Christine Josephine Cavanaugh (née Sandberg; August 16, 1963 – December 22, 2014) was an American actress, who had a distinctive speaking style and provided the voice for a large range of cartoon characters. She was the original voice of Chuckie Finster in Nickelodeon's Rugrats and the voices of Gosalyn Mallard in Disney's Darkwing Duck, Bunnie Rabbot from DIC Entertainment's Sonic the Hedgehog television series, Oblina in Aaahh!!! Real Monsters and the titular protagonists of Babe and Cartoon Network's Dexter's Laboratory, respectively.
Christine Cavanaugh | |
|---|---|
 Cavanaugh at the 68th Academy Awards in 1996 | |
| Born | Christine Josephine Sandberg August 16, 1963 Layton, Utah, U.S. |
| Died | December 22, 2014 (aged 51) Cedar City, Utah, U.S. |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1988–2003 |
| Spouse |
Kevin James Cavanaugh
(m. 1985; div. 1988) |
Cavanaugh retired from voice acting and public life in general in 2001, although some media with her contributions continued to be released until 2003. She died at age 51 on December 22, 2014, at her home in Cedar City, Utah.
Early life
editChristine Josephine Sandberg was born in Layton, Utah,[1] on August 16, 1963,[2] to Waldo Eugene Sandberg and Reta Mason.[3] At the age of 15, she was adopted by Kirt and Linda Johnson, who she considered as her parents for the rest of her life, after her "mamma", Margaret Sandberg, died.[2] Cavanaugh was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She graduated from Layton High School in 1981.[4]
Career
editIn 1991, Cavanaugh voiced Gosalyn Mallard, the titular character's adoptive daughter on Disney's Darkwing Duck as well as Chuckie Finster on Nickelodeon's Rugrats and later in 1994, Oblina on Aaahh!!! Real Monsters.
Cavanaugh could also be heard on The Critic as the voice of Marty, Jay Sherman's son. Her voice credits also include the animated series Sonic the Hedgehog, 101 Dalmatians: The Series, Hercules: The Animated Series, The Powerpuff Girls, The Wild Thornberrys, and Disney's Recess, as well as the voice of Birdie in The Wacky Adventures of Ronald McDonald.
In 1995, Cavanaugh lent her voice to the live-action film Babe in the starring role of the titular character.[5][6] She was offered to reprise her role for the sequel, Babe: Pig in the City, but decided against it when contract negotiations fell through,[7] so the role was instead played by her Rugrats co-star Elizabeth Daily.[8][9] Also in 1995, Cavanaugh started doing the voice of the eponymous character of Dexter's Laboratory, which began as a short under Cartoon Network's What a Cartoon! show, and later became the first short to be adapted into its own series for Cartoon Network. She later won an Annie Award in 2000 for her voice performance as Dexter in the hour-long TV special Dexter's Laboratory: Ego Trip.[10]
Cavanaugh also guest starred on several TV shows including Salute Your Shorts, Cheers, Empty Nest, Wings, The X-Files, Everybody Loves Raymond, and ER, and had supporting roles in the feature films Soulmates and Jerry Maguire. Cavanaugh retired from voice acting in 2001 to spend more time with family,[11] although some TV episodes and films with her recordings continued to be released until 2003. After her retirement, she was replaced by Candi Milo as the voice of Dexter and by Nancy Cartwright, her co-star in The Critic, as the voice of Chuckie in Rugrats.
