An actor whose appearance is remembered by few, although he starred in dozens of movies. But his voice is easily recognized by all English-speaking lovers of cinema and animation. Captain Hook, Woody the woodpecker and many other cartoon characters speak in his voice.
Biography
Hans Conried was born on April 15, 1917 in Baltimore, Maryland, to a Jewish immigrant from Vienna, Austria, Hans George Conried. The boy spent his early childhood in Baltimore. When he grew up a little, the family moved to New York.
Since childhood, the dream of being an actor, Conrid decides to get an acting education at Columbia University, where he successfully enters and studies with interest. During his studies, he plays a lot in an amateur troupe, mainly in productions based on classical works, often he got the main roles.
In September 1944, he was drafted into the American army, it was assumed that Conrid would be a tanker, but the actor was rejected due to his height. For some time he served mortars, later he was sent to the Philippines, where he served as an assistant in engineering work. He was transferred to the radio service of the Armed Forces after the request of his close friend Jack Crucian.
Career
Conrid's very first appearance on radio dates from 1937. He managed to get a secondary role in the radio show "The Taming of the Shrew".
His appearance on the radio did not go unnoticed. The actor easily managed to change his voice, the roles of drunks, old people or Shakespearean characters, he turned out to be equally convincing. The success was noted not only by the audience, but also by the authors of many plays. Some of them gave permission for the production on the condition that one or more characters would be voiced by Conrid.
Until 1950, Hans Conrid worked a lot in radio shows. He was part of the main troupe of Orson Wels' radio series Unlimited Heights, which ran from 1942 to 1944. It described the tragic and heroic stories of aviators during World War II. The script for one of the episodes, released in December, was written independently.
At the same time, he participates in The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, where he plays a psychiatrist consulting the protagonist, who goes crazy with Grace's antics.
Conrid dreams of acting in films, attends screen tests and does not refuse even the most modest offers. Since 1939, he began to regularly appear in films, but plays such insignificant, episodic roles that his name was not even indicated in the credits. Most often he participates in war films, where he plays a variety of roles - from the harsh military to the modest clerk.
His cinematographic activity does not have much success, so Conrid continues to search for his path in art and decides to return to theatrical productions.
In 1953 he made his Broadway debut in the musical Can-Kan, the lyrics and music for which were written by Col Porter, based on the script by Abe Borrow. The work describes the tragedy and brilliance of the destinies of cabaret actresses in Montmartre. Also participates in several other theatrical productions.
Unexpectedly for himself, the actor finds himself in the dubbing of animated films. The inimitable grumpy voice and impeccable diction allowed the actor to brilliantly voice unusual characters. For example, the exaggeratedly sinister Captain Hook in the Disney cartoon "Peter Pan", 1953. It is believed that his voice inspired the creators of the cult animated series "Futurama" when creating the character "robot devil".
Conried has worked with Disney for many years, but is best known for his work on the voices of Woody Woodpecker and Wally the Walrus in The Woody Woodpecker Show, produced by Walter Lanz Production.
In the 50s, he often appears in various television shows. He regularly participates in the pantomime game on CBS, and also participates in another game show, Look Close. Appears frequently on Jack Paars's Evening Show as a guest guest. In addition, he appears in several episodes of The Tony Rundell Show.
For 9 years, starting in 1955, he appears in over twenty episodes in Give Uncle More Space as Tonoos's grumpy uncle.
In 1958 he starred in one of the series of the project dedicated to the popularization of classical music, "What makes an opera so great?" Conrid played Marcello, represented the third act of Puccini's opera La Bohème. The actor appeared at the beginning of the episode, where he dubbed the libretto in English, after which the opera singers performed it in Italian.
In the 60s and 70s, he continues to actively act in films, but not very successfully. In just these two decades, he has starred in more than forty films, plays cameo roles. He also dubs animated films, for example, "Fairies", released in 1981, also works as a voice acting in the television animated series "Spider-Man and His Incredible Friends".
In 1942 he married Margaret Grant, the marriage, which is not typical for acting families, turned out to be very strong. The couple was able to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of their marriage. Hans and Margaret had four children.
In the 70s, Hans Conrid begins to have health problems, which seriously interferes with the continuation of his career. In 1974 he was admitted to the hospital, where doctors diagnosed him with a stroke. Despite feeling unwell, Conrid tries to lead an active lifestyle, but in 1985 he is admitted to the hospital with a massive heart attack. Despite the efforts of doctors, the actor died three weeks after hospitalization. His remains were donated to science.
