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Ken Sansom

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Ken Sansom
Born
Frank Kenneth Sansom

(1927-04-02)April 2, 1927
DiedOctober 8, 2012(2012-10-08) (aged 85)
Resting placeWasatch Lawn Memorial Park, Millcreek, Utah, U.S.
Alma materBrigham Young University
OccupationActor
Years active1950s–2010
Spouse
Carla Sansom
(m. 1961)
Children3

Frank Kenneth Sansom (April 2, 1927 – October 8, 2012)[1] was an American actor. Among his best known roles, Sansom voiced Rabbit in animated television series, television specials, and films for Disney's Winnie the Pooh franchise from 1988 to 2010.[1]

Early life

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Sansom was born on April 2, 1927, in Salt Lake City, Utah.[1] He enlisted in the United States Navy soon after graduating from East High School in Salt Lake City in 1944.[1]

Sansom enrolled at the University of Utah following World War II, but did not complete his studies there.[1] He transferred to Brigham Young University, where he received a bachelor's degree in radio broadcasting in 1949.[1]

He was recalled by the U.S. Navy for service during the Korean War.[1] He served as a member of the United Service Organizations, providing entertainment to American troops while in Korea.[1]

Career

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Sansom started his career in 1957 with a radio show in Los Angeles called Sansom and Then Some.[1] He began acting in early 1968 when he moved to Los Angeles.[1] His first role was in an episode of Mayberry R.F.D., a continuation of The Andy Griffith Show. He was best known for his role as Rabbit in the television series The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. He also voiced Stan, the Woozle in the series. He also voiced Rabbit in a number of TV specials and films, replacing Rabbit’s original voice actor Junius Matthews following his death in 1978.[2][1]

In an interview with ABC 4, when asked about voicing Rabbit in the upcoming Winnie the Pooh film, he stated, "I'm not sure."[3] Tom Kenny voiced Rabbit in the film, although Sansom claimed he was still under contract.[3] Sansom was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[4]

Personal life

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Sansom married Carla Sansom in 1961, they remained married until Sansom's death.[1] Together they have three children.[1]

Death

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Sansom died on October 8, 2012, in Holladay, Utah due to complications of a stroke at the age of 85.[1] He resided in Sandy, Utah.[1] His remains are buried in Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park in Millcreek, Utah, alongside his widow Carla.[5]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1970 Shinbone Alley Rosie (voice)
1973 The Long Goodbye Colony Guard
The Sting Western Union Executive
1974 Airport 1975 Gary
1975 Funny Lady Frederick Martin
1978 The Small One Baker (voice) Uncredited
1979 Nutcracker Fantasy Chamberlain, Wise Man (voice) English dub[6]
Banjo the Woodpile Cat Banjo's Father, Farmer (voice)
1983 The Invisible Woman Lionel Gilbert Television film
1984 Gallavants Thunk (voice) [6]
1985 Starchaser: The Legend of Orin Magreb (voice) [6]
1987 The Chipmunk Adventure Inspector Jamal (voice)
1997 Pooh's Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin Rabbit (voice) Direct-to-video[6]
2000 The Tigger Movie [6]
2001 The Book of Pooh: Stories from the Heart Direct-to-video
2002 A Very Merry Pooh Year Direct-to-video[6]
2003 Piglet's Big Movie [6]
2004 Springtime with Roo Direct-to-video[6]
2005 Pooh's Heffalump Movie [6]
Pooh's Heffalump Halloween Movie Direct-to-video[6]
2007 Super Sleuth Christmas Movie
2009 Tigger & Pooh and a Musical Too

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1970 Tales of Washington Irving Narrator (voice) Television film
1970–71 Mayberry R.F.D. Clarence, Ferguson 3 episodes
1971 The Brady Bunch Stan Jacobsen Episode: "The Liberation of Marcia Brady"
1974 Herbie Rides Again Lawyer
Where Have All the People Gone? Jack McFadden
Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus Papa (voice) Television film[6]
1976 Charlie's Angels Clerk Television film (pilot)
1976–86 Days of Our Lives Frederick Powell Recurring role (49 episodes)
1983–85 The Littles Dr. Hunter, Peterson (voice) Main cast
1984–85 The Transformers Hound (voice) 25 episodes[6]
1985 The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians Martin Stein (voice) 2 episodes[6]
1985–86 Murder, She Wrote Bert, Man 2 episodes
1988–91 The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh Rabbit (voice) Main cast
1990 TaleSpin Ralph Throgmorton (voice) Episode: "On a Wing and a Bear"[6]
1996 Boo to You Too! Winnie the Pooh Rabbit (voice) Television film
1998 A Winnie the Pooh Thanksgiving
1999 A Valentine for You
2001–03 The Book of Pooh Main cast
2007–10 My Friends Tigger & Pooh

Video games

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Year Title Role Notes
1998 My Interactive Pooh Rabbit [6]
1999 Disney Learning: Winnie the Pooh [6]
2000 Tigger's Honey Hunt
2001 Party Time with Winnie the Pooh
2003 Piglet's Big Game
2005 Winnie the Pooh's Rumbly Tumbly Adventure
2006 Kingdom Hearts II

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Utah actor Ken Sansom, voice of 'Pooh's' Rabbit, dies at 85". The Salt Lake Tribune. Media News Group. October 11, 2012. Archived from the original on October 13, 2012. Retrieved October 12, 2012.
  2. ^ Minovitz, Ethan (October 12, 2012). "Animation Voice Ken Sansom, Winnie the Pooh's Rabbit, dies at 85". Big Cartoon News. Archived from the original on December 2, 2012. Retrieved October 12, 2012.
  3. ^ a b "Meet the Voice of Rabbit from Winnie the Pooh". Newport Television. 24 August 2010. Archived from the original on 26 August 2010. Retrieved 30 August 2010.
  4. ^ Johnston, Ron (1995). "Actors, Producers and Directors". Famous Mormon. p. 3. Archived from the original on 30 April 2008. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  5. ^ Frank Sansom Obituary (2012) - Salt Lake City, UT - The Salt Lake Tribune
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "Ken Sansom (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved July 8, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
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