneyland (Golden, 1956)[33] as Donald Duck
  • Goofy's Dance Party (Disneyland, 1959)[34] as Donald Duck
  • Donald Duck and His Friends (Disneyland, 1960)[35] as Donald Duck
  • Chipmunk Fun (Disneyland, 1963)[36] as Donald Duck
  • Mickey and the Beanstalk (Disneyland, 1963)[22] as Donald Duck
  • Dickens' Christmas Carol Presented by the Walt Disney Players (Disneyland, 1975)[37] as Donald Duck
  • Yankee Doodle Mickey (Disneyland, 1980)[38] as Donald Duck
  • Goin' Quackers (Disneyland, 1980)[35] as Donald Duck
  • Pardners (Disneyland, 1980)[39] as Donald Duck
  • Merry Christmas Carols (Disneyland, 1980)[39] as Donald Duck
  • Mousercise (Disneyland, 1982)[39] as Donald Duck
  • Mickey Mouse Splashdance (Disneyland, 1983)[40] as Donald Duck

See also

References

Template:Reflist

External links

Template:Sister project Script error: No such module "Portal".

Template:S-endTemplate:NavboxesTemplate:Authority control
Preceded byTemplate:S-bef/checkTemplate:Succession box/check Voice of Donald Duck
1934–1985 Template:S-ttl/check 		Template:S-aft/check Succeeded by
  1. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  2. ↑ "Walt Disney Legends: Clarence Nash" Walt Disney Official Fan Club website (Note: Source is behind a paywall.)
  3. ↑ a b c d Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  4. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  5. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1". also published as Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  6. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  7. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  8. ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  9. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  10. ↑ a b c d Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  11. ↑ a b Template:Cite magazine
  12. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  13. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  14. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  15. ↑ Archived at GhostarchiveTemplate:Cbignore and the Wayback MachineTemplate:Cbignore:Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".Template:Cbignore
  16. ↑ Archived at GhostarchiveTemplate:Cbignore and the Wayback MachineTemplate:Cbignore: Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".Template:Cbignore
  17. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  18. ↑ Archived at GhostarchiveTemplate:Cbignore and the Wayback MachineTemplate:Cbignore: Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".Template:Cbignore
  19. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  20. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  21. ↑ Archived at GhostarchiveTemplate:Cbignore and the Wayback MachineTemplate:Cbignore: Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".Template:Cbignore
  22. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  23. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  24. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  25. ↑ a b "Golden Records-78 RPM-Label Discography Page 2". Retrieved November 25, 2018. "Original Voices..."
  26. ↑ Billboard. October 14, 1950, P.113. "...are sung by the original D. Duck voice..."
  27. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  28. ↑ a b Billboard. June 30, 1951, P.20. "Milton Berle and Clarence Nash, the voice of Disney's Donald Duck, waxed two singles for RCA Victor last week titled respectively "Mr. Television" and "Mr. Animated Cartoon.""
  29. ↑ Hollis, Tim (2015). Toons in Toyland: The Story of Cartoon Character Merchandise. University Press of Mississippi. Template:ISBN. Retrieved November 25, 2018.
  30. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  31. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  32. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  33. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  34. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  35. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  36. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  37. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  38. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  39. ↑ a b c Hollis, Tim; Ehrbar, Greg (2006). Mouse Tracks: The Story of Walt Disney Records. University Press of Mississippi. Template:ISBN. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
  40. ↑ "Mickey Mouse - Splashdance at Discogs". Retrieved October 7, 2017.
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