Latest / Best of: Features / Eric Bauza, modern voice of Looney Tunes characters, dies at 46
Transcript
- 0:05Eric Bowza, modern voice of Looney Tunes characters, dies at forty-six. This
- 0:13article is being read by an automated voice generated by Everlet. Eric
- 0:18Bowza, the award winning voice actor whose performances of Bugs Bunny, Daffy
- 0:22Duck, and many more characters made him the modern voice of Looney
- 0:25Tunes, has died. He was forty-six. Bowza died suddenly late Sunday, his
- 0:31family said in a statement. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner reported
- 0:35that he died at his home from hypertensive cardiovascular disease. Beginning in
- 0:402001, Bowza amassed more than 400 voice acting credits in a career
- 0:44that gave voice to beloved characters in animated Looney Tunes series, including
- 0:49Puss in Boots, Muppet Babies, Token's Name, The Last Airbender, and countless
- 0:54others. He won three Children's and Family Emmy Awards from 2022 to
- 0:592025. Looney tunes will always have a special place in my heart,
- 1:03Bowza said in an interview with the Associated Press his year. I
- 1:07watched them on Saturday mornings originally. It's not just the voice, but
- 1:11the overall aesthetic has influenced me as an artist. Raised in Scarborough,
- 1:16Ontario, by Filipino immigrant parents, Bowza found his passion for voice acting
- 1:21as a teenager. In high school he would deliver the PA system
- 1:24morning announcements in various cartoon voices. In voicing Looney Tunes characters, Bowza
- 1:30faithfully and reverentially channeled Mel Blanc. So great was his affection for
- 1:34Blanc that, in conversation, he would even toss out an impression of
- 1:38Blanc outside the recording booth. Bauza last year told the New York
- 1:42Times Mel Blanc is like the voice of God for me. Bowser's
- 1:46Looney Tunes work included such feature films as Space Jam, a New
- 1:50Legacy, A Looney Tunes Movie, 2024, and this year's Coyote vs.
- 1:56Acme, that film in which while E Coyote takes the Acme Corporation
- 2:00to court for its defective products became a modest cause celebre after
- 2:04Warner Bros. Opted not to release it. After an outcry from fans,
- 2:08partly stoked by Baoza, the film eventually found a distributor in Ketchup
- 2:13Entertainment and surpassed one hundred million dollars at the worldwide box office.
- 2:17While the film was in limbo, Baoza argued for its release at
- 2:20the twenty twenty four Annie Awards, in the voice of Daffy Duck.
- 2:25He's the go to cartoon character above anyone else when it comes
- 2:28to begging and pleading, Bowza explained. It seemed appropriate. Before becoming one
- 2:34of the most recognized personalities in the often anonymous field of voice
- 2:38acting, Bowza pursued working in animation production. After graduating from the film
- 2:43program at Toronto Centennial College, Bauza first worked as animator and character
- 2:47layout artist. Initially, he did voice acting on the side. Channing Dungey,
- 2:53chairman of Warner Brothers television group and US Networks, called Bowza a
- 2:57unique voice talent who brought joy and laughter to millions. As a
- 3:01voice acting professional, Bauza sometimes chafed at celebrities brought in to replace
- 3:05him in bigger budgeted productions. Bauza occasionally voice matched for stars including
- 3:10Bill Hader on Bob's Burgers and Antonio Banderas as Puss in Boots.
- 3:16From my experience working several times in the feature film format, there
- 3:19always the reminder that it is temporary dialogue, and Chris Pratt will
- 3:23be voicing all the Looney tunes in this feature film. No, just
- 3:27kidding, Bowza told the AP. But even in productions where A list
- 3:32stars took the spotlight, Bowza said there was still room for nine
- 3:35to fivers like me to color in the scenery. Bowza, who seldom
- 3:39went more than a few minutes without slipping into the voice of
- 3:42Bugs or Daffy or some other character, was rarely anything but grateful
- 3:46at being part of the Looney Tunes legacy. The Looney Tunes were
- 3:51here before I was born, and they're definitely going to be here
- 3:53long after I leave this realm, he said shortly before the release
- 3:57of Coyote versus Acme. I just feel like the luckiest guy.