Daws Butler in the 1960s, standing next to a couple of his famous vocal creations
Charles Dawson Butler (16 November 1916 – 18 May 1988) was one of Hanna-Barbera's most prolific voice actors, contributing the voice of Yogi Bear, Elroy Jetson, Huckleberry Hound and Snagglepuss, among others.
About Daws
Butler began his career doing various voices for MGM, as well as Walter Lantz's Smedley the dog (this voice would later be transferred to Huckleberry Hound). He joined Hanna-Barbera in 1957 with their first TV cartoon, The Ruff & Reddy Show.
Butler often used various celebrities of the day as the starting point for his vocal characterizations, but would adapt them until the characters were distinctively his own. Yogi Bear was originally based on Art Carney, Hokey Wolf came from Phil Silvers and Snagglepuss was based on Bert Lahr.
In 1975, Butler started a voice acting class that helped give birth to the careers of Nancy Cartwright, Corey Burton, and Greg Burson, the last of whom took over many of Butler's voices after his passing.
H-B Voices
- Alfy Gator and Fibber Fox (of Yakky Doodle)
- Augie Doggie
- Baba Looey (of Quick Draw McGraw)
- Big Gruesome (of Wacky Races)
- Bingo (of The Banana Splits Adventure Hour)
- Brutus the Lion (of The Roman Holidays)
- Captain Skyhook (of The Space Kidettes)
- Cogswell
- Dixie Mouse (of Pixie and Dixie)
- Elroy Jetson
- Hair Bear (of Help!... It's the Hair Bear Bunch!)
- Henry Orbit
- Hokey Wolf
- Huckleberry Hound
- Hustle (of CB Bears)
- Lambsy (of It's the Wolf)
- Lippy the Lion
- Loopy De Loop
- Mr. Jinks (of Pixie and Dixie)
- Peter Perfect (of Wacky Races)
- Peter Potamus
- Quick Draw McGraw
- Red Max (of Wacky Races)
- Reddy the dog (from The Ruff & Reddy Show)
- Rock Slag (of Wacky Races)
- Rufus Ruffcut (of Wacky Races)
- Scooby-Dum
- Sergeant Blast (Wacky Races)
- Snagglepuss
- Super Snooper and Blabber Mouse
- Stick and Duke (of Posse Impossible)
- Undercover Elephant
- Wally Gator
- Wimpy (of The All-New Popeye Hour)
- Yahooey (of Yippee, Yappee and Yahooey)
- Yogi Bear