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Junius Conyers Matthews (June 12, 1890 – January 18, 1978)[1] was an American actor in films, theater, radio and television. He was the voice of Archimedes the Owl in Disney's The Sword in the Stone in 1963. He was also the original voice of Rabbit in the Winnie the Pooh franchise from 1966 to 1977.
 | This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. (March 2013) |
Junius Matthews | |
|---|---|
| Born | Junius Conyers Matthews June 12, 1890 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | January 18, 1978 (aged 87) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Forest Lawn – Hollywood Hills Cemetery |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1917–1974 |
Matthews began his acting career on Broadway in shows like Young Wisdom (1914) and Any House (1916) before he got his first role in a silent film called The Silent Witness (1917). He briefly stopped performing while serving as a private in World War I. Over the course of the 1920s he alternated between stage and radio productions. He later played the role of the Tin Woodsman on a radio version of The Wizard of Oz. His distinctive voice can be frequently heard in supporting roles in radio, particularly westerns where he was often cast as an old codger, miner, or master of the cook wagon. Matthews appeared on the short-lived series Luke Slaughter of Tombstone as Slaughter's sidekick, Wichita, and played Ling Wee, a Chinese waiter, in Gasoline Alley. He also made guest appearances on several television series in the 1950s and 1960s.
Winnie the Pooh
It was not until the last ten years of his life that Matthews became widely known for his role as Rabbit in the Winnie the Pooh movies produced by the Disney studio from 1966 to 1977, including the featurettes Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree (1966), Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day (1968), and Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too! (1974) as well as the feature-length compilation film The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977). He played other roles for Disney, most notably the owl, Archimedes, in Disney's The Sword in the Stone (1963).[2] After his death in 1978, first Will Ryan and then Ken Sansom took over the role as the voice of Rabbit.[3]
Matthews died on January 18, 1978, at age 87 and was buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills).[4][5]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1917 | The Silent Witness | Bud Morgan | |
| 1943 | Seeds of Freedom | Speaker | |
| 1946 | Without Reservations | Charlie Potter | Uncredited |
| Black Angel | Dr. Courtney | ||
| I've Always Loved You | Little Man | Uncredited | |
| 1947 | The Shocking Miss Pilgrim | Mr. Carter | Uncredited |
| 1949 | Chicken Every Sunday | Deacon Wilson | Uncredited |
| 1951 | Half Angel | Timid Man | Uncredited |
| 1952 | My Wife's Best Friend | Rev. Dr. Smith | Uncredited |
| 1955 | Good Morning, Miss Dove | Mr. Pruitt | Uncredited |
| 1957 | Jeanne Eagels | Court Clerk | Uncredited |
| 1958 | The Lineup | Jeffers | Uncredited |
| 1959 | A Summer Place | Mr. Hamble | Uncredited |
| 1963 | The Sword in the Stone | Archimedes The Owl | Voice[1] |
| 1966 | Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree | Rabbit | Voice[1] |
| 1968 | Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day | Voice[1] | |
| 1974 | Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too! | Voice, (final film role)[1] | |
| 1977 | The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh | Voice, (archive footage)[1] |
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