Death
editOn December 22, 2014, Cavanaugh died at her home in Cedar City, Utah, at the age of 51.[12] She was cremated and her ashes were scattered into the Great Salt Lake.[13]
Legacy
editCavanaugh's legacy was acknowledged by Genndy Tartakovsky, the creator of Dexter's Laboratory, as he cited her death as one of the factors in his refusal to create a revival of the show.[14]
Filmography
editVoice roles
edit| Year | Work | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | David and the Magic Pearl | David | English dub |
| 1991–1992 | Darkwing Duck | Gosalyn Mallard | |
| 1991–2002 | Rugrats | Chuckie Finster/Chuckie's Guardian Angel, additional voices | Played Chuckie for the first 7 seasons and a few early episodes of season 8. Nancy Cartwright replaced her for the rest of the series and the Rugrats spin-off, All Grown Up! |
| 1992 | Raw Toonage | Gosalyn Mallard | |
| Gramps | Alien Kid #2 | ||
| The Secret of the Seal | Tottoi | English dub | |
| 1993 | Recycle Rex | Additional voices | |
| 1993–1994 | Sonic the Hedgehog | Bunnie Rabbot | [15] |
| 1993 | A Flintstone Family Christmas | Stoney | |
| 1994–1997 | Aaahh!!! Real Monsters | Oblina | |
| 1994–1995 | The Critic | Marty Sherman | |
| 1994 | Aladdin | Additional voices | |
| Beethoven | Rosebud | 1 episode "Cyrano De Beethoven" | |
| 1995 | Babe | Babe | She was offered to reprise her role for the sequel, Babe: Pig in the City, but decided against it due to personal matters, so the role was instead played by her Rugrats co-star Elizabeth Daily. |
| Balto | Additional voices | Uncredited | |
| 1995–2002 | Dexter's Laboratory | Dexter | Played in 55 episodes in seasons 1, 2, and early season 3 episodes. Candi Milo played Dexter for the rest of the series. |
| 1995-1996 | What a Cartoon! | Dexter, Alien kid 2, boy | Played in 3 episodes in seasons 1 and 2. |
| 1995–1997 | Sing Me a Story with Belle | Carroll the Book Worm | |
| 1995–1997 | The New Adventures of Sheldon | Sheldon | |
| 1996 | P.J. Funnybunny: A Very Cool Easter | Ritchie Raccoon | Credited as Chris Cavanaugh |
| The Flintstones Christmas in Bedrock | Additional voices | ||
| Nickelodeon 3D Movie Maker | Oblina | CD-Rom | |
| 1996–2000 | Adventures from the Book of Virtues | Frog Child | |
| 1996 | Cave Kids | Bamm-Bamm Rubble | |
| 1997 | 101 Dalmatians: The Series | Wizzer, Dumpling | |
| Recess | Library Kid, Digger #2, Sue Bob Murphy | ||
| Unbeatable Harry | Additional voices | ||
| 1998 | Hercules: The Animated Series | Alcides | |
| The Wacky Adventures of Ronald McDonald: Scared Silly | Birdie | Direct-to-video film | |
| Rugrats: Search for Reptar | Chuckie Finster | Video game | |
| The Powerpuff Girls | Bunny, Bud Smith | ||
| The Rugrats Movie | Chuckie Finster | ||
| The Wild Thornberrys | Short-tailed Macaque | ||
| 1999 | Dexter's Laboratory: Ego Trip | Dexter, D22, Old Man Dexter | TV film |
| The Brothers Flub | Valerina | ||
| The Wacky Adventures of Ronald McDonald: The Legend of Grimace Island | Birdie | Direct-to-video film | |
| The Wacky Adventures of Ronald McDonald: The Visitors from Outer Space | Direct-to-video film | ||
| Sing Me a Story with Belle | Carol the Book Worm | ||
| Rugrats: Studio Tour | Chuckie Finster | Video game | |
| 2000 | Cartoon Cartoon Fridays | Dexter | |
| Rugrats in Paris: The Movie | Chuckie Finster | ||
| 2001 | The Weekenders | Tasha | |
| Lloyd in Space | Charmaine | ||
| Rugrats: Still Babies After All These Years | Chuckie Finster | TV documentary | |
| Rugrats: All Growed Up! | TV film | ||
| The Wacky Adventures of Ronald McDonald: Birthday World | Birdie | Direct-to-video film | |
| The Wacky Adventures of Ronald McDonald: Have Time, Will Travel | Direct-to-video film | ||
| 2003 | The Wacky Adventures of Ronald McDonald: The Monster O' McDonaldland Loch | Direct-to-video film; final film role |
Live-action
edit| Year | TV Series/Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Cheers | Terry Gardner | Episode # 8.24: "Mr. Otis Regrets" |
