Junius Conyers Matthews (June 12, 1890 â€" January 18, 1978) was an
American actor. He was the voice of Archimedes the Owl in Disney's The
Sword in the Stone in 1963. He was also the original voice of Rabbit
in the Winnie the Pooh franchise from 1966 to 1977.He was a private in
World War I before becoming an actor, and determined to become a
popular radio and television actor, his career began on stage where he
got his first role in a silent film called The Silent Witness (1917).
He later played the role of the Tin Woodsman on a radio version of The
Wizard of Oz. His distinctive voice can be frequently heard in
supporting roles in radio, particularly westerns where he was often
cast as an old codger, miner, or master of the cook wagon. Matthews
appeared on the short-lived series Luke Slaughter of Tombstone as
Slaughter's sidekick, Wichita, and played Ling Wee, a Chinese waiter,
in Gasoline Alley. He also made guest appearances on several
television series in the 1950s and '60s.It was not until the last ten
years of his life that Matthews became widely known for his role as
Rabbit in the Winnie the Pooh movies produced by the Disney studio
from 1966 to 1977, including the featurettes Winnie the Pooh and the
Honey Tree (1966), Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day (1968), and
Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too! (1974) as well as the feature-length
compilation film The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977). He
played other roles for Disney, most notably the owl, Archimedes, in
Disney's The Sword in the Stone (1963).Matthews died on January 18,
1978 at age 87 and was buried in Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills
Cemetery.
American actor. He was the voice of Archimedes the Owl in Disney's The
Sword in the Stone in 1963. He was also the original voice of Rabbit
in the Winnie the Pooh franchise from 1966 to 1977.He was a private in
World War I before becoming an actor, and determined to become a
popular radio and television actor, his career began on stage where he
got his first role in a silent film called The Silent Witness (1917).
He later played the role of the Tin Woodsman on a radio version of The
Wizard of Oz. His distinctive voice can be frequently heard in
supporting roles in radio, particularly westerns where he was often
cast as an old codger, miner, or master of the cook wagon. Matthews
appeared on the short-lived series Luke Slaughter of Tombstone as
Slaughter's sidekick, Wichita, and played Ling Wee, a Chinese waiter,
in Gasoline Alley. He also made guest appearances on several
television series in the 1950s and '60s.It was not until the last ten
years of his life that Matthews became widely known for his role as
Rabbit in the Winnie the Pooh movies produced by the Disney studio
from 1966 to 1977, including the featurettes Winnie the Pooh and the
Honey Tree (1966), Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day (1968), and
Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too! (1974) as well as the feature-length
compilation film The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977). He
played other roles for Disney, most notably the owl, Archimedes, in
Disney's The Sword in the Stone (1963).Matthews died on January 18,
1978 at age 87 and was buried in Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills
Cemetery.
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