Lennie Weinrib Biography

Lennie Weinrib (April 29, 1935 " June 28, 2006), also known as Lenny Weinrib, Leonard Weinrib, and Len Weinrib, was an American actor, voice actor and writer. He is best known for playing the title role in the children's television show H.R. Pufnstuf, the title role in Inch High, Private Eye, the original voice of Scrappy-Doo on Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo, Hunk and Prince Lotor on Voltron, and Bigmouth on The Smurfs. He also was the voice for Timer in the "Time for Timer" ABC public service announcements in the early 1970s.

Woody Allen's character in his 1995 film Mighty Aphrodite was named "Lenny Weinrib."

Life and career

A native of the Bronx, Weinrib got his start in show business working with Spike Jones, then later in The Billy Barnes Revue. He made guest appearances on The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, Burke's Law, The Munsters and Adam-12.

Voice actor

Weinrib is most notable for his voice acting work. Starting with The Jetsons, Weinrib provided numerous voices for such animated series as Inch High, Private Eye, The New Adventures of Batman, Tarzan and the Super 7, and Hong Kong Phooey. He was the voice for both Roland and Ratfink in that series of cartoon shorts. He also provided the voice of Timer in the 1970s "Time for Timer" series of educational spots shown on the ABC network. In Voltron: Defender of the Universe, he voiced both Hunk and the villain Prince Lotor in the "Lion Voltron series", as well as Captain Newley and Cliff in the "Vehicle Voltron" series. He also voiced a secretary bird and a king lion in the animated sequence of the film Bedknobs and Broomsticks. Another Disney role Weinrib voiced was an evil sorcerer named Zorlok for an episode of Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears. He also voices the school bully Lenny Warthog on the NBC series Kissyfur.

Weinrib voiced Davey Jones' uncle Sedgwick, Shaggy's great-uncle Nathaniel, and Redbeard on The New Scooby Doo Movies and Cap'n Noah Smitty in Yogi's Ark Lark. He also voiced Scrappy-Doo in the original Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo TV series before Don Messick took over the role.

Weinrib voiced the title role in H.R. Pufnstuf throughout the show's entire run from 1969 through 1971, and also wrote every episode of the series. He also appeared as H.R. Pufnstuf as a guest on The Dating Game in Christmas 1972 and on one episode of the TV show CHiPs in 1977. On The Krofft Supershow he played the title character in Magic Mongo

He did the voices for Moonrock and Sergeant Boulder on The Flintstone Comedy Show. In 1986, he was the original voice of Freddy Flintstone on The Flintstone Kids, before Scott Menville replaced him the following season. In 1991, he voiced Max the Mole on the all-star Hanna-Barbera animated series Yo Yogi!.

Directing

Weinrib's directing career consists of three feature films, all in the beach party genre: Beach Ball for Paramount in 1965, and Wild Wild Winter and Out of Sight, both for Universal in 1966. Weinrib also co-wrote the popular 1963 joke book The Elephant Book.

Retirement and death

Weinrib retired from acting in the 1990s and moved to Santiago, Chile. Family Guy executive producer Seth MacFarlane, who had a reputation of parodying cartoon characters using their original voice actors on his show, had approached Weinrib with an offer to spoof his role of "Time for Timer" in the episode "Petarded". However, Weinrib declined, stating that he failed to have a strong enough memory of Timer to reprise the role.

Weinrib died in a hospital near his home on June 28, 2006, after suffering a stroke.

Family

Weinrib's elder daughter Linda Weinrib and grandchildren Lauren Bendik and Steven Bendik are voice actors. His younger daughter Heidi Weinrib has performed as part of the ensemble cast of Rojo de Chile, a Chilean talent competition broadcast by Television Nacional de Chile.

Filmography

Animation

• Buford and the Galloping Ghost - Additional Voices
• CB Bears - King, Rattle, Yukayuka
• Dr. Dolittle - Sam Scurvy, various
• Dynomutt, Dog Wonder - Roto Chopper
• Galaxy Goof-Ups - Additional Voices
• Hong Kong Phooey - Additional Voices
• Inch High, Private Eye - Inch High
• Jabberjaw - Additional Voices
• Kissyfur - Charles, Lennie
• My Little Pony and Friends - Additional Voices
• Pac-Man - Additional Voices
• Rambo and the Forces of Freedom - Gripper
• Scooby and Scrappy-Doo - Scrappy-Doo
• Space Stars - Dipper
• The Addams Family - Gomez Addams
• The Adventures of Don Coyote and Sancho Panda - Additional Voices
• The All-New Popeye Hour - Additional Voices
• The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan - Stanley Chan
• The Most Important Person"- Various Voices
• The Flintstone Comedy Hour - Announcer, Moonrock
• The Flintstone Comedy Show - Moonrock, Sgt. Boulder
• The Flintstone Kids - Fred Flintstone (1986-1987), Commissioner
• The Great Grape Ape Show - Additional Voices
• The Jetsons - Additional Voices (1985)
• The Kwicky Koala Show - Additional Voices
• The Little Rascals - Additional Voices
• The Mumbly Cartoon Show - Additional Voices
• The New Adventures of Batman - Joker, Clayface, Mr. Freeze, Chameleon, Moonman, Professor Bubbles, Sweet Tooth, Zarbor
• The New Scooby and Scrappy-Doo Show - Additional Voices
• The New Scooby-Doo Movies - Additional Voices
• The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show - Bronto, Moonrock
• The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show - Additional Voices
• The Scooby-Doo Show - Additional Voices
• The Scooby & Scrappy-Doo/Puppy Hour - Additional Voices
• The Smurfs-Bigmouth
• The Super Globetrotters - Additional Voices
• The Tom and Jerry Show - Additional Voices
• These Are the Days - Additional Voices
• Uncle Croc's Block - Billy the Kit, Captain Eddie Cattenbakker, Captain Kitt, Jasper Catdaver, Kitty Wizard, Sir Walter Cat ("Fraidy Cat" segments)
• Voltron - Hunk Garrett, Prince Lotor (Lion Force series); Cliff, Captain Newley (Vehicle Force series)
• Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - Chet Boyle
• Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch - Hi-Riser
• Yo Yogi! - Max the Mole
• Yogi's Gang - Smokestack Smog
• Yogi's Space Race - Additional Voices
• Yogi's Treasure Hunt - Additional Voices

Live-action

• H.R. Pufnstuf - Voices of H.R. Pufnstuf, Bela Lugosi Tree, Dr. Blinky's Talking Book, Orson Vulture, Polka Dotted Horse, Stupid Bat, Pop Lolly, West Wind
• Lidsville - Voices of Admiral Scuttlebutt, Bela the Vampire's Cowl, Big Chief Sitting Duck, Boris the Executioner's Hood, Hiram the Farmer's Hat, Hoo Doo's Parrot, Raunchy Rabbit, Jack of Clubs
• The Krofft Supershow - Magic Mongo
• The Krofft Superstar Hour - Voices of H.R. Pufnstuf, Orson Vulture, Stupid Bat
• The Skatebirds - Voice of Knock-Knock the Woodpecker ("Skatebirds" segment)

Films

• Bedknobs and Broomsticks - King Lion, Secretary Bird
• It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World - Police Radio Voices
• Rikki-Tikki-Tavi - Darzee the Tailorbird
• Yogi's Ark Lark - Cap'n Noah Smitty

Commercials

• McDonald's McDonaldland Commercials - Captain Crook (voice)
• Time for Timer - Timer

See also