| 1991 | Salute Your Shorts | Mona Tibbs | Episode # 1.12: "Ug's Girlfriend Is Coming" |
| Empty Nest | Kimberly | Episode # 4.7: "Country Weston" | |
| 1992 | Salute Your Shorts | Mona Tibbs | Episode # 2.12: "They Call Me Ms. Tibbs" |
| Herman's Head | Martha Fitzer | Episode # 2.13: "A Charlie Brown Fitzer" | |
| 1993 | Wings | Fan | Episode # 4.17: "I Love Brian" |
| Frasier | Fast Food Worker (uncredited) | Episode # 1.10: "Oops" | |
| 1994 | Wild Oats | Kathee | |
| 1995 | Little Surprises | Pepper | Short |
| Down, Out & Dangerous | Leslie McCoy | TV film | |
| 1996 | Jerry Maguire | Mrs. Remo | Credited as Christina Cavanaugh |
| 1997 | Delivery | Bridgette | |
| Soulmates | Anna Weisland | ||
| The X-Files | Amanda Nelligan | Episode # 4.20: "Small Potatoes" | |
| Everybody Loves Raymond | Erin | Episode # 2.12: "All I Want for Christmas" | |
| 1998 | You Lucky Dog | Bernice | TV film |
| 2000 | ER | Gloria | Episode # 7.3: "Mars Attacks" |
References
edit- ^ "Christine Cavanaugh". Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on February 21, 2022. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
- ^ a b "Christine Cavanaugh Obituary (2014) – Los Angeles, California". Los Angeles Times. December 30, 2014. Archived from the original on May 16, 2021. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
- ^ "Obituary: Waldo E. Sandberg". Deseret News. September 19, 1999. Archived from the original on June 27, 2018. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
- ^ "Television Shows Made by Latter-Day Saints". ldsfilm.com. Archived from the original on September 14, 2017. Retrieved January 21, 2015.
- ^ Moret, Jim (August 7, 1995). "'Babe' the Pig Really Sizzles". CNN Showbiz News. CNN. Archived from the original on May 26, 2010. Retrieved June 2, 2011.
- ^ "Work Pays Off with Top Roles As Voice-Over". Deseret News. August 25, 1995. Archived from the original on May 16, 2021. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
- ^ Hayward, Anthony (January 5, 2015). "Christine Cavanaugh: Voice Actor Behind the Eponymous Pig in 'Babe' and the Worrisome Toddler Chuckie in 'Rugrats'". The Independent. Archived from the original on April 17, 2023. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
- ^ Lacher, Irene (December 18, 1998). "A Former Phantom, a Future Noah". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on April 1, 2014. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
- ^ Goldstein, Patrick (December 18, 2001). "A Voice Actor Speaks for Herself". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 7, 2012. Retrieved June 2, 2011.
- ^ "28th Annual Annie Award Nominees and Winners (2000)". AnnieAwards.org. ASIFA-Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 30, 2015. Retrieved May 31, 2011.
- ^ McNary, Dave (December 30, 2014). "Christine Cavanaugh, Voice of Chuckie from 'Rugrats,' 'Babe,' Dies at 51". Variety. Archived from the original on June 27, 2018. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
- ^ "Christine Cavanaugh, Piglet's Voice In 'Babe,' Dies At 51". The New York Times. Associated Press. December 31, 2014. Archived from the original on October 28, 2021. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
- ^ Wilson, Scott (2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons (3 ed.). McFarland. p. 125. ISBN 978-0-7864-7992-4. Archived from the original on April 17, 2023. Retrieved May 25, 2019 – via Google Books.
- ^ John-Day, Michael (April 25, 2023). "Dexter's Laboratory Creator Addresses the Chances of a Revival Series". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on April 27, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2024.
- ^ "Christine Cavanaugh (visual voices guide)". BTVA. Archived from the original on March 21, 2021. Retrieved March 8, 2021. 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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