An American actor more often heard than actually seen has sadly passed away.
Jan Rabson, a famed voiceover actor for animated TV series, movies, and video games died this week at the age of 68, according to the Anime News Network.
The outlet noted that Rabson had been born in East Meadow, New York, in June 1954, and got his start in showbusiness as a member of the “Mighty Carson Art Players,” who performed in sketches and provided character voices in sketches for the great late-night host Johnny Carson.
Death revealed by friend and colleague
The news of Rabson’s death was first shared on Facebook on Thursday by his friend and fellow voiceover artist Bob Bergen, who described Rabson as “So talented. So funny. Such a sweetheart!”
Bergen’s post included an older group photo that included Rabson and he lamented that “We keep losing so many from this wonderful group. So sorry to hear today we lost Jan Rabson.”
“Damn, the sessions that are a happening in heaven! Lots of laughs! Lots of good old fashioned non-PC comments. Remember the good old days when we were able to laugh at ourselves? Jan wrote the book!” he added.
Nearly 200 credited appearances
According to Rabson’s IMDb page, the actor had at least 185 credited acting appearances, plus a handful of credits as “additional crew” and one as a writer.
Those actor credits date back to 1980 and included numerous bit parts in different TV shows and a few movies, though the vast majority of his work was as a voiceover artist for dozens of animated shorts, series, films, and video games — some of which was done under an assortment of aliases, including the name Stanley Gurd Jr.
Among his most famous credits are the “Toy Story” and “Despicable Me” franchises, and his final credit came in this year’s reboot of Disney’s “Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers.”
As for his video game credits, mature adults might recognize him as the voice of the eponymous main character from the not-for-children “Leisure Suit Larry” franchise.
Lived in Canada, still worked in L.A.
Rabson’s Behind the Voice Actors page noted that he had moved to Los Angeles, California in 1977 to follow in the footsteps of his “idol,” the great Mel Blanc of “Looney Tunes” fame.
Just before his death, Rabson was living in Canada’s British Columbia and split his time working between studios in Vancouver and L.A. IMDB noted that Rabson leaves behind his wife, Cindy, and their two children.