Solomon Hersh Frees (June 22, 1920 â€" November 2, 1986), better known
as Paul Frees, was an American actor, voice actor, comedian,
impressionist and screenwriter, known for his work on MGM, Walter
Lantz, and Walt Disney theatrical cartoons during the Golden Age of
Animation and for providing the voice of Boris Badenov in The Rocky
and Bullwinkle Show. A contemporary of voice actor Mel Blanc, Frees
was known as "The Man of a Thousand Voices".Frees was born Solomon
Hersh Frees in Chicago, Illinois, on June 22, 1920; he grew up in the
Albany Park neighborhood and attended Von Steuben Junior High School.
He had an unusually wide four-octave voice range that would enable him
to voice everything from the thundering basso profundo of the unseen
"Ghost Host" in the Haunted Mansion attraction at Disneyland in
California and at Walt Disney World in Florida to the voice of the
farmer who helps the Little Green Sprout (voiced by Ike Eisenmann) in
the Green Giant vegetable commercials.In the 1930s, Frees first
appeared on vaudeville as an impressionist, under the name Buddy
Green. He began his career on radio in 1942 and remained active for
more than 40 years. During that time, he was involved in more than 250
films, cartoons and TV appearances; as was the case for many voice
actors of the time, his appearances were often uncredited.Frees' early
radio career was cut short when he was drafted into World War II where
he fought at Normandy, France on D-Day. He was wounded in action and
was returned to the United States for a year of recuperation. He
attended the Chouinard Art Institute under the G.I. Bill. When his
first wife's health failed, he decided to drop out and return to radio
work.
as Paul Frees, was an American actor, voice actor, comedian,
impressionist and screenwriter, known for his work on MGM, Walter
Lantz, and Walt Disney theatrical cartoons during the Golden Age of
Animation and for providing the voice of Boris Badenov in The Rocky
and Bullwinkle Show. A contemporary of voice actor Mel Blanc, Frees
was known as "The Man of a Thousand Voices".Frees was born Solomon
Hersh Frees in Chicago, Illinois, on June 22, 1920; he grew up in the
Albany Park neighborhood and attended Von Steuben Junior High School.
He had an unusually wide four-octave voice range that would enable him
to voice everything from the thundering basso profundo of the unseen
"Ghost Host" in the Haunted Mansion attraction at Disneyland in
California and at Walt Disney World in Florida to the voice of the
farmer who helps the Little Green Sprout (voiced by Ike Eisenmann) in
the Green Giant vegetable commercials.In the 1930s, Frees first
appeared on vaudeville as an impressionist, under the name Buddy
Green. He began his career on radio in 1942 and remained active for
more than 40 years. During that time, he was involved in more than 250
films, cartoons and TV appearances; as was the case for many voice
actors of the time, his appearances were often uncredited.Frees' early
radio career was cut short when he was drafted into World War II where
he fought at Normandy, France on D-Day. He was wounded in action and
was returned to the United States for a year of recuperation. He
attended the Chouinard Art Institute under the G.I. Bill. When his
first wife's health failed, he decided to drop out and return to radio
work.
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