Sterling Holloway

Tall, gangly, fair-haired character actor best known for his distinctive voice work with the Walt Disney Studio. Holloway began his career as an actor in the silent film "Casey at the Bat" (1927). He continued to work steadily, usually in local yokel roles, appearing in 12 films in 1933 alone. Among his feature credits are Frank Capra's "Meet John Doe" (1941), Preston Sturges' "The Beautiful Blonde From Bashful Bend" (1949) and Stanley Kramer's "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" (1963). Holloway's final film appearance was in 1977's "Thunder and Lightning."

In 1941 Holloway began a long and fruitful collaboration with Disney when he lent his voice to the animated classic "Dumbo." It is his voice for which Holloway is chiefly remembered, a gravelly tenor that evoked whimsy and wonder, innocence and mischief. Among the Disney characters he brought to life are the Cheshire Cat in "Alice in Wonderland" (1951), Kaa the Snake in "The Jungle Book" (1967) and, best of all, Winnie the Pooh, the lovable bear from Christopher Robin's forest.